By Tata Rossi 11 days ago, Amateur Photography
If you got engaged during wintertime and want to celebrate such a joyous occasion with a professional photoshoot, it’s time to start looking for winter engagement photo outfit ideas. Below you’ll find a selection of attire suggestions provided by experienced photographers and fashion moguls that will help ensure you pick the best colors, fabrics, and silhouettes for your shoot.
When picking different outfits for your winter engagement pictures, you shouldn’t focus exclusively on the “look” you want to create. It’s also important to account for your personality, taste, and what you’re comfortable wearing. We’re talking about your personal engagement photos and they have to capture who you are as a couple and what you’re all about.
Probably the most common engagement photography tip that you’ll receive from photographers is to give preference to solid colors since a lot of patterns cause too many distractions and ruin the composition of the photo.
Regardless of which winter engagement photo outfit ideas you decide to experiment with, you have to ensure the shot is focused on you and your loved one. As for specific colors, that comes down to your personal preference. Many couples go with neutral tones but tasteful pops of brighter colors can be a great choice as well. Consider the scenery you’ll be posing in and try to pick a color palette that will suit it.
Environments during the wintertime are more muted so don't be afraid to spice them up with your favorite colors – reds, greens, oranges, and blues – everything goes as long as you don't go overboard.
While many experts suggest sticking to solid colors, you should never take out patterns completely out of consideration. If you can ensure the pattern isn’t distracting, there’s no reason not to use it. On the contrary, a well-chosen pattern can add visual weight to a photo and make it more eye-catching. A useful tip here is to only choose outfits with a single pattern type since different patterns can create a lot of visual noise by competing with each other.
Feel free to use all sorts of textures. Different materials like lace, crotchet, or Swiss dot are fantastic choices for casual winter engagement photo outfits and add a lot of visual volume to the shot while giving a subtle vintage vibe to the picture.
While the age of photographers begging the engaged couple to wear matching outfits is long gone, many engagement photo ideas still work best if you don’t choose overly different clothing styles. In most cases, your photos will look best if the outfits you chose look cohesive.
Consider using one of these winter engagement photo outfit ideas:
A vital aspect to consider when picking from different outfit ideas is the weather forecast. Look at it a few days before the photoshoot and factor it in during the decision-making process. If you’re planning an outdoor photoshoot in cold weather, make sure your attire is warm and comfortable enough.
If you need help with this aspect, consider using applications like AccuWeather or Weawow.
Abandon the idea of wearing clothes with any kind of branding, text, logos, or complex illustrations. Even if you can’t imagine your life without your favorite t-shirt with Darth Vader on it, leave it in the closet for this one.
There reasoning behind this suggestion is twofold. Firstly, any type of branding will drive the attention away from you and your partner. Secondly, most logos lose their relevance rather quickly and will look pointless within a couple of years.
Give preference to clothing with neutral or darker tones like blacks, browns, and greys since they look fantastic against a snowy backdrop. Overly colorful attires will either compete with the background too much or clash with it. If you want to add a bit of color, consider using deep green, red, burgundy, or deep blue. I suggest against using bright or pastel colors for such photos, but that's a matter of preference.
One of the go-to cold weather engagement photo outfits that I recommend to my clients is layering denim with a sweater. Multiple layers will add volume to your attire while also making it more eye-catching and contrasting. Meanwhile, the use of multiple fabrics enhances the photo with warm textures. Such an approach also lets you create a couple of different looks by taking off and putting on individual layers during the photoshoot.
Arguably the most useful tip that experienced engagement photographers can give you is to add a tad of contrast to your look.
It can either be an element that stands out from the background or your partner’s outfit. The use of such a contrast will make your engagement photos more eye-catching and draw more attention to the subject. For instance, a combination of navy or green clothes with a bit of red looks fantastic when set against wintertime scenery.
Experienced photographers typically return to this idea when they want to focus the viewer’s attention on a specific person in the shot or introduce a pop of color. For instance, you can ask the female model to wear a colorful dress that will stand out from the environment. Another way to have one of the engaged partners stand out is to ask them to wear vibrant or even bold accessories.
While this idea isn’t as popular as it used to be, you can still rarely go wrong by having the couple wear matching cold weather engagement photo outfits. Suggest they wear matching onesies, suits, or costumes that help convey the commitment they've made to each other. A nice idea is to schedule a photo shoot each Christmas and wear new matching attires each time. The family album that you'll get out of such photos will look fantastic.
It’s a good idea to take a coat when planning a winter photoshoot even if you don’t want to wear it in the pictures. The attire you choose might not be entirely appropriate for the weather so having something warm to put on while you’re going from location to location or spot to spot is definitely worth it. Some photographers also like couples that wear a statement coat for their winter engagement photographs.
It might be a good idea to stay clear of bulky clothing accessories, particularly if you decide to wear a winter engagement dress. Rather than using a knit scarf or large boots, consider getting a neutral-toned cashmere scarf or tailored boots. It’s typically recommended to opt for well-fitting accessories that complement your figure rather than change it.
Layered attires always add volume to photos and wintertime is perfect for wearing a bunch of different layers. For men, this means they can combine a trendy sweater or vest under a suave jacket or coat. For women, it’s the perfect opportunity to pair a blazer or trendy coat with a dress or some other outfit that will be complemented by it.
Ring photography can be used as a central part of your photo shoot, particularly if you want to create a collage. Such photos typically require a 24-70mm lens since it allows one to capture even the tiniest details when focusing on the couple's attire.
Suggest the couple wear matching outfits but not of the same color. Have them choose neutral, soft colors that will stand out against the backdrop.
Always consider the location you’ll be working at. If the photoshoot is organized in a formal venue, advise wearing some formal clothing. However, if the shoot will take place by the sea or in the forest, formal clothing will look inappropriate for the location so keep that in mind.
If you want to ensure your winter engagement photos look as good as possible, you should dedicate the necessary effort to the image enhancement stage. Luckily, you can use these professional presets to enhance your photos in a specific style in just a couple of clicks.
Employ the provided tools to enhance the model's skin tone, adjust the white balance, and improve other details.
