You’ve made the leap and you’re finally doing a photo shoot with your favorite equine partner. The excitement is sure to build the closer you get to the day! However, to get the most out of your session you need to spend some time planning your outfit. You’ve committed to making this investment and it certainly deserves some planning ahead of time. Here are some of my best tips for how to plan your outfit. 

Firstly…

Think about one of your very favorite outfits of all time. Maybe it was a dress for a big event or even just your favorite pair of jeans for riding. No matter what it is, let this be your north star in the planning process. If you love how you look in a certain type of outfit, then I suggest sticking with it.

If you booked your session for a very specific purpose, your outfit might need to reflect that. For example, if you’re doing a session for branding yourself or your business then you’ll want to keep that in mind. If you’re trying to appeal to a certain type of clientele, this could be key.

COLORS!

This is huge, colors and patterns easily clash and you definitely want to avoid that.

Your complexion: some people don’t have to think much about what color they wear because they have a complexion that just works with the rainbow. But if you’re like me, then you probably have some colors you look best in and others that you avoid on the reg. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Stick with colors that work with your complexion. The last thing you want to do is look washed out because of the color you’re wearing.

Season: the time of year can very easily be a factor in the color of your outfit. If we’re lucky enough to be shooting in snow, wearing white will probably make you look like a floating head. But if it’s summer or fall, white will really pop against all those other vibrant colors. If it’s the dead of winter and everything is just dingy brown, then almost any color will work. If your surroundings aren’t neutral – like snow white or stick brown – then you want to make sure you choose something that will be complimentary. Here’s a neat tool for finding the right compliment: https://www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/

Horse color: the color of your horse could very easily clash with your outfit color AND pattern if you’re not careful. I’ve seen just about every horse color under the sun and picking the right outfit can really make or break a session. Don’t panic, this is just part of the process. Similar to the color of your surroundings, you don’t want to clash with your horse. If your horse has a solid coat, then you can go wild with your patterns. Your only concern will be colors. When in doubt, white and black look good with just about everything. Now, if your horse has a loud pattern then I’d recommend keeping your outfit simple with solid colors. The link to the color wheel can help you find complimentary colors with your horse if you want a hand in that. AQHA has some good tips on colors that look good with certain horse colors: https://www.aqha.com/-/horse-showing-tip-matching-your-outfit-to-your-horse

Location

This might seem a little redundant with the color of your surroundings, but this goes a bit deeper. I do a lot of sessions out in pastures with lots of grass, trees and usually a fence or two. That can be a lot of one single color in the background, which gives you a good canvas to work with for your outfit. Sometimes those pasture sessions can come out a little darker simply because everything around us fairly dark. In contrast, if we’re at the beach then everything will be super light.

Weather

I want you to be comfortable during our shoot and your outfit can really play into that. While we can’t control the weather, we can avoid wearing a heavy sweater and scarf to the beach. You’ll likely be burning up, but you’ll also look somewhat out of place in your photos.

This also goes along with the season. If it’s visibly winter time, wearing a tank top and shorts could look way out of place. The other three seasons are much more forgiving with your choice of outfit. I would say wearing summer clothes in the fall can be a little dicey depending on what it looks like outside and the outfit you’re wanting to wear.

Multiples

If you’re bringing your entire family to your shoot, I’d pick two or three colors as a pallet for your outfits. Of those colors that you choose, make one a neutral like white or light brown. That should keep everything cohesive and prevent your group from looking like a bag of Halloween candy.

Have fun!

If you want to throw absolutely all the rules out the win and go wild with your outfit, then go for it. You can step completely out of your comfort zone if you want. I’m always game for trying new things. Just remember, you have to like the photos at the end of the day. Your opinion of them is absolutely the most important part in the final product.

If you’re not sure about your outfit, send me a pic of it, your horse and the location you want to shoot at. I’ll let you know if I think it will work or not. I want you to love your photos!