What to wear to my engagement session? 

This is a question that comes up often - and rightly so, as good wardrobe choices can put an awesome shoot even more off the charts!  

Good style is pretty subjective, and while I'll do my best to steer you towards good choices, it's really up to you to dress how you feel comfortable, beautiful, and most of all - yourself. After all - when you look back at these images, you want to feel like yourself - not someone wearing a costume. 

Here are a few tips before you go stare into your closet. 

When you prepare for our time together, remember that we'll usually have a couple hours to work with, which means multiple outfit changes! Usually I recommend around 3 looks, which will allow you to have fun with your clothes and not feel so confined to one outfit. Feel free to bring a backpack or duffel bag - something that we can load up some outfits into before hiking out into the wilderness. 

One thing I can't stress enough: ACCESSORIES! ACCESSORIES! ACCESSORIES! Things like fun jewelry, hats, scarves, fun socks, flower crowns, can reallllly help add some bonus visuals to your look! But not that you need to go overboard - just a few components can make the difference, and you don't have to stress over bringing so many things that you'll need seven suitcases! On the flip side - sometimes a very simple outfit can bring out your natural features, expressions, and connection with each other. Depending on our where we go will help with that choice also. That brings us to...

Using the location. By now we've probably discussed your location, but if not it's a good idea to chat about that before going too deep into your wardrobe selection.  If not, you need to know a few things. I LOVE new locations. While I'm not opposed to shooting a location I've shot before - it's really fun to capture some moments in a place that's fresh and exciting. Also, you should know that we're not going to stand in front of a brick wall and snap some portraits. Nope. We are going to get out of town, stand on the edge of cliffs, hike a trail, stand in the ocean, watch the sun set from the top of a mountain. You know. Epic stuff. Want to rappel down a rock face to a granite ledge in yosemite? Or stand in the ocean wearing a beautiful dress while waves splash around? You don't want to tell your story in a boring way, do you? Let's do something rad.

Anyway, some obvious stuff. If we're hiking in the snow, you don't want to be wearing sandals or flats. Comfort is key - you don't want to be shivering with goosebumps if you're in Sequoia without a jacket in the winter. Or wearing a wool sweater on the beach in mexico. Think about how the materials you're wearing will be complimented by the scenery we'll be surrounded by.  If we're in a bleak colorless desert - a pop of color could help you stand out among the monochromatic landscape.  Or if you love a monochromatic colorless look - you could avoid color altogether. If we're in a colorful flower garden, a simple white dress could pop against the bright tones. But just as important as color is....

Materials.  Color is a very important factor to think about, but texture is just as key, in my opinion. My favorite textiles to work with are more organic earthy fabrics rather than synthetic. Think materials like denim, canvas, flannel, aged leather, wool, cotton - rather than polyester, khaki, athletic garments, etc. These materials usually photograph very well outside, and look a little better in a natural outdoors evnironment. Think 'cozy', rather than 'fancy'. 

Sometimes it's easier to narrow it down by deciding what NOT to wear. Here are a few DON'Ts.

DON'T

Wear the exact colors. It's easy to become a blob of color if you both match exactly. This is especially important with very dark and light colors. 

• Don't wear: Cargo shorts, plaid shorts, athletic shorts, athletic shoes

DO: 

wear complimenting colors. 

Movement. If you made it this far, you know by now that we aren't going to stand still for an hour while we shoot. We're definitely going to explore, hike a hill, scramble some rocks - and find some less obvious locations that will rock your socks off.  Keep in mind that your clothes should be comfortable enough to spend the day in, and if your shoes

Here's some inspiration that I've gathered from favorite client wardrobes.