What to Wear in a Photo-Shooting?

It is a common question and it is present in 100% of my couple photo shootings: "what to wear in a photo-shooting?" In this article I'll help you solve this charade with some precious tips that I've learned through 8 years photographing couples!

First of all, behind every beautiful image that caught your attention, there is a lot of preparation, study, dedication and most important collaboration from the couple. A good photo starts from the moment you asked a quotation to the photographer, passing by the session itself and finishing in the post production.

In photography, we can feel an infinite number of sensations and emotions just looking to a photograph. Among other things, this happens because of the way we perceive the colours and the light presents on it. The choice that we, photographers, make about how to put these two elements in an image is 100% personal and reflects the experiences we had and where we came from. This is most known as the photographer identity. As Sebastião Salgado once said "You don't photograph with your camera, you photograph with your entire culture”.

Speaking for myself, my photography is a faithful portrait of my childhood spent with my grandmother in Brazil. She had this old big brick two floors house filled with antique wooden furniture, surrounded by lots of greenery. The main colours were variations of brown, green and black and because of the large windows the natural light coming from the outside was constantly giving a dramatic atmosphere in the rooms (high contrast and lots of shadow). In other words, my childhood was marked by earthy tones (coziness), nature (green) and drama (light and dark) and that is why you can easily see these elements in the images I produce. To me they mean home and love.

As I said at the beginning of this article, colours and light play an important role in photography as they can make you feel love, coziness, friendship, peace, fear and even anger. What you wear influences not only how others perceive us but also the results of a photography session. Same rule can be applied for the cut and fabric. It's easy to feel like in an endless hug when there's cotton, wool or line. The same can't be said if we have a synthetic fabric. So if we're looking for a serene atmosphere and cozy feelings you won't be wearing a vibrant polyester palette such as red, pink, orange, yellow or purple. We'd go for earthy tones that will give you not only peaceful feelings but also warmth, comfort, steadiness, shelter. Everything that a couple photo shooting must have and as I aim to capture love in its most pure form and evoke those feelings plus strong emotions, I chose to work with a warm palette - earthy tones.

But there is also another very important detail that needs attention because it also influences the desired results: the scenario we'll be photographed. If in Italy, specially Tuscany and Rome, it has specific architectures, colors and styles. I believe that the focus of a couple photo shooting is more of the couple and less of the scenario. Any Italian city will quickly drive your attention as soon as you look to a picture with them in the background so my advice is choose for something neutral and timeless.

I say more about this subject with real examples in my Wardrobe Guide, a guide that I developed to my couples in order to help them in this matter. When they hire me, I'll be with them all the way until the day of their session. It is important to me to connect with them and deliver excellence above all.

Of course everything said in this article is oriented for my photographic style and identidy and for those who identify themselves with it. And even if you don't identify yourselves in this context, it is vital to ensure you're doing the right choice by choosing the right professional. A photographer that meets not only your skills expectations but also the aesthetic ones.

If you're looking for a photographer to register your love story in Italy or abroad get in touch! I'll be delighted to talk about you and your plans!

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