What clothes to wear for portraits?

What are your experiences?

So far I got this:

Clothes they feel comfortable in
Not a fully patterned shirt/dress in high contrast
Stripes not so good, at least high contrasted stripes

Extra clothes for changing, especially with kids. Just to get some different pictures.

I don't do a lot of portrait photography so maybe I'm not the best person to be giving suggestions, but when I have done I have it portrait work I have found the shots much easier to work with in post if the subject was *not* wearing a lot of either pure white, or pure black.

Horoscope Fish said:

I don't do a lot of portrait photography so maybe I'm not the best person to be giving suggestions, but when I have done I have it portrait work I have found the shots much easier to work with in post if the subject was *not* wearing a lot of either pure white, or pure black.

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I did think about those colors, but think my desire for what someone called high key (loads of contrast) works okay with black and white. But it can make the shot a little more difficult with over/underexposure.

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wud said:

I did think about those colors, but think my desire for what someone called high key (loads of contrast) works okay with black and white. But it can make the shot a little more difficult with over/underexposure. ​

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That's my experience. While I do *prefer* the latitude of working with mid-tones without having to worry about blowing out highlights/shadows, it's certainly not a requirement.

I suggest plain, dark colored shirts/blouses/jackets. Especially for headshots.

This helps isolate the subjects' face.

I think a lot depends on WHERE you are shooting. I have seen some of the best family shots on the beach is all white clothes. That would be an easier shot than if they were on the beach wearing all black. Also you have to take into account the skin color. A black person wearing all white is very difficult to shoot without a lot of Post Processing.

I do agree about wearing something they are comfortable in because they are just more relaxed in those clothes.

Not to get off topic, but I find makeup more troublesome than clothes. Some women cake it on and these sharp lenses really pick it up! I ask people to go light on the makeup, I'd rather touch them up in Portrait pro.

​Sorry , now back to clothing....,

Tracsoft - Don Kuykendall said:

I think a lot depends on WHERE you are shooting. I have seen some of the best family shots on the beach is all white clothes. That would be an easier shot than if they were on the beach wearing all black. Also you have to take into account the skin color. A black person wearing all white is very difficult to shoot without a lot of Post Processing.

I do agree about wearing something they are comfortable in because they are just more relaxed in those clothes.

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Absolutely!

Family portraits have them stick to same tonal range (no stripes or patterns) if anyone has a lighter colour it should be mom as she is usually the link in family. Eyes are always drawn to the lightest colour in the photo. Matchy matchy seems lame but when you look at family photos where photographer did a consultation and family members are dressed in similar clothing and colours it just looks nicer and instead of eyes being drawn to clothing you are more drawn to the peoples faces

I am starting to see this, colors on the clothes. A woman had on a screaming pink-ish shirt, man did this ruin a picture. Btw, I am talking shooting outdoors in nature, not studio.

So now I got please avoid high contrast patterns and neon-colors, and I have written that wearing colors which match in shades, can be really great for the picture. This is what you are writing too.



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Wear clothes that fit. Loose/baggy clothes make people look like they're wearing potato sacks.

Don't wear stripes, especially horizontal. Plaids are kind of a grey area, but some can be okay. Solid colors or simple patterns are always best.

Don't go sleeveless. It looks tacky, 99.9% of the time, especially for men. Unless they're ripped like a UFC fighter, no tank tops.

Wear shoes. A lot of people have skanky looking feet, and they just look awful in photos.

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