Are you wondering what to wear to your portrait session? One of my absolute favorite parts of the client experience in my Perth Amboy photography studio is the studio wardrobe! It’s one reason my clients love coming to me for their sessions. We have about 50 dresses, including gowns and cocktail and business dresses.

If you’re curious, here are a few of my favorite FAQs about the studio wardrobe.

Why do you have a studio wardrobe?

You’ll never stress over what to wear to your portrait session at our studio.

If you’ve planned a session in the past, I’m sure you know how overwhelming it can be to narrow down outfits. The first thing I tell clients is to check their closets. Like most women, your closet is a treasure trove of dresses you have only worn once or haven’t worn because they don’t fit.

The studio wardrobe could be your first resource if you don’t have anything you love in your closet, but most clients treat it as a backup plan. However, when shoot day comes around, they dig through the racks and ask to be photographed in one of my pieces.

Shopping is a rabbit hole with endless options and the returns of the items that didn’t work. This will likely lead to unnecessary stress, and no one needs that, so I keep a studio wardrobe so you have at least two resources. I’ve done the heavy lifting to keep you out of the stores!

How do you choose your dresses?

I search for pieces with four essential qualities: distinctiveness, texture, color, and movement. When selecting clothing items, I pay particular attention to movement and texture. Textures can enhance the visual appeal and depth of a portrait or branding photo. Additionally, many pieces incorporate a generous amount of fabric to allow for movement, which adds an interesting element to your poses and pictures. Ultimately, my goal is to help each client feel beautiful. This objective guides my careful selection of dresses for our studio wardrobe.

What about fit?

As I mentioned, you may have dresses and outfits that you love but don’t fit in your closet. I’ll tell you to bring them because you can be photographed in them. If it’s too large, we clip them at the back for a more snug fit. Conversely, if the dress is a bit too tight, we don’t always zip it all the way up! It’s the same with the studio wardrobe. Most of our dresses fall into mid-range sizes so they may be big or small for you, but they work well enough for photographs.

Do I have to use the studio Wardrobe?

It’s not mandatory at all. Some clients have beautiful dresses already in their closets, or they have an excellent sense of style and prefer to do their styling. My goal is to give my clients the best possible experience, and providing an additional wardrobe resource is one of the many ways we achieve this!

Angela Atelier is a New Jersey-based portrait and personal branding photography studio in Perth Amboy, NJ, empowering women everywhere to live their best life. Want to learn more about how we help women discover themselves through portrait photography? Contact us to schedule your complimentary consultation.