"What the hell am I supposed to wear for my portrait session?"
“What the hell am I supposed to wear for my photo session?”
Wear whatever presents you as your very best self.
If I had a dollar for every time a client during a pre-session strategy call freaked out over not knowing what to wear, I’d be able to retire simply off of those proceeds.
It’s one of the most frequently asked questions I get, and it makes sense.
Whether you’re preparing for an in-person, lifestyle portrait session or a virtual presentation, you’re investing all this time and money into an extremely important piece of your marketing and promotional strategy, so it’s a smart move to get it right, know what I mean?
So back to the question at hand.
Wear outfits that present you as your very best self - nothing more, nothing less.
The clothing for your branded lifestyle portrait session needs to be comprised of what you’d wear in front of clients, as well as in a more relaxed environment.
For your virtual presentation, it’s more about what you would wear if you were on stage. Showing up with your hair undone and in PJ’s isn’t going to cut it. Just because you’re in front of a camera in your home office, don’t treat it in a casual manner.
Now that we have the foundation down, here’s another idea for both photographic scenarios - think in layers.
Layer with sweaters, vests, scarves, etc. Layers are great because they offer one version of the look with you wearing them, and another once you remove them. That type of visual variety is important, especially if you don’t plan on updating your image content portfolio for a year or two.
Posting the same photos with the exact same outfit from shot-to-shot is boring.
Avoid that by packing appropriately for your lifestyle photo session, and having different tops on standby for your virtual session.
This will provide you with a nice mixture of outfits and will compliment how you already show up in the world.
Consistency is important, especially when your audience is getting to know you through the images you post throughout your online presence.
A good rule of thumb when choosing the outfits to wear is if you feel comfortable wearing them sitting down and standing up.
That way, when you’re wearing that outfit, you’re not limited to one activity or another. I’ve had several occasions where clients would only want to wear a particular shirt if s/he was only standing because of the way the shirt fell and fit.
Avoid clothing options that come with specific instructions like this.
You have a lot on your plate during a virtual or in-person session, and if you’re thinking about stuff like that, it will affect the way you look in front of the camera.
If you don’t feel great in your clothes, it will show all over your face. Your smiles won’t be as genuine, posture will be off, and the photos overall will suffer greatly.
Another question I’m often asked from clients is whether or not they should hire a personal stylist to go clothes shopping and create unique looks.
As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to anything business-related, if you can’t or don’t want to figure it out on your own, hire professional help to get you there.
I feel the same way about stylists.
Hire one, go on a shopping spree, and feel awesome about what you’re going to wear in front of the camera.
My only piece of advice with regard to this is to buy clothes that accentuate who you are and are in line with the types of looks that you already wear and feel confident in.
Don’t feel the need to class it up or dress it down. You don’t need to wear outfits that you think that will draw in more attention to you. This is not a time to put on a show in front of your audience - it’s time to be your very best self!
Trust that by simply being you, that’s more than enough, and it will draw attention to you from the people that you actually want to work with, :)
There is another way to help ease the friction of figuring out what to wear during your portrait session…
…and that’s the chance to stretch out your session over the course of a couple months, giving you the opportunity to wear an even wider array of clothing that helps present you as the expert you are.
I’ve recently launched a year-long program, The Persuasive Expert Photo Program.
For some, 12-months is a long commitment. Well, what if it were just 3-months? How bout a lil’ taste test?
As a thank you for being a loyal subscriber, for the next 72-hours, I’m offering you the exclusive opportunity to book a 3-month slot in the Persuasive Expert Photo Program (valued between $12-24,000 annually) for $3,000.
Included in this special offer:
A Laying the Foundation Call - create the roadmap for the types of photos you need to execute your 2021 marketing and promotion strategy
A website and social image audit - we’ll hop on a call and assess what images need to be captured to improve the way you present yourself visually through your various touch points
Up to 4 in-person portrait sessions (up to 2-hours per session)
And 1 virtual photo session - staged or live event
I’m only offering 4 slots for this special offer, so if you’re interested, email me at info@johndemato.com with the subject line “3 MONTHS” and we’ll schedule a call to book your session and work out details.
Start your 2021 on the right foot with image content that will create connection and trust with your audience by simply being yourself - it shall be magical, of course, :)