Peter Pazucha

Who am I to tell you what to wear?

You're hiring me to make you look good.  One of the premiere portrait photographers of the 20th Century, Richard Avedon said this:

"Photography is not about truth.  It is accurate but not always truthful."

When it comes to portraits there's always a little subconscious stuff going on in the eye of the viewer, and I like to capitalize on that when we can.

We want to draw attention to your face...

Clothing color and style make a difference in how well we can do that.

Choose SLEEVES over skin -- Bare shoulders or spaghetti straps often make you look heavier.

Choose SOLID COLORS -- Stripes, plaids, checks, logos, and artwork on t-shirts draw attention away from your face.

Consider NOT wearing BLACK or WHITE -- Both colors detract from your face.

Express Yourself and Your World

Feel free to bring with you props that people identify with YOU.

Art supplies or paintings

Cheerleading outfit

Sports gear/uniform

Hats

Fresh flowers

Equestrian gear

Musical instruments

Pets

Theatrical costumes

Hair

Wear your hair in it's most comfortable style.  Have it cut about a week before the shoot.  Don't try a NEW hairstyle JUST for your portrait session

Skin Conditions

Dont worry if you develop a blemish. Our portraits will be fully retouched to reduce blemishes and soften hard lines.

Glasses

Glare in glasses can lead to extra retouching charges.  Normal glare can be retouched but tinted lenses cannot be lightened.  Consider asking your optometrist for a pair of empty frames to wear for your portrait.

Girls

Makeup can drastically affect your portrait.

Fresh, natural makeup and "evening" looks both photograph well.

Boys

A fresh shave should be a must. If you have a beard or mustache make sure it's trimmed as you like.

Groups

Consider dressing everyone in the same color FAMILY.  All in browns, or greens or what-have-you.  It's not necessary to use the same hue, you don't want to look like cookie cutter people.  Something as simple as everyone wearing shades of a single color can do a lot to unify the image.

We are trying to make members of the group look as if the belong together.  If it's a group, let's try to bring something to the image that visually unifies you.  Some of this we can do with clothing, some we can do with positioning.

In the end the choice is yours -- Having given you some suggestions I'll leave it to you.