What to Wear - A Guide for Photos with Your Dog
Getting dressed every morning is hard enough. Getting dressed to wrangle your dog, be in front of a camera, and look like yourself? It’s a challenge.
Choosing what to wear for your dog’s photo session can trigger even the most fashion-forward among us to declare that “we have absolutely nothing to wear!”
Before you fling everything you own onto the floor and declare that you have absolutely nothing to wear: I've got you. Here's exactly what works, what to avoid, and one tip at the end that most people don't think about until after the fact.
Start with a Color Palette
This is the single most useful thing you can do, especially if multiple people are being photographed.
Pick a color story — earth tones, neutrals, jewel tones, pastels — and choose 3-4 colors within it as your base. Everyone in the frame can dress within the palette and you're guaranteed to look cohesive without being matchy-matchy. For bonus points, choose your dog's collar and bandana in the same palette.
Once you have your palette, build outfits around tone consistency: pair equally light separates with each other and equally dark separates with each other. A light top with light bottoms, a dark top with dark bottoms. This monochromatic value is universally flattering — it makes everyone look a little taller and a little leaner — and it keeps the eye moving through the frame rather than getting caught on a contrast point.
Comfy & Confident
Choose Your Photo Shoot Clothes that are Comfy & Confident
What does that mean? It means don’t worry about trying to become someone completely new just for photos.
If you’re a t-shirt and jeans kind of person - you can elevate your jeans and T’s, but maybe don’t switch to a lycra mini dress and stilettos for the photo.
Take a look at your favorite items in your closet - if they fit great, make you feel good, and aren’t too worn consider wearing those. Or, maybe buy something new that still has that same feel.
“My fashion philosophy is, if you’re not covered in dog hair, your life is empty”
Match Your Clothes to the Location & the Season
Think about the conditions at the location where we’ll be photographing you & your dog.
You’ll want to be warm enough (or cool enough - Georgia summers anyone?!), have pain-free feet, and look comfortable in the environment.
Be sure to check my location guide for details on how much walking, hiking, hill climbing, or paved paths are involved at your chosen spot!
Plan for kneeling, leaning down, & sitting to be closer to dog height throughout the session, so make sure your clothes don’t have any wardrobe malfunctions when you’re moving around.
Texture and Movement Over Pattern
Texture is your best friend in photographs.
Linen, denim, knit, corduroy, lace, woven fabrics — these all give depth and visual interest to clothing and contrast beautifully against fur. Natural fibers like cotton, linen, and wool drape well and read as warm and real rather than stiff or synthetic. Pick fabrics that move with you, flow in a breeze, catch the light.
If you want pattern, keep it muted and classic — subtle prints, anything that reads as texture from a distance rather than a bold graphic statement. The goal is for your clothes to add to the image, not compete with it.
What to avoid: Stiff garments that need constant adjusting. Anything that photographs as a single flat color with no variation. Large logos and brand names — if Adidas isn't paying for your session, skip it. The exception: if the text fits your personality or the theme of the shoot, it can absolutely work.
The Dog-Specific Color Rule
Two things to watch for:
Don't wear the same color as your dog — they'll disappear into you. Don't wear all white with a black dog or all black with a white dog — the contrast is too sharp and the dog gets lost in the image rather than popping from it.
A simple rule: if your outfit and your dog are basically the same value (both very dark or both very light), introduce one element that creates some separation.
Prints & Patterns - A Cautionary Tale
Mixing & matching patterns & prints is a tricky task, and it’s super difficult to do well. It can also compete with the pattern of your dog’s fur.
Avoid large scale bold patterns and prints all together as they draw the eye in the photo.
Subtle smaller patterns work best. Classic patterns are usually best - swiss dots, polka dots, plaid, flannels, and florals are great options - and work really well when the colors aren’t high contrast.
BEWARE - Some fine details and small prints can even create a moiré pattern in the image which is a large-scale interference pattern on the image that can’t be edited out!
Add Layers When Possible
Add layers to create textures create more visually interesting photographs. Jewelry, scarves, jackets, cardigans, vests, & sweaters are easy ways to quickly change up your look and elevate your style.
Shoes Matter More Than You Think
Shoes show up in a lot of dog photography images — your dog lives close to the ground and so do I. The knee-down shot with your dog is one of the most natural and beautiful compositions in a session, and your feet are right there in it.
Choose shoes that fit the location and feel like you. Worn-in leather boots in the woods. Clean white sneakers on pavement. Bare feet in the grass at home or on the beach. Sandals over flip-flops. A bold color or a striking pattern can add real personality to detail shots.
If you wear heels confidently, I won't talk you out of them — but remember we'll be walking on uneven terrain, traversing hills, and wandering through grass. Practical and beautiful isn't hard to achieve, and it's worth thinking about before you arrive.
Shoes are great place to add some personality too! Cool Converse sneakers, lace up boots that have been worn to perfection, bold color, a striking pattern can all be perfect to jazz up the classic knee down photo with your dog!
Hair and Makeup
The goal is to look like yourself on a good day — not a version of yourself from a different decade of your life or a special occasion you'd never otherwise dress for.
Most dog sessions are casual and outdoor. A natural, slightly polished version of your everyday look photographs best. Hair down with some movement and texture is almost always more interesting in images than pulled back — but if you never wear your hair down, don't start at your session. Bring the hair tie for the walk back to the car.
For nails: hands tell a real story in dog photography. Detail shots of hands running through fur are some of the most beautiful images in a session. Consider a subtle manicure or tidy nails before your shoot — once you notice chipped polish in a portrait, you can't unsee it.
The Pro Tip: Think About Your Walls
This one no one ever talks about.
Before you finalize your outfit, think about where the portraits are going to live in your home. The colors on your walls, in your furniture, in your overall aesthetic. If your home is blues and neutrals and you show up in a bright fire engine red dress, the portrait is going to feel slightly off every time you look at it — even if you can't immediately name why.
The most seamlessly beautiful wall art is the kind where the image feels like it belonged in that space all along. You can make that happen before the session by simply thinking about your home as part of your outfit decision.
One Last Thing
You deserve to be in these portraits too. Not just a hand in the corner, not just a pair of legs in a detail shot. These images are proof of your relationship with your dog, which means you're part of their story.
Wear something you feel good in. Come relaxed. Bring your actual self — not a dressed-up version who doesn't quite look like the person your dog knows.
That's the person your dog loves and that’s the person I want to photograph.
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