Outfit choices are one of the things I talk through with every single family before a session. Not because there are rigid rules, but because Florida has specific conditions that affect what photographs well — and a few common mistakes that are easy to avoid once you know what to look for.
This is the same advice I give to every senior before their session. It's not about fashion. It's about what works in the light, at the location, and on the final image.
Start Here: Florida is Different
Before we get into specifics, it's worth acknowledging that shooting senior portraits in Florida is a different exercise than shooting them in, say, New England or the Pacific Northwest. The light is brighter and more intense. The heat is real, especially between April and October. The locations — beaches, parks, botanical gardens — have their own visual language that some outfit choices complement and others fight against.
The sessions I schedule are almost always in golden hour — the last 60 to 90 minutes before sunset. The light at that time is warm, directional, and forgiving. It makes warm and neutral tones glow and gives the photos that quality that makes people stop scrolling. Knowing that helps you choose outfits that work with the light rather than against it.
"Wear something you'd actually wear. The best senior portraits feel like the person in them, not like a costume."
Colors That Work
Warm and neutral tones photograph beautifully in Florida's golden hour light. Earthy tones, warm whites, soft creams, dusty blues, terracotta, sage green, rust, camel — these colors absorb the warm late-day light in a way that makes the subject glow rather than compete with the background.
- Warm whites and off-whites — especially for beach sessions
- Earthy tones — terracotta, rust, camel, tan
- Sage green, olive, dusty teal
- Soft dusty blue — works especially well at the beach
- Blush, mauve, soft pinks
- Denim — almost always works, in any session style
- Bold solids — burgundy, forest green, mustard — for park sessions
For botanical garden or park sessions, you have a little more latitude to bring in color and pattern because the backgrounds are more varied and the light is softer. Florals, color-blocked pieces, and bolder choices work well here in a way they might not at a beach session where the sky and water are already doing a lot of visual work.
What to Avoid
A few things consistently create problems in photos that are easy to sidestep:
Do Bring
- 2-3 outfits for variety
- Layers — even in Florida, evening sessions cool down
- Shoes you can walk in comfortably
- A small touch-up kit for hair and makeup
- Something that feels like you, not just what photographs well
Avoid
- Bright white — blows out in direct sun, hard to expose correctly
- Neon or very saturated colors — compete with the background
- Heavy patterns or small busy prints — distracting in photos
- Logos and large graphics — date quickly and distract from the face
- Anything you're not comfortable moving in
The bright white issue
Bright white is the most common outfit mistake I see. In Florida's intense light, pure white reflects so much that the camera struggles to expose it correctly — you either lose detail in the whites or underexpose the face. Off-white, cream, and ivory all work beautifully. Save the bright white for after the photos.
By Session Style
Beach and Coastal Sessions
The Gulf Coast backdrop has a lot of color already — blue water, pink and orange skies, white sand. Outfits that complement rather than compete work best. Think flowy, light, coastal. Sundresses, linen, open layers. Soft blues, warm whites, blush. Bare feet in the sand look natural and work well. If your senior wants to bring a second look, something with a little more structure or color works well for the end of golden hour when the light gets really warm and dramatic.
Woodland and Nature Sessions
The moody, atmospheric quality of woodland sessions calls for outfits that lean into that feeling. Earthy tones — rust, olive, tan, camel, forest green — feel at home against Spanish moss and live oaks. Avoid bright colors here; they fight the atmosphere rather than working with it. Denim, flowy layers, and textured fabrics all look great. Boots work well for woodland sessions even in Florida if the session is in the fall or winter months.
Lifestyle Outdoor and Park Sessions
The most flexible session style for outfit choices. Because you're moving through a varied environment, you can bring more variety — florals, bolder colors, different silhouettes. This is the session where a second or third outfit change makes the most sense, because the backgrounds change enough to support different looks throughout the hour.
How Many Outfits to Bring
For a 60-90 minute session, I recommend two outfits — three if the session style supports it. One outfit for the first half of the session, one for the second half when the light changes. Changes take about 5 minutes and I factor that into the timing. More than three outfits and we start losing shooting time to changes, which isn't worth it.
Plan your outfits ahead of time, have them ready to go, and let me know what you're bringing before the session so I can think about how the sequence will work with the locations we're hitting.
The most important thing
Wear something you actually feel good in. Confidence reads in photos. A senior who feels comfortable and like themselves will always produce better portraits than one who's wearing something that photographs perfectly but feels wrong. Start with what feels right, then apply the guidelines above.