Question: What should I wear for my branding photos? 

Answer: The wardrobe items you select for your branding session should line up with the tone of your business branding, the colors your brand uses, and make you feel amazing!

Branding Photos Feel Like a Lot of Pressure

Having branding photos taken to promote your business can feel like a ton of pressure! I mean, you’re hopefully going to use images from that session for months – maybe even years. They’re going to promote and represent your business to all of your new clients or customers, and they’re going to be used on your website, social media, advertizing, and more.

Which means they’re going to be seen by a lot of people – and if you run a local business? The people who see your advertizing will be local to you. So like… your neighbors. And there’s not much more stressful than taking pictures that your literal neighbors might see in a google ad, right??

I’m not trying to like… make this scarier than it already is, but it’s important to me that you know that I get it. I truly do. Having a photo session, as easy as I work to make it for you, doesn’t always FEEL easy. Sometimes it feels like a ton of bricks, flying through the air toward you.

Choosing the Wardrobe for Any Photo Session is a Project

And choosing what you’re going to wear for any photo session is a whole thing! Not just branding photo sessions. But… with everything I’ve just explained, it hopefully makes sense why picking your branding photo session wardrobe would be higher pressure than most other types of session. The photos aren’t just going to be seen by the people who come into your home and see the prints in your livingroom gallery wall – they’re going to be all over the internet and social media, and seen by… well, anyone with a phone can see them.

Not only that, but to add to the pressure and vague stress, you’ve got the whole “these have to represent my business” thing. You know, the whole point of branding photos. So when you’re choosing the wardrobe for your branding photo session, you have to balance making sure that your images send the right message about your business, too. And that adds a whole other layer of pressure to the situation!

Luckily, there are a few things we can think about before branding sessions, that will help make sure you hit all the appropriate notes in your wardrobe selection. And if you start with these questions/topics? It’ll help eliminate the stress of choosing your branding photo session wardrobe, and as an added bonus, it might speed up the process, too!

Think About the Colors You’ll Wear

First up on deck, we want to think about color. The reason we start with color, is you’re representing a brand – and that means you’ve got a palette to start with. If you’re using your photos in your business’ online presence after they’ve been captured, then they’re going to have to slot into the ecosystem that already exists. And if you don’t think about color, then you’re going to end up with photos that don’t match your website, don’t match your social media profiles, and they’re… well they’re just not going to do their job.

So before you think about ANYthing else in the process of choosing your branding photo session wardrobe, pull up your business’ palette. Is it neutral? Is it vibrant? What colors in there would work well for things you could wear to your session? Do you already have some in your closet, or will you need to go on a shopping trip before your branding session takes place? Think through all this, and you might even have a head start on choosing items, based on what’s in your closet that matches the colors you need to use!

Think About the Tone of Your Branding Photo Session Wardrobe

After you’ve thought about color, the next topic I suggest everyone thinks about before they choose the wardrobe for their branding photo session, is the tone they want to communicate to their clientele. There’s a big, big, BIG difference between wearing a colorful floral dress, and wearing a pants-suit. Same thing when it comes to like… a crop-top, versus a business-casual blouse.

All of the choices you make about what you’ll wear are a part of communicating with your audience. So, what do you want to communicate? Are you a realtor, who wants to make sure that your clients know you’re approachable, but also professional and trustworthy? Consider balancing business casual for warmth, against some bold, chunky accessories, and in-context photos where you’re shown doing the thing you do – aka, talking to (and helping) people!

If you own a yoga studio, consider something more wellness-themed, like what you’d wear while you were teaching a session! Showing your people what you’ll look like when you actually interact with them is powerful. There’s a huge difference between a yoga studio owner wearing a pants suit in their headshots, versus a yoga studio owner wearing a two piece yoga set during it – right?

Make Sure You Feel Like Yourself!

Finally – once you’ve considered the color and the tone, it’s time to make sure that you feel like YOU. This is honestly the most important aspect of ANY wardrobe selection for ANY photo session. You absolutely have to feel like yourself, otherwise you’re not going to look authentic in the images we capture. I mean, I’m pretty good at what I do, and I can try my absolute hardest to make you look comfortable in something you’re UNcomfortable in. But I’m a photographer, not a magical wizard. There’s no way to “fake” comfort in editing. You HAVE to be comfortable in what you’re wearing.

Sometimes, this causes problems because the “tone” you’re going for in the images, doesn’t line up with what you feel comfortable in. And in that case? We get creative!! If that’s the case for you, and you’re feeling nervous about putting together your branding photo session wardrobe, let me know. I’d love to talk through how some tweaks can be made to make sure you get the best possible images after your branding and headshot session!

Hoping to Upgrade Your Brand Photos?

Hopefully, this guide has helped you feel a little bit more solid when it comes to choosing the wardrobe for your branding photo session! But if not, and/or if you’re still looking for a photographer to work with for your branding photo needs, let’s talk. I’d love to help walk you through picking wardrobe options for your session that will work for you and your business, and I’d of course be honored to be the photographer you choose to help you promote your business!

Bonus: Take a look at just a few results that my AMAZING team of collaborators and me have gotten for our social media management clients!