Although this was originally posted in 2010, we update this blog post often when we see great ideas by our customers for beach portrait outfits. It was last updated 4/6/13.
One of the questions we are asked most often by beach portrait customers is, "What should we wear?" Your personal decision about this can really impact how your photos come out! We offer some suggestions about this on our
Beach Portrait FAQ but wanted to expand on that a bit here. Read on to find out more!
Coordinating what you wear, especially with a large group, can be a challenge. Everyone wants to wear what looks good on them but when you put everything together... well, it doesn't always work well together! As you look through the
family photos on our website you’ll see some good examples of how to dress and some that are not so good.
We also have some great ideas pinned on Pinterest!
Sometimes, when we suggest white and khaki (our personal favorite color combination for
Siesta Key Beach Portraits), people resist because they feel it will be dull and boring in the photo. Please be assured that white looks absolutely AWESOME against our beautiful beaches here in SouthWest Florida! There's a reason why most of our
sample photos and most beach portraits you see on other photographer's websites are in white and khaki -
it just plain looks good! You want the focus of the photo to be on you, your family, and the beautiful surroundings, NOT on what you are wearing!
Other suggestions include white and denim (be careful to coordinate the shade of denim though!) or black and denim (again, coordinate the shades of black and denim). A word of warning: Black can be especially tricky - different shades will be very apparent in the photos. Go shopping together and buy your black shirts at the same time/place!
If you really want to use a color, stick with SOLIDS or large patterns - not stripes, plaids or small patterns. Light blues or greens look nice because the colors compliment the grass and water at the beach. In general, pastels are good and brighter, primary colors are not as good.
Here are a few examples of pastels that worked well for past customers:
On a cloudy day, shades of gray look great too. (Unfortunately, it is hard to predict when that might happen!)
And, although we have offered a few different color options here, remember to coordinate so that everyone in your group selects the
SAME color combination! In other words, don't put denim on some people and khaki on others! Too many colors can be
very distracting in the photo!
Tips for women: Wear tops with sleeves, and no dresses or skirts that are too short (doesn't work well when sitting down in the sand or walking around in the wind!). White dresses, or long, white flowing beach skirts and tops, or white tops and khaki capris look fabulous. Shorts are ok too. Don't wear lotion - the powdery sand will stick to you! Jewelry is ok! Wind is often an issue with hair - it works much better if your hair is well secured or has enough "product" to keep it in place! Make it your mission to keep your (and your kids') hair out of your face during the photo shoot! We can photoshop out background distractions, blemishes, shiny faces, etc but stray hairs are VERY difficult to fix!
Tips for men: A white dress shirt or polo and nice jeans or ironed khakis will look great. Shorts and T-Shirts work ok too - it's all about how casual (or not) you want your photo to look.
Tips for kids: Watch out for sunburn! A little pink in the cheeks looks good in photos but beet red faces are not the greatest! (That goes for grown ups too!) Coordinate kids in similar outfits as the adults. For little girls, a solid white or denim sundress looks cute if everyone is wearing white and khaki or white and denim, respectively. Poofy, flower girl or communion type dresses are harder to work with on the beach and won't look as natural in the photos. Little boys look great in polo shirts and shorts.
About shoes: We normally shoot beach portraits barefoot,
however, in October and November (popular months for
Holiday Card photos), there are always terrible sand spurs (little spiky seed pods) all over the beach near the dune grass! Ouch! It might be a good idea to coordinate a shoe color (i.e. brown or black sandals on everyone) just in case we decide it is better to keep everyone's shoes on their feet!
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