Specific clothing advice for women

  • check that any top you're wearing doesn't 'gape' in a revealing way at the front, or in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable,
  • if you're wearing a sheer colour, or any form of thin white top, check that the clothing you're wearing underneath is only visible in a way that you're happy about when you're in the sun or under bright lights,
  • if the top that you're wearing is the type that slips off your shoulder make sure you're happy seeing any straps that show (we don't want you to feel you have to keep straightening the shoulders of your top to keep any straps hidden),
  • if we're in a rural occasion, and the weather's dry, we might create some photos with you sitting down, so make sure any skirt or dress is the type which is both comfortable and not revealing if you were to be sitting on the floor (so either skirts or dresses to below the knee, or shorter ones that you're happy wearing with your legs tucked under you, if you're sitting on the floor),
  • if you're remotely concerned about the size or shape of your upper arms, be careful of wearing sleeveless tops, as bare arms will attract the attention of you and others looking at your photos - if you feel your arms are slender, or you just don't care, then go ahead and wear sleeveless - but otherwise, to be on the safe side, we'd suggest choosing a long or short-sleeve top.

Makeup advice for a photoshoot

  • if you don’t want to wear makeup, that's fine,
  • however, if you do want to wear makeup, the more it complements your outfit the better - so do what you do best and just apply the makeup you'd use if you were going out on a special occasion and wanted to look and feel great - now's not the time to experiment with makeup you've not tried much before - keep it to what you're comfortable wearing,
  • however, one small piece of advice - don't overdo your makeup, as whatever you use will look even stronger in photos than when you see it in a mirror:
    • if you wear lots of eyeliner that really darkens your eyes, now might be the time to ease off a bit, as when you smile while wearing lots of eyeliner, your eyes will naturally close slightly - this can make the whites of your eyes almost disappear in a photo so that you'll look like your eyes are always closed,
    • don't overdo the foundation either,
    • if you use tanning products don't go crazy with these in the days just before the photoshoot,
  • with or without nail polish is absolutely fine - however, there might be some photos we do with your hands near your face, so if you do choose to wear nail polish make sure it’s been applied recently and is not chipped,
  • if you’ll be wearing lipstick and nail polish, make sure you’re happy that the nail and lipstick colours work well together - they don't have to match (red and black, either way around, would be great), but they shouldn't clash (so orange and pinks are much less likely to work together).

Jewellery advice

Any form of jewellery is great and adds variety, though there are a small number of things to be aware of: 
  • hanging earrings - if you wear any please make sure they 'hang well' when you're tilting your head - make sure they don’t just sag untidily against your neck when you're tilting your head, because if they do, they won't look as good - we do love hanging earrings, just not the super long ones (massive hooped earrings have the same effect when you tilt your head),
  • necklaces - we love a great necklace, but if you wear one please try to use one that's symmetrical and doesn't have some kind of centre-piece, because with that type you'll spend a lot of time straightening it on every photo (which you'll soon get fed-up doing),

Do bring along other extras to the photoshoot

  • accessories, such as hats and scarves work really well,
  • these can often be at their best when their colour enhances, or is different than, the colour of your top.

And lastly...

  • don't use the photoshoot as the time to try out something new - make sure you've warn everything before and that you're really comfortable wearing it,
  • don't get your haircut the day before - do it at least a week before so you've 'worn it in' and you're comfortable with it,
  • now isn't the time to try and that brand new pair of never-worn shoes that begin to hurt and rub and make you feel uncomfortable,
  • the same is true for clothes - make sure you've worn them before and they feel fabulously comfortable.

Finding out more

Read more of our helpful tips about preparing for your photoshoot.

SELECTING COLOURS
WHAT TO EXPECT ON A PHOTOSHOOT
OUR FREE MAGAZINES

Get our free 'What to Wear' Magazines

We're currently offering two of our premium digital magazines for free.

The first of these is 'A Guide for Couples on What to Wear at a Photoshoot'. This is a 50 page magazine for couples, which is full of lots of advice, photos and colour combinations to help you choose what you and your partner might wear during a photoshoot.

The second magazine is 'A Guide for Women on What to Wear at a Photoshoot'. This is also a 50 page magazine, full of lots of advice, photos and colour combinations to help you choose what you might wear during a photoshoot. This magazine is specifically tailored towards women.

GET MAGAZINES
wearing a necklace on a photoshoot
Necklaces like this have a 'definite centre' when they hang. They look great, however, they do need to be regularly re-positioned for every photo.
wearing hanging ear-rings on a photoshoot
Be careful with dangly ear-rings - these look lovely but we spent a lot of time making sure they hung well without affecting the surrounding hair .
matching nails and lipstick on a photoshoot
If you wear bright lipstick or nail varish that's great, but make sure the colours don't clash - the bright red lipstick and nails work well together here.
woman wearing a yellow dress on a photoshoot
With sleeveless tops make sure you love the look of your upper arms - this is a beautiful photo, but this woman might feel her arms look large (even though we don't).