3 Tips on Choosing What to Wear for a Dance Photoshoot
Don’t know where to start when it comes to choosing outfits for a dance or movement photoshoot? In this guide you will find questions to reflect on and tips to selecting an outfit that suits your vision for your photo session.
First of all… What on EARTH do you wear to a dance photoshoot?!
This is one of my most frequently asked questions, and with good reason. It’s a daunting task, requires patience, and more goes into it than just throwing on an outfit. I’ll be discussing 3 major questions to consider when intentionally selecting what to wear for a dance photoshoot. So keep reading to find out more!
1. What are my intentions for the outcome of these photos?
By knowing your goals and intentions for your photos, you will be able to get clear on not only what to wear, but your overall plan for these dance images. Intention is important for photos because it can increase the value of how you utilize them. When you go into a shoot with intention, focus, and clarity, you will be able to use the photos over and over again instead of posting them to social media once and never looking at them again. We want you to make the most of the photos that you’re investing in.
Consider some of these intentions:
👯will you use them for auditions?
🤳social media presence?
✨promoting a class?
📝a workshop?
💃a performance?
🎉are you simply celebrating your dance journey?
Dig deep! What is your *why* for getting your photos taken? If you’re currently planning a session, write these down now.
2. What parts of myself do I want to highlight?
Knowing what parts of yourself you want to highlight and showcase is super important to getting captures that you LOVE. So often photographers don’t ask dancers questions and just hope that they’ll make beautiful shapes. Dancers are wonderful to work with because we’re so aware of our bodies, but when you hire a photographer to capture dance photos for you? You should have a say in what you want to capture and the intention behind the photos.
Highlighting elements of yourself can be different in every session you do. And it doesn’t have to always showcase your most prominent personality traits either.
Often, a dancer’s first session with me has a broader focus like, “capturing my bubbly personality” or “showcasing how far I’ve come and how proud I am of myself.” Once we work together a couple of times, then we can really get creative and narrow the focus a bit more.
Maybe you’re auditioning for a more dramatic company or musical and want photos for your portfolio that highlight that side of you. It could be that you’re wanting more quirky shots of you to celebrate a milestone. Or maybe you’ve been focusing on your health and fitness and are really proud of how strong and empowered you feel.
There are so many ways that I can help guide you into having movement photos that embody your intentions, help develop your vision, and create beautiful images that are meaningful to you.
Have amazing extensions? Highlight your legs and feet.
Do you love your back muscles? Show it OFF!
Super bendy? Wear something non-restrictive.
Love your quirky sense of style? Go all out on your outfit and don’t hold back!
Super bubbly personality? Showcase it with a vibrant accent piece or all out color.
Oh, and choose a color that brings out the color of your eyes, skin tone, or just wear a color that you feel the most confident in!
Reminder: every body is unique and beautiful, and no two are the same. Dress to highlight YOU!
3. What clothing am I most comfortable in?
Yep. That’s it.
Make a list of clothes that you absolutely love to wear.
Narrow down your list by choosing which of those pieces highlight your answer from question 2.
Narrow it down even more by identifying if these pieces match your intentions for your photos.
And BOOM. You have a more clear idea to what you want you want to wear for your shoot!
Comfort is key here, especially with dance and movement shots. You don’t want to get on site and feel restricted or squished in any way. That will only hinder your movement and make you feel ultra aware of your body.
At the end of the day, wear what makes YOU feel confident and most comfortable. If you don’t feel comfy or genuinely yourself, then it’s going to read in your photos.
BONUS!
The last 3 points were all questions to reflect on when it comes to goals, yourself, and comfort. And these are great tools to sit down with pen and paper to find something you’re truly going to shine in on camera!
Now that you’ve got a vision for what to wear, it’s time to put it in action.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Hop in your closet and pull everything that aligns with what you wrote down/reflected on
Try it on in front of a full length mirror, really move in it (twirl, jump, battement, get funky), and find shapes that you love in the outfits
Set up your phone and take a video of yourself dancing in your outfit. Replay the video on *pause* and determine frame by frame if you like the way you look in the frames, not the video
When possible, I always advise my clients to select a package with at least two outfits to incorporate versatility in your photos!
Are you planning a dance or movement session currently or plan to do one in the future? Be sure to bookmark this blog post for future reference!
