What to wear for a couple's/family photoshoot in Scotland? - Authenticity and aesthetics

When people book a photo session one of the big questions is 'What should we wear?' Whether you have a photoshoot in Scotland or somewhere else, this post is here to guide you. You want to choose something that will look good in the photos - as well as something that feels like you, something that suits the location.

When I first started in photography I took my camera with me everywhere and took soo many photos, portraits of friends and family on holidays. A lot of the time I was disappointed in the result and at first I did not understand why. As I observed and studied the photos of professional photographers I learned a lot. While there are a lot of factors as to why these holiday snapshots I took awkwardly in a few minutes won't look as good as expected, I figured planning for outfits might be one of the reasons for this. When you go on holiday most likely you just wear something casual and comfortable and you don't think about how that will look on photos or you won't plan how your outfit will suit the different locations(well... most of us don't!). You go on a city break, it's the middle of Summer - you wear a bright, very summery, vibrant flower print dress - this might look very nice in a photo in a Palace Garden - but it won't suit a beautiful gothic church.

Keeping the location in mind is very crucial when planning for the outfits. If you're going to a forest you might not want to go too fancy(unless it is an elopement of course). Think about how the colors of your outfit will fit into the surroundings. Look at some photos you like (similar location) and observe what they wear. Then decide if that's something you want to go for - maybe you like what they are wearing, but it's just not you, and that's fine! The aim here is not to change your style to fit an aesthetic. What is it that you can take away? The color scheme, the type of clothes they are wearing?

If you are booking a photo session with me, you're more than welcome to send me a few potential outfit ideas and we can decide together what's the best option.

What I always advise people is to avoid big brand logos and prints - they can distract from the main subject of the photo(you!). Dressing in colors that are in harmony with your family's, or partner's outfit is a good idea! (Personally, I'm not a huge fan of full-on color coordination, however, as previously mentioned, authenticity is key, so if you and your partner, or family like to have matching outfits and it's something you do anyway, no problem!)

Should you buy a new outfit for this occasion? The first thing that comes into my mind is an immediate no. As someone, who is trying to consume more consciously I would not advise people to buy an outfit specifically for a photo session. However, of course, if there's something you always wanted, you feel like it's going to fit into your wardrobe and you are going to wear it for other occasions and it'd be great for the photoshoot, go for it.

Wear something that you feel your best in!