You’ve booked a branding photoshoot: You’re probably wondering what to wear.

Written By Tabitha Arthur

“What do I wear?”
This is a question on everyone’s mind when booking a personal branding session.

As a professional branding photographer, I’ll share the most common questions I hear, plus give you tips and ideas to help you when you’re selecting your outfits for your own personal branding photoshoot.

Look + Strategy

Most women think primarily about how they will look in their photos - so I cover this in depth below. 
Another very important area is the strategic approach to what to wear. 

LOOK = What photographs well and feels good
STRATEGY = What your clothing communicates

How to make this guide work for you

Tempted to jump straight to what will help you look your best?

Through my experience in working with hundreds of women, the best approach is to start by talking about what your outfits are actually communicating.

Doing this will help you curate what you will want to wear, rather than feeling overwhelmed by the entirety of your wardrobe or all the shops.

Feel free to read this entire big blog post, or simply skip to the sections that you need more support with.

Strategy

Guidelines for selecting your personal brand photoshoot outfits

We’ll start by looking at what story are you telling?
Then we’ll move into what photographs well?

What is your brand about?

Clothing is part how you feel + part strategic communication. What you wear helps tell the story of your brand, the experience of working with you.

What are your outfits saying?
Everyone has a different personality - and that’s a strength you can help bring out through your clothing.
For example, are you more of a relaxed, approachable zero-suits-here CEO, or do you go for a polished, high-end leadership coach?
Are you a natural neutrals chill-axed, or colour-and-pattern-clashing vibe?

Remember, there’s no right or wrong: it’s about helping bring your brand to life visually.

Over the years I’ve worked with many clients, stylists, and coaches, and I’ve learned a really helpful approach to figuring out what to bring, if you’d like guidance for the best outfits to choose for your personal brand photoshoot.

Strategic outfit types 

There are three main points to consider with the outfit types you’ll be wearing in your branding photos: 

  • Think about you as the expert in your profession:

    • What do you wear in your role for a client meeting, for when you do the main public-facing touchpoints of your business.

    • What makes you feel the most professional and helps convey to your clients and collaborators what you do.

    It can help to think about what you’d typically expect an architect to wear versus an accountant. A graphic designer compared to a lawyer.

    Of course people’s personalities and personal style come into play - and this is important. The idea is to help you think about how you might dress to convey your expertise, as this can help you decide what outfits speak to this most clearly.

  • We aren’t walking around being an experty-expert 100% of the time. The concept behind dressing for connection gives your audience an opportunity to connect with you behind the scenes.

    • Think about how you might dress on a non-client-facing day, or when you are at lunch at a cafe on a Sunday.

    • We don’t need to go so far as stained sweatpants and a holey old t-shirt! This is about showing that relatable, relaxed side of you.

    This usually looks more approachable and casual than your Expert outfits. Perhaps this means jeans and sweater and cosying up with a good book and a cuppa, or perhaps it means active wear because you talk about this part of your lifestyle throughout your content.

  • Think about those successful people you follow online that you admire. 

    • Perhaps they might appear on screen, or give keynotes to large audiences. Maybe you desire to have their lifestyle. 

    • What do they wear when they are doing something that makes you feel inspired?

    Maybe you motivate people at a conference, or you’re a life coach wanting people to see what’s possible for them if they follow your lead.

    Your own inspiration outfit might be what you’d wear when helping your dream clients feel inspired to take action to know they could achieve their dreams with your help. Or it could be manifesting that special TV or podcast appearance you’ve had on your vision board.

You may wish to have more outfits for one area than another - it depends on your goals and emphasis that feels the most important to what you want to communicate. There may be some crossover with outfit types as well.

How many outfits will I need for my photoshoot?

  • Consider what balance you’d like to achieve from the Expert / Connection / Inspiration approach.

    Need help?
    We hold a strategy call to help you with your goals for your photos - and this is the info to think about when planning which types of outfits you’ll want to wear.

    If we are absolutely hooning through your session and you’re a magician / Superman at getting changed, with a very simple shoot plan, we miiight get up to seven outfits.

    Most people find they can pull together that many outfits from their existing wardrobe - or after reading through the tips it might become clear what you need to purchase or borrow to help you bring it all together.

  • Edit and select before the day of your photoshoot, so you have time to ensure everything if clean and pressed.

Now we’ll move from what story are you telling
into what photographs well.

 


How do I choose what to wear?

  • The Hero piece is the item that holds the most focus in your outfit.

    For some people, that’s the shirt, for others it’s a dress of skirt or blazer, or statement accessory. You get the idea!

    Personally I love the focus to be on my top, so I will lay out my favourite tops to decide the hero pieces, then build my outfits from there.

    i.e. I’ll decide what to wear on the bottom half next, then I’ll pair the shoes and any accessories I want to wear with it.

    You can keep it simple or as detailed as suits your own style.
    For example, your outfit might revolve around changing your top or jacket and keeping the same pair of pants for the entire photoshoot.

  • Keep your outfits trans-seasonal.

    As a general rule, so you can post your images year-round without worrying about posting a rugged-up jersey shot in the middle of summer, or a sleeveless dress in the depths of winter…

  • Take a photo of each complete outfit.

    This helps so you can refer to it at a glance, rather than rely on your memory on the day of your photoshoot.



What colours or patterns work best?

  • Most people have either warm-toned or cool-toned skin, and some people have a neutral skin tone.

    The general rule is: warm-toned skin people look best in warmer tones; cool-toned skin people look best in cooler tones.

    There is more to break down with this, such as your eye colour, natural hair colour, and the intensity of the colours that best suit you. I worked with a professional to help me with my best colours - it was such a valuable investment for me. But you can simply start with what you feel best in, and when you get the most compliments.

    If you haven’t had your best colours worked out by a professional stylist (more about working with Personal Stylists further down this blog post), here’s what I recommend thinking about:

    • Which colours make your eye colour pop and your skin look healthy and more even?

    • What colours make you feel really good when you wear them?

    • When you wear them, what colours do people compliment you in?

  • In the old days of television, some colours and patterns were avoided, as they played havoc with the screen.
    These days we can work with pretty much any colour in photos, and most patterns and fabrics work.

    There are, however, a few things to avoid or be aware of.

    Quite simply, I recommend colours that work best for you. Think about what makes your skin look healthy and eye colour pop, and what you feel great in - those are the best colours for you!

    Black can by trickier to work with - refer the sections: What colour do I need to avoid, and How to dress with black.

    Fluoro colours can be trickier to photograph - but if you love your fluoro outfits, bring them!

    Self-striped fabrics or very fine lines - refer this separate section.

  • I have good news… and some news that might be hard to hear…
    I’ll start with the tough news - but please do keep reading, as it will get better - I promise.

    Black does not photograph as well as colour.

    Many people love black, and their wardrobe is filled with it. I live in Wellington - it’s like our city’s uniform here, so I understand this is tough to hear.

    I’ll share the reasoning why - and give you some tips to help make it work for you.

    Why not black?

    Black, by its nature, sucks light - so we don’t see the detail as well. 

    This means that one black pantsuit will look essentially the same as another black pantsuit in your photos.

    For those wanting to achieve a lighter feel to your brand, it’s also good to be aware that a lot of black in your outfit can create a ‘heavy’ feel in photos.

  • If you have only black garments, then choosing very different silhouettes from each other, and textures, will help to differentiate your outfits.

    So one pair of wide leg pants and one slim leg will look different.
    A high neck top and an open button-up shirt help to mix up aesthetics. 

    Also look for patterns, sheer materials, lace or broderie that show some skin or light through them, and a variety of textures (knits, velvet, fringe, faux fur, etc).

    If you can bring in some other tones or pops of colour that will help bring your black base to life.

    Adding statement accessories can help as well. Try metal or colour necklaces, or a scarf for a pop of colour.

  • Flowers, shapes, geometric, abstract, multi colours, stripes, houndstooth, checks…
    Large patterns, small patterns…
    Any pattern is good if you love it!

    Tricky patterns
    Self-stripe and very fine stripes of the same or similar colours can read weirdly in both still images and video. They can cause a moiré effect - basically, it can look as though there are different patchy colours over the material.

    Sometimes suiting materials are self-striped, and they will likely give that moiré effect. If you have a suit like this and would like to wear it in your photos, you can - just be aware that this effect may happen. It can sometimes be subtle, or not happen at all - but it’s just good to be aware this may be the case.


 

Dressing different body shapes and sizes

I wish I could wave a magic wand to help every woman love and accept themselves as they are right now, and to feel amazing in every way!

Many women I photograph who feel self-conscious about their body size and shape often choose large dresses and tops that hide their form.

I get it - I went through a time where I did this as well. When my body size changed and I could no longer fit pieces from ‘straight-size’ stores, the dresses I found at shops for curvier figured women were large and flowy and hid my body. 

The result in photos? I looked three sizes larger than I was, and I felt… frumpy.

  • Honestly, 99.9999% of us have features we’d rather emphasize, and areas we’d prefer to minimise. 

    Not loving your arms? Avoid the sleeveless look. 
    Self-conscious of your belly? Don’t go for items that highlight that areas.

    If you love your flowy tops and dresses, I get it.
    If your clothing doesn’t already help give you shape in the areas you want to emphasize, there are some things I can do to pose you in ways that help give you shape where you want it, and not where you don’t.

    And the same goes for emphasizing or minimizing features - I can pose you in certain ways to help draw attention to your favourite features, and less on the areas you don’t.

    However, having the right clothing that works for you is a game changer for your confidence in how you look and feel.

    See the next section on Dressing for your body shape for tips on this.

  • I discovered through my own body and wardrobe journey, and by photographing hundreds of women and hearing their feedback, that outfits that actually looked best in photos were the ones that balanced - not hid - their body shape.

    Those pieces fitted in the ‘right’ places for me, and flared out at the places I needed balance.

    While you may have heard about the different body shape types i.e. pear, apple, or ruler, etc - do you know how to dress to balance yours?

    I didn’t!

    This was something I didn’t know how to achieve on my own - I needed a professional to help me.

    The basic idea is, the area of your body to want to emphasis you draw attention to through the garments or accessories, then you achieve balance on the area you want to minimise.

    So for me, my top half is smaller than my hips, which are very curvy and generous, and I go in more at my waist.

    My aim to to achieve balance to my shape by having more going on up top.

    How? I bring attention from my waist-up through colour an texture, and wear items that skim over my hips and are generally darker to allow the attention up top.

    When I worked with a stylist who was trained in this - the change to how I felt about my appearance was seriously huge and I recommend to anyone feeling stuck with feeling good in their clothes. Clients who do also feel so much more confident.

    I’ll share more about working with a personal stylist in the section “I don’t know what actually suits me / I feel ughhh* in my clothes”.


What about accessories?

From jewellery to scarves to shoes to hats - accessories help you to personalise and style your outfits.

  • If you are a go-big-or-go-home kinda gal, bring it!

    When putting together your outfits for your photoshoot, your accessories play an important part.

    When pulling each outfit together, remember to consider your earrings, necklace, bracelets, scarves, etc, as part of the full look.

    If your style is subtle, consider keeping it simple when packing.

    Often with smaller, more subtle jewellery, we don’t spot the differences in the photos as much. This means you may not need to change things up at all, or make just two or three changes depending on the outfit.

    With subtle earrings, it can be easiest to stick with just one or two pairs of earrings - and if you have long hair, we may not even see your earrings in each shot, so perhaps just the one pair will work fine for your photoshoot.

    Bring the necklaces that work best for the necklines or styles - but it’s absolutely fine to not change it the whole time if it works across everything.

    If you wear the same pieces daily?

    If you wear the same jewellery every day, that keeps it super simple - no need to think about this, just stick with your pieces.

  • If you don’t wear jewellery or scarves or hats - that keeps things especially simple for you. It will also make getting changed from outfit to outfit much swifter.

  • For some people, shoes make their outfit, and they feel more ‘ready’.

    For others, like myself, shoes don’t matter quite so much.

    We won’t be getting your feet in every shot. Unless you request it, most of the photos are more likely to be cropping out your feet. So this means we won’t necessarily see your shoes much at all - and we could get away with not seeing them at all if you prefer.

    So if shoes are causing you concern, this is one thing you could cross off your list if you like.

  • Connection with your eyes is one of the most important things with personal branding photos.

    If you want to wear glasses in your photos, be aware that the lenses may cause reflections around the eye area. As long as we can see and connect with your eyes, this is fine. However, if you’d like to ensure no reflections, then you could loan a pair of frames that have no glass / lens in them from an optician.

    If your glasses are tinted - either with a filter or transition from dark to light - this will likely show up and make your eye area through your glasses darker / have a coloured tint. I do recommend loaning frames without glass / lenses - so we can see your eyes clearly.

    If you cannot see without your lenses, and/or need the special tint, that’s okay - just be aware of and feel okay with those outcomes.



Foundational pieces + Undergarments

  • These are items that help make your outfit wearable and work best for you. These items include tank tops, camis, singlets to wear under sheer tops if you don’t want to see your bra, or under blazers for a subtle top if you don’t want too much skin but also don’t want a shirt under it. Slips under sheer, lace, or broderie dresses.

  • When selecting your underwear, consider visible bra straps, nude toned bras, bra compatibility with your necklines and top fabrics (i.e. lacey tops under t-shirts can look bumpy). Shapewear for those who desire that effect.

 

I don’t know what actually suits me / I feel ughhh* in my clothes

*Aka clients will often tell me they feel fat in their clothes, or lost, or frumpy - that used to be me before working with a personal stylist!

Following on from the details and tips under “Dressing different body shapes and sizes” section, I will give my top tips here, as well as share what I’ve learned from my experience working with personal stylists, and from photographing hundreds of women over the years.

Women who always look pulled together and fantastic know the best approach to dressing for them:

  • Their best colours

  • Their sense of style

  • How to dress for their figure.

This is something you can learn for yourself - however, I was struggling myself, and felt stuck in what even suited me. I needed that professional trained eye to help me.

If you are curious - or nervous - about getting more help from a professional stylist, I hope the below helps you get insight. Knowledge is power, bb!

I need professional help 

Not all personal stylists are great at what they do. I’ve heard stories from people who had the wrong colour advice and their skin looked awful. Or they felt like they weren’t wearing items that felt like them.

So I’m going to share the best personal stylist experience I’ve personally had, as well as a couple of stores in Wellington who could help you.

Working with a Personal Stylist

A professional, trained personal stylist will not judge you or make you feel bad.

They know how to work out your best colours, and the best way to dress your figure to help you feel more confident getting dressed - as well as helping you discover your personal sense of style so you feel your wardrobe supports who you are, and helps you to feel like your best self every day.

Before I worked with personal stylist Nina Fountain, I was feeling very frumpy and lacking in confidence with my appearance. Like I was apologetic or something? Kinda weird, but perhaps you resonate?

I felt lost going into clothing stores, and was guided by what fitted me and what I hated the least. The sales assistants would try to help by handing me garments that might fit me - but they didn’t consider my body shape or best colours - it was literally just what fitted me.

So while I spent thousands of dollars on clothing - I felt like I was wearing shapeless black and grey sacks. I also had one bright red shapeless sack, and a few patterned pieces that made me feel awkward as they were mis-matched to my style, or cut at the wrong places for my body.

Quite honestly, I didn’t know what my ‘style’ even was, and didn’t enjoy getting dressed.

The Stylist I worked with had a process.
She was able to help draw out of me my own personal style tastes.
She had an eye and a system to help find the colour palettes that made my skin look extra healthy, and my eye and hair colour look great. 

And my body that was at its largest size in my life?
She had an approach to balancing the figure, so I felt confident and fantastic! I even had meetings at a gym’s cafe and felt great and not self-conscious around fit gym bunnies.

You can work with Nina at www.stylegorgeous.com/tabitha - let her know Tabitha sent you, and she’ll know how to help you.




I’m so bored with my clothes

If you’re personally feeling sick of your current clothing, remember that your future clients and those who will be seeing your brand photos - even your nearest and dearest - aren’t anywhere near as familiar with your garments as you are!

Going shopping in your wardrobe can actually yield some pretty great surprises!

Challenge yourself to view your clothes through different lens: How you want your clients, collaborators to perceive you.

Maybe it’s about trying different combinations, or adding a new accessory or one new piece that gives them a refresh.

As discussed in the first section of this blog, look at the outfits you’ll be wearing as an opportunity for you to be seen as an expert in your field, as a point for connection, and as inspiration.


Loaning garments

Another option you could do is loan items from stores, especially for your photoshoot.

  • There are online options which can be great - but also work best if you know your size and the fit well. I have had a couple of clients loan from online and were unhappy with the pieces they were sent.

    If you are going to loan from online, I recommend ordering more garments than you think, as it’s more likely they won’t work then that they will.

  • Borrowing from stores in person is great as you can try garments on so you know you love them.

    I have a great relationship with two stores who are happy for you to discuss loaning pieces for your photoshoot with me.

    Honour

    Honour carries pre-loved, re-loved clothing featuring fantastic labels in excellent condition. The stock, labels, and sizes vary daily due to these being contingent on what women bring in to sell on their behalf. With this in mind, there does tend to be fewer extended sizes - but still worth a peek.

    There are four locations across the Wellington region: Vivian Street and Victoria Street in Wellington city, Johnsonville Mall, and Greytown.

    The store manager at Victoria Street, Daphne, has been a trained personal stylist, and can help advise you on the garments in store that will work best for your colour and body shape.

    You can email the owner Sue Allen to pre-approve this arrangement (let her know it’s for a photoshoot with Tabitha Arthur) with the store or stores you’d like to look at, or to check when Daphne will be available, here. https://honour.co.nz/pages/contact

    Hamilton & Murray

    Hamilton & Murray showcases a curated collection for women who care about how they look and want to live their best lives looking fabulous. 

    With a good-sized store in Khandallah Village, Wellington, they stock a fantastic variety of styles, sizes and price points. From the latest fashion from New Zealand designers, Australian brands, to Europe and more.

    The store owner is Sheila Murray-Hamilton - she has been in the fashion industry for 50 years, and really knows her stuff. She’s created collections, consulted with some of NZ’s top designers on their collections, been a personal stylist for corporate clients and politicians, and run her own fashion business for 20 years.

    I find shopping can feel overwhelming - so many things hanging on the racks or mannequins but look wrong on me, so it’s just hard.

    Plus I have a particularly difficult figure to find pants that fit me - I am generous at the hips, and go in at my waist. My hit rate on pants is low: I could try on ten pairs and very likely still not find one that works for me.

    I spent time with Sheila at her store where I shared my desires, my concerns, and she listened attentively and asked really good questions. She then pulled pieces that I was looking for for me to try on. She was patient and non-judgmental, and didn’t try to sell me anything if I didn’t love it.

    You could chat with Sheila about loaning garments for your photoshoot with me, and she will help you. Contact Sheila here to book time with her, or make sure she’ll be there when you visit. https://www.hmb.co.nz/pages/contact-us

    _____________________________________

    Note these stores may require a deposit, redeemable on any purchases if you desire. 

    Also please note I am not an affiliate or get financially compensated by these recommendations - I just really adore these ladies and their stores, and want to spread the love!

 


Second-guessing your choices?

When you book your photoshoot with me, we will talk about what you might wish to wear - but if you’re uncertain about an outfit, do bring one or two extra options.

Avoid panic packing. Keep your additional items to a minimum - and definitely don’t bring your entire wardrobe - we’ll spend all your time looking through the options and no time left to photograph you!


Transporting your garments: Avoiding creases and wrinkles

Iron or steam your garments, then hang them to transport. 

Do not fold them into a suitcase or bag!

I’ve seen clients smiles quickly fade when taking their pieces out of their bag and the garments they’d painstakingly ironed have creases and wrinkles.

Do use a suit bag to protect and keep things together. Keep this hung up. If you don’t have a suit bag, use a raincoat overtop and do it up, or a large upside-down rubbish bag that you poke the hanger hooks through.


Next steps

The tips above can help you when planning your outfits for your next brand photoshoot - but remember, you don’t need to figure it all out on your own.

Importantly:

  • You don’t need a perfect wardrobe

  • You don’t need to become someone else

  • We figure out the strategy together

  • Your photos should feel like you

  • Strategy + styling needs to be woven together with feeling authentic to you.

Looking for a personal branding photographer in Wellington?

If you’re based in Wellington, New Zealand, and you’re ready to elevate how you show up in your business, working with a professional personal branding photographer can completely shift how you’re seen.

Hi, I’m Tabitha Arthur, and my relaxed, welcoming studio is based in central Wellington, and I specialise in working with women in business - consultants, creatives, leaders, and service providers - who are ready to:

  • Step into higher visibility

  • Attract aligned, high-quality clients

  • Feel confident being seen as an expert in their field

A personal branding photoshoot isn’t just about getting a few good images.
It’s about creating a strategic, versatile set of photos that reflect who you are and where you’re going.

If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place. Get in touch with me here.

Tabitha Arthur
Next

“I’m not photogenic” (and other reasons you’re still hiding from the camera)