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What do you wear for your brand photoshoot? Ideally, you want clothing that feels good, makes you look professional yet approachable and coordinates with your website. You want these images to have variety and be used across your website and social media.

“What should I wear for my photoshoot” is the biggest question entrepreneurs ask as they plan for their sessions! And it’s an important question! You’re investing in professional brand photography, so you want your outfits to help you get the most from your session.

A successful brand photo session should give you a library of impactful images you can use easily for your website, social media, email marketing, LinkedIn and other places where potential clients are getting to know your business. Your clothing plays an important part in making your images feel cohesive and recognizable.

A lot goes into a successful brand shoot, and for good reason! You’re investing in something that will ultimately increase your know, like and trust factor with potential clients. And you want to maximize this investment so you have a beautiful collection of images to draw from as you update your website and other client-facing collateral & social media.

Seven tips for what to wear at your brand photo session:

1. Select clothing that fits with your overall brand.

Think about the different sides of your business and choose outfits that reflect them.

I often suggest bringing an outfit you would wear the first time you meet with a prospect or client, one that you might wear while working every day, and one on-brand look that is your at-home casual look.

You don’t need every outfit to look completely different. Instead, think about creating a small collection of looks that show different sides of your personality and business.

2. Make sure your clothing fits well.

This may sound obvious, but the fit of your clothing can make a big difference in photographs.

If you’re curvy or heavier than you wish, don’t think you’re covering things by wearing shapeless clothes! The extra fabric will only make you look bigger in photographs. Look for clothing that follows your shape without being too tight.. I will pose you to look flattering.

3. Use your brand colors when choosing what to wear.

This gives you a cohesive look across your website pages and social media pages. This also can be a neutral palette that goes with your brand color. For my own brand sessions, I always wear at least one pop of my brand turquoise and fill out the other outfits with creams, beiges and whites. This ensures my visual identity is consistent.

4. Solid colors should rule – they always work.

Solid colors are a great choice for brand photography because they keep the attention on you.

That doesn’t mean you have to avoid patterns completely. Prints can be beautiful as long as they aren’t super tiny patterns. If you want to wear prints, make sure that it works with any other clothing design you use so they all look good together on your site.

5. Flaunt what you like.

Your brand images should look like you on your best day, not like someone else’s day!

If you have great legs, skirts or shorts will accentuate them. Same with sleeveless tops with your arms. On the other hand, if you dislike the look of your arms, avoid sleeveless or throw a blazer, cardigan or jean jacket over one.

The goal isn’t to hide yourself. It’s to bring outfits that make you feel comfortable, confident, and ready to show up for your business and your clients.

6. Don’t overlook your accessories.

Wear thoughtful jewelry pieces that work with the outfit and aren’t overly trendy or fussy. Scarves, hats, belts should be well thought out but can give you polished looks. (A word of advice: be sure your jewelry is untangled and apart from your other pieces. I once spent 25 minutes with a client while we untangled the three delicate necklaces she packed together. I kid you not!)

7. Consider renting outfits.

If you have your heart set on a particular look but don’t want to spend a lot of money on something you’re rarely wear, clothing rental can be a great option. There are companies that specialize in clothing rental. One to check out is Rent the Runway.

Put some thought into using your brand color palette in different ways when you decide what to wear! Check out an article I wrote about the power of wearing your brand colors.

Think Beyond Your Brand Colors

When you’re deciding what to wear in your brand photos, don’t limit yourself to simply matching your website colors. Think about how your brand palette can be used in different ways. Maybe your primary brand color appears in one outfit while neutrals make up the rest. Or your colors can show up through accessories, props or your environment instead of your clothing.

What we want to work toward is a collection of useful and impactful photographs that feels cohesive without looking like you wore the exact same color in every single photo.

How to Prepare Your Outfits for your Brand Photo Session

Once you’ve selected your outfits, please don’t wait until the morning of your session to see if everything works together!

Try on each outfit in front of a mirror to be sure the tops and bottoms work, as well as your accessories. Sit, move and walk in them to be sure everything stays where it should.

If you have a buttoned up blouse, be sure it doesn’t gap between the buttons. Make sure each piece is pressed and wrinkle-free and on hangers. Add the accessories to the hangers according to the outfit you’re wearing them with.

Put the outfits in the car, hanging up, the night before your shoot. You’ll have one less thing to think about the morning of your shoot.

If you book a branding photo shoot with me, either in my Brighton Michigan studio or at a location that fits your brand, you will get a ton of support from me along the way. And when you book a date, I’ll mail you my brand shoot magazine to help you plan for your shoot!