What To Wear For Your Adventurous Couples Session

Engagement and adventure sessions with jals photography are designed to be an enjoyable experience for you and your partner. A fun “date day” so to speak! If you have not had professional photographs taken before (or if you have, in a more traditional way), you might be worried about it being awkward. My hope is to shake those worries as quickly as I can! Natural, vibrant and joy-filled photography is what I am best known for and I strive to get you both feeling like I’m not even there. We spend the first part of the session dusting off the nerves, then the rest you can relax and enjoy each others company. As a bonus, if I am also working with you for your elopement or wedding celebration, I’ll be able to blend into the background more seamlessly as you’ll already be familiar with my style!

If you want the TL;DR version of what to wear, my answer is…

My number one tip is to steer clear of clothing that has large pictures, labels, logos, or words on it – it can be super distracting!

Other than that, there is a ton of flexibility! Keep reading for other tips!

Fashion Style

To get the most out of your session, we want to make sure that your photos fit your style! If you’re a couple who loves dressing up, then dress up for your photographs! If you’re a more casual couple, I’d go for a more casual vibe. Also, think about where you want to put the photographs – are they going into a formal announcement? Being put up in your home? Shared online? In an album? That might dictate the way you would like to go for style.

Colour

A good way to start planning for your outfits is to choose a colour scheme. My first piece of advice is to think about tones instead of matching specific colours. When thinking of tones, generally jewel tones, pastels tones or earth tones work well.

Another option is to choose a palette that has a mix of neutral shades and a bright colour. Small details on the clothing like stripes, or accessories can add an extra pop of colour.

Neutral colours only tend to go well with locations that have a lot of colour, especially in the fall!

I generally do not recommend 100% matching outfits unless this is something that you both enjoy doing in your day-to-day life as a couple.

Dressing for the Conditions

I love photographing in all conditions! If my couples are up for the adventure, then I’m eager to help them have a great time and stay comfortable, regardless of what the weather is like outside. This typically means that layers are super helpful.

For winter photographs, we can take photographs completely in outerwear, and go coat free for a few images, too! No need to buy anything new, but keep in mind how the coats match with your pants and shoes. The most important thing is to stay comfortable – you will not be at ease if you’re shivering!

Footwear

Comfortable footwear for all sessions is a must! We’ll be doing some walking and exploring, so you want to look good but feel good, too! The location of our session will largely dictate your footwear. For longer hikes, you may wish to wear hiking boots and pack extra footwear in a hiking bag.

Other Tips

• Flowy skirts can look great if you want to work with the wind!
• When in doubt, go with jeans and a neutral colour top like beige, cream, or grey
• Layers are not only great for weather, but for some visual interest with your outfits!
• If you have transition lenses glasses, be aware that they will go dark during our photo session – some people prefer to go with contacts or non-transition lenses for this reason
• Hats and sunglasses will make the session look more casual, but if this fits who are you best, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. But be prepared I will likely ask for a few photographs without them so that I can capture some sweet eye contact between you and your partner
• You may wish to get a hair and makeup trial done for your session, and that’s great!
• Beware the hair elastic! If you usually wear hair elastics on your wrist, take them off for your session! I’ll try to remind you the day of, too

I love helping my couples feel and look great the day of their session, so always feel welcome to send me pictures of any outfits that you are thinking of!