Deciding what to wear for your professional selfie photo session doesn’t need to be over complicated. In one sentence, wear what fits and flatters you. That’s it.
But, that would be a boring and very unhelpful post, so I will elaborate.
Plan ahead
Don’t leave planning your outfits to the last minute. I know scouting locations, or moving everything in your home around, and checking for lighting is super important, but so is planning what you will wear.
There is no need to go shopping for expensive outfits that you will never wear again. Use what you have or go thrifting (my fave). Previously loved clothes are great, especially for specific items you may never wear again.
I’ll say this 1000 times. Your style and personal brand needs to be authentic to you so buying something for a one time photo is a terrible waste of money.
Layer and accessorize
Once you have decided on a style (that hopefully matches your brand and personality), it’s time to layer and accessorize. A t-shirt with a jacket, a sweater, a scarf..you get the idea. Try to see how many unique looks you can get with just adding or removing a layer. If you wear cute hats, use them. If you don’t, don’t. Just because cute hats are trendy right now, doesn’t mean you should “fit in” with other brands. BE YOUR BRAND!
Whatever you decide to wear, make sure it fits and flatters your body. Try to avoid oversized clothes. It’s common for someone who wants to minimize their shape and size to wear something oversized, but that has the exact opposite effect. Clothes that fit and flatter and more form fitting will accentuate your awesome curves so much better than oversized anything.
Picking colours
Ok, real talk. Colour is a huge part of your personal style. If bright bold colours are who you are to your very core, don’t dress in soft muted natural colours just to have a soft appealing IG feed. Authenticity is what you going for. BUT….wearing a hot pink or lime green shirt is going to do terrible colour casts on your skin that you will not love, trust me. Even bright red or orange will throw off your skin colour. The best way to incorporate bold colours is with accessories. Belts, scarf (again be careful it’s not too bold to cast colour to your skin), jewellery, shoes, purse, coffee cup, phone case…you get the idea. Even a bright skirt/pants on your lower half and black/white for a shirt will be better. Don’t forego all the amazing colour that makes you, you…just be strategic how you add it to the photo.
Want more examples: https://teiraferris.com/2024/05/dont-be-blueor-redor-green/
Freshly washed and ironed
Wrinkles in your clothes can really throw off the final photo and make it look sloppy and last minute. Hopefully these images will be shared over and over on your business and social media sites, and you want to look the best you can. Take the time to iron your clothes and lint roller them and keep them away from your dogs or cats. I have two dogs…the dog hair situation is real. If I am doing a session in my house, it’s a good time for my dogs to play outside or sleep in my office, secured.
Hair and makeup
A little controversial because some people want natural and fresh, not all made up. I get that. I’m not a huge makeup wearer and my style is very casual and simple.
That said, even if I am not going to curl my hair, I will still straighten it to tidy it up. Even the most beautiful fresh look in magazines and social media has some effort put in.
Concealer to hide some dark circles under your eyes, maybe a tinted moisturizer to even your skin tone, a little blush to bring life into your cheeks, mascara to make your eyes pop and a lip gloss for a pretty pout and you can be all set. The “natural” look can be done quick and easy, but I would suggest (do with that what you will), putting a little energy into your hair and makeup.
Final thoughts
Professional selfie sessions should be fun and entertaining for you. Not stressful. If you are comfortable in your clothing choices, you feel like yourself with a little extra sparkle in your step, you will have so much fun!
Check this blog post for more on where to begin with Professional Selfies.
Remember to be silly, move your body, play some music, dance and sing. Not every photo will be a keeper and that’s ok. The experience you create for yourself in a loving environment where you are happy to just be in your own company and having fun is worth the throw away photos.
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