What to Wear - A Guide for Photos with Your Dog
Getting dressed every morning can be hard enough when you aren’t planning to be in front of a camera, wrangle your dog, and look your best doing it all at the same time.
So I totally get why choosing what to wear for your dog’s photo session can trigger even the most fashion-forward among us to fling everything we own to the floor and declare that “we have absolutely nothing to wear!”
Now, before you start panic buying on Amazon — let’s talk broad strokes about what works best for photos.
Comfy & Confident
Choose Your Photo Shoot Clothes that are Comfy & Confident First
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.
Think Texture & Movement!
Textures give depth and visual interest to your clothing and contrasts beautifully with the textures of fur. Lace, corduroy, denim, flocking, knits, and woven material all add to the style of your clothes.
Pick fabrics that move and flow with you. Ones that blow in the wind, filter the late afternoon sun, and glow in the morning light. Natural fibres like linen, cotton, or wool are all great options.
Avoid stiff garments any anything that has a tendency to get tucked in weird spots and need lots of adjusting to look right.
Create A Color Story
I’m not saying we should live in a sad beige world, but neutrals are always a great idea - especially when we’re all trying to complement the star of this photo shoot — your dog!
Earthy tones and neutrals go with pretty much every dog’s fur and every location.
Choose a palette of 3-4 colors. Start with a couple neutrals: cream, white, black, gray, tan, khaki and then add 1-2 other colors found in the environment: navy, hunter green, mustard, blush, rose, sky blue. Jewel tones are beautiful for fall and winter while pastels are great for spring and summer.
By choosing one or two colors that blend nicely together, and having the rest in neturals, the whole family will photograph beautifully together.
Good Color Palettes
Good Color Palettes
A Few DON’Ts - you don’t want to be the SAME color as your dog or they’ll disappear and you don’t want to wear ALL black if you have a white dog or ALL white with a black dog as the contrast is too sharp.
Color Tone Counts
Pick separates that are equally dark or equally light. If you’re wearing a light colored top, choose light colored bottoms. If you choose a dark top, choose dark bottoms. This monochromatic value is universally flattering making everyone look a little taller and a littler leaner.
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!
ABOUT LOGOs: Clothing with words or big, bold logos on it is distracting. Since Adidas isn’t paying for your photos, skip the big brand names on your clothes.
However, if the logo or phrase is in theme with the shoot, & fits your personality, I’m all for it.
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
You can’t have come this far, painstakingly planning your outfit, only to stop at your ankles. Especially since your shoes will show in A LOT of the images since they are close to your dog!
If you wear heels like a pro, I definitely won’t tell you not to do that! But remember, we’ll be walking around on some possibly uneven terrain, traversing hills, wandering through grass, and stomping through dirt — all of which I wouldn’t want to do in my louboutins. (Unless we’re planning a glam session, in which case bring those red bottom shoes!)
Select the right shoes based on the location. Being barefoot makes sense on the beach and at home, and boots are beautiful in the woods.
Leather is great for boots, and know that sandals are better than flip-flops.
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!
Make Up & Hair
The goal of photo ready make-up is to look like you on your best day. So do whatever you need to do to feel confident and beautiful. Some clients wear no make-up at all, others take a little more time with their usual routine, and some call in a pro for a perfectly polished look. Most dog photo sessions are casual affairs so a “no make-up makeup look” works best.
For hair… my preference is down and little lived in. Messy buns are where it’s at for real life — I totally get it! With your hair down, you get movement and texture and interest. Bring the scrunchie for the walk back to the car.
A quick note about your nails: Hands tell such a story about who you are and the relationship with your dog. Photos of hands running through fur make beautiful detail images for your album. But, sometimes photographs magnify bright nail polish, chipped manicures, and dirty fingernails. And once you see it, you can’t un-see it. Consider treating yourself to a subtle manicure or make sure your nails are neat and tidy before the shoot.
Lastly - Consider Your Home Decor
This is a real pro tip that can take your images from pictures to art in your home.
For example, If you wear bright red formal wear for the session, but your home is casual and beachy - the wall art will look out of place. But a navy and neutral color palette would be perfectly at home.
Choose clothing colors that will coordinate in your home and styles that compliment your decor tastes.
