contents
- Dress for London light
- The one rule that matters more than any other
- What to wear for a family photoshoot in London
- What to wear for a corporate or personal branding photoshoot in London
- What to wear for a woman’s portrait or Quintessential Woman photoshoot in London
- What to wear for an engagement or couples photoshoot in London
- A note on London weather (and why layers are your friend)
- What to wear for a London photoshoot – FAQs
- What to wear for an engagement or couples photoshoot in London
- Ready to book your London photoshoot?
There’s one question I hear more than almost any other in the weeks before a shoot.
What should we wear?
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a family visiting from New York, a professional coming in for headshots or a woman preparing for her Quintessential Woman session. At some point, almost everyone ends up standing in front of their wardrobe wondering whether they’ve got it right.
This post is the answer I find myself giving – with all my advice pulled into one place, for all the different kinds of shoots we do. Not a rigid checklist, but a way of approaching it. Because the truth is, the outfit is rarely what makes a photograph. But getting it mostly right means you’ll forget about it entirely once we start, which is exactly where you want to be.
DRESS FOR LONDON LIGHT
Before we get to specifics, it’s worth understanding what you’re dressing for.
London light is soft. Even on a bright summer day it has a diffused, gentle quality that’s completely different from the high-contrast light you get in sunnier climates. This is genuinely good news for portraits – soft light is flattering and forgiving. But it does mean that certain colours and tones work better here than they might elsewhere.
Muted, warm tones photograph beautifully in London light: navy, cream, camel, soft rust, dusty rose, sage green, warm white, olive. These tones have depth without fighting the light. Stark white can work beautifully on a sunny day but tends to look clinical under a grey sky. And very bright colours – neon, hot pink, electric blue – can draw the eye away from faces in a way that’s hard to correct afterwards.
If you hold an outfit up to a window on a cloudy day and it still looks calm and flattering, you’re pretty much there.
The one rule that matters more than any other
Wear something you already love.
Not something new, bought especially for the occasion. Not something you’re hoping will look better in photographs than it does in real life. Something you’ve worn before and felt genuinely good in – the dress you reach for when you want to feel like yourself, the jacket you consistently get compliments in, the jumper soft enough that you forget you’re wearing it.
The reason is simple. If you feel comfortable, you’ll forget the camera is there. And that’s the moment a portrait comes alive – when someone stops thinking about how they look and simply becomes themselves. That is worth infinitely more than a perfectly curated outfit you spend the shoot tugging at the hem of.
This applies to everyone. The children in a family shoot, the executive coming in for a headshot, the woman preparing for a full-day portrait session. Wear what you already know you love.
“Serena’s work is tremendous, she captures the moment and her creativity is boundless. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and I could not recommend her more highly.”
WHAT TO WEAR FOR A FAMILY PHOTOSHOOT IN LONDON
For families, the goal is to look like yourselves, and to be coordinated but not matching. Matching outfits freeze a photograph in time in a way that rarely ages well. Coordinating is softer and more editorial.
Choose a loose palette of two or three tones and let everyone move within it. Dad in navy, mum in cream, one child in soft rust, another in a warm neutral. It hangs together without looking staged – a family who happen to look beautiful together, rather than a family who got dressed for a photograph.
A practical way to do this is to start with one person’s outfit you love – usually the outfit you feel best in – and build the rest of the family around it. Pull the two or three main tones from that piece and use them as the palette for everyone else. It falls into place more quickly than you’d expect once you have an anchor.
One gentle word: the palette is a guide, not a rulebook. If your four-year-old wants to wear the yellow jumper that doesn’t quite fit the scheme, let her wear it. A happy child in a slightly off-palette outfit will always photograph better than a miserable child in a perfectly coordinated one.
For visiting families packing from a shared suitcase, layers are your friend – a soft knit, a light jacket, a cashmere wrap. Layers add texture and depth, they photograph beautifully and they give you options when the weather changes – which in London, it will.
“Serena’s approach to our photoshoot was perfect – she immediately made us all feel relaxed, that this was a day for fun. She quickly spotted good backgrounds and in front of those made us drop our inhibitions. The result was a set of photos that give huge pleasure to us all – a reminder of ourselves at our best. Thanks so much Serena!”
WHAT TO WEAR FOR A CORPORATE HEADSHOT OR PERSONAL BRAND SESSION
For professional shoots, the brief is slightly different. The question isn’t just what looks good – it’s what looks right for the person you are and the audience you’re talking to.
Start by thinking about who will be looking at these images and what you want them to feel. A barrister presenting to a traditional client base needs a different portrait to a creative director at a design agency. Both are right – they just require different choices.
A few principles that hold across most professional shoots:
Wear something you’d actually wear to a meeting or an important presentation. This is not the moment to dress up or down from your usual register. If you consistently wear smart-casual, wear that. If your sector expects formal, wear formal. The portrait should look like you on a good day, not a version of you performing professionalism.
Solid colours generally work better than busy patterns, which can distract the eye away from your face. If you love colour, a rich jewel tone – deep teal, burgundy, forest green – often photographs strikingly well against a neutral background. If you prefer to keep it simple, navy, charcoal and warm white are perennially strong.
Avoid anything with a large logo or slogan. Avoid very sheer fabrics. And bring a second option if you can – having a choice on the day is always useful.
“Serena is an absolutely fantastic photographer. She puts her subjects at ease and captures photographs from the outlined brief, with a quick turnaround on the finalised edit. I would highly recommend her to colleagues, friends and family.”
WHAT TO WEAR FOR A WOMAN’S PORTRAIT or quintessential woman session
Oh gosh, the fun we can have with this one! The Quintessential Woman experience is a full-day portrait session – multiple looks, multiple locations, and a chance to be seen in a way that feels genuinely you.
Because you have time to change, you have the luxury of thinking about contrasts and different looks. A relaxed, natural look for the outdoor section. Something more considered for the studio. A statement piece – a silk blouse, a beautifully cut blazer or a colour you love but rarely wear – for the images you want to feel like art.
The most important thing here is variety and intention. Think about the different sides of yourself you want to capture. The professional. The personal. The side of you that comes out when you’re at your most relaxed. Bring clothes that represent each, and we’ll work out on the day which combinations feel most alive.
What I’d suggest avoiding: entirely new outfits that you haven’t worn before. The shoot is a long day, and you want to feel completely at home in what you’re wearing. Bring the things you already love, and then perhaps one or two pieces you’ve been waiting for the right occasion to wear.
“Serena is the fairy godmother of photography. I was stunned and delighted by the results and I cannot recommend her enough. A fabulous and very empowering experience that every woman should have.”
WHAT TO WEAR FOR An engagement or couples shoot in london
For couples, the principle is harmony rather than uniformity. You want to look like you belong in the same photograph, not like you’ve co-ordinated to within an inch of your lives.
Choose a palette that works for both of you and dress within it independently. One in navy, one in cream and soft blue. One in a warm camel coat, one in a lighter neutral. The combination should feel considered without looking arranged.
London is also a city where a beautiful coat does an enormous amount of work. A well-chosen coat – classic, well-fitted, in a colour that suits you – can elevate almost any outfit and adds something particularly cinematic against London’s architecture and parks. A light coat is worth factoring in even in summer, for early morning or evening shoots.
For engagement shoots specifically, think about longevity. You’ll be looking at these photos for years, so go for classic and timeless photographs rather than trend-led.
“Serena puts you so at ease that you forget that the camera is there, and are just yourselves. In those moments, magic happens. And Serena captures it brilliantly.”
a note on london weather (and why layers are your friend)
The forecast will probably be wrong. This is not pessimism – it’s simply the reality of photographing in London year-round.
Pack layers: a soft knit under a jacket, a light scarf that can come off when the sun appears, a classic trench that looks good whatever the sky is doing. The good news is, layers are also genuinely flattering on camera – they add texture and depth in a way that a single flat item rarely does.
And a note on shoes: we cover ground on a shoot. London is a walking city and the cobblestones of Notting Hill won’t favour impractical choices. Bring shoes you can actually move in. Beautiful and comfortable are not mutually exclusive – leather loafers, ankle boots and clean trainers are great choices. But leave the brand-new unworn heels at the hotel. If you’re comfortable, it will come through in your portraits.
“Serena produced the most beautiful family photos which I look at every day with joy. Serena has the ability to make everyone relax, laugh and enjoy themselves while she clicks away! I now have photos of my beloved ones that make me smile everyday and I thoroughly recommend anyone to have a family shoot with Serena and enjoy her magic photos for a lifetime.”
WHAT TO WEAR FOR A London PHOTOSHOOT – FAQs
Here are some of the questions we’re often asked by individuals, couples and families preparing for photoshoots.
Should everyone in a family wear the same colour?
Not the same colour – a coordinated palette. Choose two or three tones and let each person wear something within that range. It looks more natural and more editorial than matching, and it gives each person their own identity within the group.
Can I wear white for my photoshoot?
Soft white or cream is almost always a better choice than stark white for outdoor shoots, where bright white can blow out in direct sunlight or look clinical under a grey sky. That said, white can work beautifully in the right conditions – if you love white, bring it and we can assess on the day.
What should I wear for a headshot in London?
Wear what you’d wear to an important meeting in your sector – something that feels like the best version of your professional self, not a costume. Solid colours work better than busy patterns, and avoid large logos or very sheer fabrics. Bring a second option if you can.
How many outfits should I bring?
For a standard shoot, one well-chosen outfit is usually enough. For a half or full-day session – particularly a personal brand or Quintessential Woman shoot – two or three looks gives us variety and something to work with across different locations and moods.
What if it rains?
A plain or even patterned umbrella is not a problem – in fact it can be genuinely striking in a London portrait, and contrast nicely with a grey sky. What matters more than the weather is that you’re warm and comfortable enough to relax. A good layer and a willingness to embrace the city as it is on the day always serves better than worrying about conditions we can’t control.
Shoes matter more than people expect – not because of how they look, but because of how they feel. We walk on a shoot, sometimes considerably. Choose shoes that are comfortable and appropriate to the locations, such as leather boots, loafers or clean trainers. Avoid brand-new shoes that you haven’t broken in, and be cautious about heels if we’re shooting anywhere with uneven ground.
Warm, muted tones consistently photograph well in London’s soft natural light – navy, cream, camel, sage green, warm white, dusty rose, soft rust, olive. Earthy and neutral tones have a cinematic quality that holds up particularly well in prints and albums. Bright neons and very stark white need more care but can absolutely work in the right context.
READY TO BOOK YOUR LONDON PHOTOSHOOT?
If you’d like to talk about a shoot – whether that’s a family session, a corporate headshot, a personal brand day or a Quintessential Woman experience – we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us at our West London Studio on info@serenabolton.com or on +44 (0)7415 792499. Or click here to fill out a contact form.
“Photography through the lens of a storyteller”
Professional Portrait Photographer London
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