The most common pre-session question isn't about locations or pricing — it's "what do we wear?" Here's the advice I give every client.
The one rule that matters
Coordinate, don't match. Identical white-shirts-and-jeans reads as 2009. Instead, pick a palette of three or four tones that live together — say cream, rust, sage, and denim — and dress each person differently inside it. The frame looks intentional and everyone still looks like themselves.
Colors that love the camera
- Warm neutrals — cream, oatmeal, taupe, camel. They glow at golden hour.
- Muted earth tones — rust, terracotta, sage, olive, dusty blue.
- Rich darks — forest, navy, chocolate. Excellent for winter and urban sessions.
What quietly ruins photos
- Neon and ultra-bright colors — they cast color onto faces and grab the eye from expressions.
- Fine stripes and small checks — they shimmer (moiré) on camera sensors.
- Big logos and graphic tees — the photo becomes an ad.
- Anything you have to keep adjusting. If you tug at it in the mirror, you'll tug at it in every frame.
Fit notes nobody tells you
Movement photographs beautifully — flowy skirts, drapey layers, an open jacket. Structure photographs confident — a blazer, a well-fitted shirt. The worst photographic fabric is thin clingy knit in a stiff breeze. And wear the shoes twice before session day; new-shoe walking is visible from fifty feet.
By session type
Headshots & branding: dress one notch above your daily work wardrobe, in solids near the face. Details in my corporate headshot guide.
Families: the palette rule above, plus: dress the youngest kid first (their tolerance sets the schedule) and bring a backup for anyone under five.
Couples: one relaxed look, one elevated. The elevated look earns its keep at locations like Union Station.
By season (Kansas City edition)
- Spring: light layers; pastels work here and almost nowhere else.
- Summer: breathable fabrics, and book golden hour — 7pm feels ten degrees kinder than 4pm.
- Fall: rust, mustard, and cream against October color is the metro's signature look.
- Winter: texture is the strategy — wool coats, knits, scarves. Rich darks against bare trees or Union Station marble.
Every booked session includes a personalized styling guide and outfit review by text — send me photos of the options and I'll pick honestly.