To make the most of your Personality Portraits, we recommend choosing outfits with intention and contrast.

This year’s setup features a clean white backdrop with a warm wood floor, so color choice plays an important role in the overall look. Dark, bold hues like navy, deep purple, forest green, and black create strong contrast and photograph beautifully. Bright, saturated colors such as red, yellow, or teal can add a fun pop, while complementary pastels or muted tones offer a softer, more harmonious feel. The right choice simply depends on the mood you want to create.

Very light colors can blend into the backdrop, so if you choose lighter tones, look for pieces with texture, layers, or subtle details to add dimension. Most portraits are taken from the waist or hip up, making tops the most important part of your outfit. Pieces with structure, texture, or simple layers tend to photograph best. Bottoms and shoes may still appear in some images, so coordinating them with your top will help create a polished look.

Colors to Avoid

To keep your portraits looking timeless and polished, we recommend avoiding neon or overly bright colors. Shades like neon pink, highlighter yellow, bright orange, vivid purple, and mint green can reflect color onto skin tones or pull attention away from expression.

Very light colors such as pure white, pale pastels, or soft creams can also blend into the white backdrop unless they include texture or layering. When choosing lighter tones, look for knits, ribbing, buttons, or subtle details to add dimension.

For the most flattering results, stick with richer tones, balanced neutrals, and textured fabrics that add depth without distraction.

Be careful with patterns. It’s perfectly okay to add outfits with patterns on it, but just be conscious of the types of patterns you are choosing. Patterns with very small dots tend to run together in photographs. Very tight plaids or small stripes will give off a wavy look (this is called moire) in a photograph. If you have a question about whether a certain pattern will photograph well or not, don’t be afraid to ask!

Don’t hesitate to dress up! Plan to dress up a little more than your every day wear. Consider higher quality fabrics – they will translate better on camera…try to avoid t-shirt or athletic dry fit material. Also keep in mind while dressier outfits tend to photograph better, you want to be comfortable too. What's most important is finding clothing that expresses personality and personal style to make these photos scream YOU!

Add accessories! This is where it gets fun! Hats, jewelry, headbands, stuffed animal, etc. Bring something that is important to you; this also brings extra personality to your photos! I'm not opposed to some out-of-the-box things as well... I've had people bring a whole chair for their photos!

Stay away from obvious branding logos on your clothing. They will subtract from the image. This same concept can also be applied to slogans, large images or logos, or other themed images on clothing. Yes, they are super cute, but they don’t photograph well.

Are you still lost on what to wear? You are always free to contact me and I can help you plan your outfits or offer my input on what you may have already picked out.

Here are some suggestions for places to buy outfits:

Joyfolie - My go-to for women's and girl's outfits

Janie and Jack – children’s clothing

Etsy – what can’t you find on Etsy??

Old Navy – great for the whole family

J.Crew – great for the whole family

Amazon – lot's of options!