How I Take my Travel Outfit Photos

When it comes to taking outfit photos on holiday I like to plan my outfits and then decide on the locations when we get there. I think it’s nice to switch up the style of photos and make the shots a bit more creative or more suiting to the country I am in. This blog post is all about how I plan the pictures I want from outfit choices to how important lighting is.   

Once we have booked a holiday I like to plan my outfits taking into consideration; temperature, location, style of place of stay, and any new pieces I want to include. I like to lay all my outfits out on the bed including jewellery, shoes and any bags. I then like to take a photo of the outfit so when I’m on holiday it’s an easy way of reminding myself what I will wear. Once we get to the hotel I try and hang up anything that will crease or use my hair straighter to give the items a quick iron if needed.   

On the first couple of days I don’t take many photos, mainly because I am still pale, and it gives me time to scout out places to take photos, especially as I like to take photos in places that are typical to that country or somewhere that’s completely different. During our trip to Turkey we went for a typical Turkish breakfast in the middle of nowhere, absolute bliss. In their field they had an old tractor, which made for a lovely backdrop to a floral playsuit. A good tip is if you have a fresh white outfit look at having something rustic in the background creating a drastic difference and contrast and making your outfit pop.

Lighting makes a massive difference in your photos. I try not to take photos between 11am and 3pm as the sunlight is very harsh, but this can also work in your favour . If you want soft dreamy photos then photograph at golden hour (the hour before sunset), the lighting is very soft and a warm golden shade, hence the name. My favourite location for Golden hour is by the sea, if you wear sunglasses, you can get the reflection of the water on your lenses. The setting sun gives you a gorgeous glow and softens out your surroundings. When you’re in a hot county Golden hour is a lot cooler then midday sun making it significantly more comfortable to take photos without melting.

On the other hand using midday sun can create some quite dramatic lighting and shadows. I had lots of fun last year playing with overhead shadow on my face, giving the photo a lovely contrast of light and dark. Another way to use midday sun is by photographing in black at white, this way you don’t need to worry about bleached out colours and your photo won’t need as much editing. Playing with dappled light, from trees, on your outfits or face can leave you with some gorgeous photos with minimal effort required.

Sometimes it’s nice to not plan photos shoots and just see where your day takes you. I love going out and exploring you can find the cutest of spots for a quick outfit photos that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. If you’re really stuck for a place to shoot at then why not take a look at Instagram, it’s such a good place to gather some inspiration from.

If you have any other good tip and trick for taking outfit photos on holiday then share them bellow!

Steph