What to Wear for a Photoshoot

The most important thing is comfort and feeling like yourself. If you feel comfortable, it always shows in the photos.

Colors

My color recommendations are based on practical experience:
over 10 years of shooting by seas and oceans, including more than 3 years in Zanzibar.

The best choices for our conditions are:

  • light and neutral shades
  • milky, beige tones
  • pastel pink — looks very soft and beautiful in photos
  • all shades of brown
  • warm greens: khaki, olive
  • soft blue shades, especially cool tones — they work perfectly with the ocean color

Also look great:

  • deep dark colors: black, dark blue, dark green, dark brown

I do not recommend:

  • bright orange
  • scarlet red
  • fuchsia
  • neon shades

Important Note About Color and Color Correction

If your skin is sunburned, I especially recommend avoiding:

  • red
  • orange
  • pink
  • warm lilac shades

In other words, any colors that visually overlap with red or irritated skin tones.

I always do color correction on all successful photos, and I take sunburn into account by bringing skin tones to a warm, golden tan.
However, if the color of your clothing is close to the tones present in sunburned skin, the clothing color will also shift together with the skin.

Color correction affects the entire frame, so it cannot be adjusted selectively. As a result, color changes in clothing may be noticeable in some images.

That’s why, if your skin is sunburned, I recommend avoiding the shades listed above — this helps achieve the cleanest and most predictable result.

Silhouettes and Fabrics

Soft, flowing fabrics work best.

The island is often windy, so these look especially beautiful on camera:

  • flowing dresses
  • skirts
  • cover-ups, robes, cardigans

Movement in the fabric adds lightness and dynamics to the images.

Outfits

Usually one outfit is enough.
If you want variety, you can bring a second one.
For a one-hour shoot, I do not recommend more than two outfits.

Makeup

We usually shoot during the daytime, when the ocean is at its brightest and the heat is more intense.

What works best:

  • mineral powder — it holds up well in the heat
  • a small mirror to touch up if needed
  • SPF — essential

Matte SPF sticks can be applied even over makeup; they help prevent the skin from turning red too quickly during the shoot.

I recommend applying SPF to the face, neck, and chest area — these areas are most exposed to the sun and tend to redden faster.

Hair

The island has high humidity, and hairstyles usually don’t last, even with fixing products.

Best options:

  • loose hair
  • soft, natural styling
  • light imperfection — it looks organic and beautiful here

For Couples and Families

  • outfits should complement each other, not be identical
  • one shared color palette for everyone
  • different shades of the same color work best

If you’re unsure about your outfit or look, feel free to send me photos of your options — I’ll help you choose what works best for the shoot and the location.

RU
EN