“So, what do I wear?”
What do I wear for a brand photoshoot in Kelowna is the most common question I get asked before every shoot, and I get it. You want to look like yourself, but a more pulled-together 4.0 version of you. If you’re like most of my clients, then you also want a lot of variety without packing half your closet, and you want photos that will still feel relevant this time next year.
The good news is that planning what to wear is a lot more straightforward than it sounds. This article covers everything you need to know about what to wear for a brand photoshoot in Kelowna so that you arrive feeling prepared, confident, and totally yourself.
In this post:
- Before you open your closet
- The three rules that can make or break your outfits
- The statement piece principle
- How many outfits do you actually need
- What to wear for extra length or a more streamlined look
- Your morning-of checklist
- Working with a Kelowna brand photographer
Before you open your closet
Before you pull everything you own out of your closet, start thinking about how you can incorporate your brand’s colour palette.
Wearing your brand colours on camera ties everything together across all touchpoints and helps to create a cohesive and recognizable brand. Which tells your ideal client that you care about the experience you’re offering them. When your wardrobe and your visuals are speaking the same language, your brand becomes a lot more memorable.
If your brand colours are not flattering on you, that’s ok, think about wearing colours that match the personality of your brand. Bright colours like red, hot pink, and orange tend to have an energetic and creative vibe, while jewel tones like emerald, deep purple, and sapphire feel more confident and authoritative.
You can also go more neutral (calm and sophisticated) and bring your brand colours in through accessories, shoes, scarves, jewellery, and even your nail colour. Creams, tans, soft whites, and greys photograph beautifully and keep the focus on you.
Double down on drama: bold outfits for Kelowna brand shoots
I love bright colours for a brand photoshoot because they capture attention, communicate personality, and really make a statement. Bold colour can add a youthful, energetic vibe to your wardrobe. So if this is on brand for you, by all means, have fun experimenting with new ways to incorporate it.
If head-to-toe colour feels intimidating, think bold blazer over a neutral outfit (or vice versa), a statement scarf (jewellery and accessories), a great pair of coloured shoes (or socks), anything that adds the energy of your brand without the full commitment.
Hot tip: before your shoot, take a selfie of you wearing your outfits in natural indoor light to see how the colour looks on you. The camera tends to pick up things that might look different in the mirror.
On patterns:
If you want to wear something with a pattern, go big and bold. They are more visually interesting and provide a strong focal point to draw your eye. Bold prints can be playful, sophisticated, and even empowering! The key to pulling of larger prints is balance.
Try pairing a pattern with a solid neutral on the bottom to keep the look interesting without it being overwhelming. For example, a solid blazer over a patterned dress works the same and also gives you an easy outfit variation between sets.
Avoid small prints and patterns that can look ‘blurry’ or create a ‘trippy’ distracting effect on camera. The bottom line is that busy, chaotic prints pull attention away from your face and we don’t want anything taking attention you.
On logos:
Branded pieces with your business name, logo or statement are a fun, intentional addition. Generic brand logos from other companies are a distraction and look unintentional. Leave them out.
On texture:
Interesting fabric textures photograph really well. Think, velvet, silk, flowing fabrics, structured blazers, vegan leather, and chunky knits these all offer depth and visual interest. Shiny fabrics are worth testing first because they can reflect light in unexpected ways.
The three rules that will make or break your outfits
There is a lot of information on the internet about what to wear, so I’ve distilled it down to three essential rules for you to follow for your photoshoot outfit foundations.
1. Balance your silhouette
Wear an oversized top with a fitted bottom and a structured top with a flowing skirt. Regardless of your body type, this is about making sure the camera sees you and not just your outfit. When everything is loose, or everything is fitted, the look loses its shape on camera.
2. The rule of thirds
Avoid dividing your outfit exactly in half. Aim for either the top or the bottom to take up one-third of the look and the other to take up two-thirds. For example, a cropped jacket over a longer top, a tucked shirt with high-waisted pants, a midi skirt with a fitted knit: these all create natural, flattering proportions.
3. Show your waistline
High-waisted anything is almost universally flattering on camera because it creates a defined point that the eye naturally anchors to. It doesn’t have to be tight; it just has to exist. A tucked-in shirt, a belted dress, wide-leg trousers with a fitted top: all of these work.
The statement piece principle
The simplest way to build an outfit that photographs well is to choose one piece that does the visual heavy lifting, then build everything else around it.
For example, a rich burgandy velvet blazer. Silk pants in a colour that turns heads. A printed wrap dress that does all the talking. One strong piece per look. This is the piece the camera notices first. Keep everything else simple and neutral around it so they don’t compete.
This does two things.
- It gives the camera a clear focal point, and
- It makes outfit planning a lot less overwhelming because you’re not trying to make every single piece interesting at once.
It also makes layering easier. If your statement piece is a blazer, you can take it off between sets for a completely different look without changing anything else.
Don’t forget the shoes. A great pair of coloured heels or a bold boot can be the statement piece that anchors an entire look, especially when everything else is neutral.
How many outfits do you actually need?
My general guideline for what to wear for a brand photoshoot in Kelowna is six or seven looks for a three-hour shoot.
That might sound like a lot, but variety is what will give your photos longevity. Photos with a single outfit, even if it’s in the most beautiful location, will start to feel repetitive quickly. Two or three looks in one location gives you a lot of flexibility across your website, socials, and marketing materials, and means you’ll still be using these images a year from now.
Think about variety across these categories when you’re planning what to wear:
- One professional or polished look, whatever makes you feel genuinely put-together
- One relaxed but intentional look, elevated everyday you
- Something that represents how you actually work or live
- Seasonal pieces which means thinking ahead to when these photos will be used
A note on layering: scarves, blazers, jackets, sweaters and vests are your best friends here. They can shift a look from one outfit into something that reads completely differently on camera, and they give you easy variety without a full outfit change between sets.
What to wear for extra length or a more streamlined look
These are the most important tips to keep in mind.
For a more streamlined effect:
- Darker tones are generally more flattering than lighter ones
- Wrap dresses create a natural hourglass line
- Fitted blazers smooth and shape everything underneath
- Keep bold patterns and embellishments away from areas you want to minimize
For longer-looking legs:
- High-waisted pants are the best option here, especially with a tucked-in top
- Side-slit dresses create a vertical line that creates length
- Match your shoe colour to your pants, or go nude with skirts and dresses
- Skip ankle straps, which cut the leg visually
- Heels and wedges work even if you’re already tall
Your morning-of checklist
On the day of your shoot, you want to be thinking about showing up, not scrambling so organize your outfits, shoes and accesories the night before.
- All planned outfits, steamed or pressed
- Full accessory sets for each look, earrings, necklaces, scarves
- A strapless or seamless bra if any of your looks call for it
- Fashion tape (a lifesaver on shoot day)
- Touch-up items: safety pins, a lint roller, a small sewing kit
- Your nails done and ready for close-ups
- Any props or branded items that belong in your photos
- Snacks and water, because shoot days can be long
- A bag or garment rack to keep outfits organized between sets
- Shoes are an outfit decision, not an afterthought. Bring more options than you think you need because the right pair can completely change how a look reads on camera.
Frequently asked questions about what to wear for a brand shoot in Kelowna
My general guideline for a brand photoshoot in Kelowna is six or seven looks for a three-hour shoot, which works out to two or three outfits per location. That might sound like a lot, but variety is what gives your brand gallery lots of flexibility. Photos from a single outfit start to feel repetitive quickly, and you want to still be pulling from this gallery a year from now. Layering pieces like blazers, scarves, and jackets counts as outfit changes, too.
The best colours are the ones that match your brand’s energy and make you feel confident. Brights like red, hot pink, and orange read as energetic and creative on camera. Jewel tones like emerald, deep purple, and sapphire come across as confident and authoritative. Neutrals are always a safe choice and keep the focus on you.
A few things consistently cause problems on camera. Small, dense prints like gingham, houndstooth, and tiny dots can create a moiré effect, which is a wavy optical illusion that shows up in photos. High-contrast black-and-white patterns can lose detail entirely. Shiny fabrics can reflect light in unexpected ways. And generic brand logos from other companies are a distraction. When in doubt, leave it out.
Gather everything the night before. Shoot day is about showing up, not scrambling. Steam or press all your outfits, pull together your full accessory sets for each look, pack your shoes, grab fashion tape and a lint roller, and make sure your nails are done for close-up shots. The full checklist is in this post, but the main thing is that nothing gets figured out the morning of.
The rule of thumb for any outfit is
ONLY WEAR IT IF YOU FEEL GOOD IN IT
If it makes you feel uncomfortable, that shows up on camera,
and that discomfort can’t be fixed in post editing.
Work with a Kelowna brand photographer on what to wear for your photoshoot
If you read through all of this and thought, “That’s a lot to manage on my own.”
It doesn’t have to be. When you book a brand photoshoot with Storycatcher Photographer, a professional stylist is part of your experience from the very beginning and will help you with what to wear for your Kelowna brand photoshoot. Before your shoot, they’ll sit down with you to review what’s already in your closet, identify what’s missing, and source pieces that match the energy of your brand and the stories we’ll be capturing together. You don’t have to figure it out alone.
On shoot day, your stylist is on-site the whole time, adjusting fits, swapping accessories between sets, and making sure every look is camera-ready before you step in front of the lens.
