What to Wear for a Hawaii Photoshoot
Your itinerary is planned and your vacation count down is now almost at it’s end with your trip to beautiful Hawaii quickly approaching. Pretty exciting !
With such a special trip you have decided to schedule a photoshoot with your family here in Hawaii. As a photographer I applaud you for being on it for making sure your time here is documented . However, one thing you might be on the on the fence with is : What to wear for a photoshoot in Hawaii ? It’s pretty safe to say snow boots, scarfs, and layered items are not on stand by near your suit case. With such a tropical destination summer attire is on the mind - as it should be ! Welcome to the land of forever summer ! Though that can still leave a long list of clothing to choose from so let me help break it down a bit when it comes to outfits and photoshoots.
The first piece of advice will either be a no brainer or sound super vague but it truly is the most important tip :
wear what you feel the most comfortable in
Read that bold text at least twice.
It’s easy to get caught up in diving through Pinterest or social media accounts looking for inspiration but let’s have an honest moment - Do you love wearing a maxi dress in general ? I can tell you I am 100% a romper girl. Every now and then I will pop on a gown for our own family photos but I feel self conscious since it’s not my go to for what I would prefer to wear which is a romper. I am also a die hard leggings fan but I will say leggings and humidity for family photos is not fun so not the best route to go with that one. If you force yourself (or a family member) to wear something that isn’t you you’re going to be uncomfortable. If uncomfortable it is going to show in the photos or be something you are reminded of when you look back at the shots. That’s not fun and that’s not something you want to remember with all the wonderful moments you will have on this trip. Choose an outfit that is you.
Hopefully what I said above was something you are able to take into account when choosing those outfits but time to proceed forward with a deeper breakdown. It has become very popular to suggest neutrals when giving outfit choices. Now whether you agree with that or not is based on what you prefer. Though Hawaii is VIBRANT ! Let colors shine ! If you like pink -it-is-okay to wear pink ! Wear something that sparks your happy that may be beige or it may be bright sky blue but do not feel like your whole family needs to show up in neutrals unless you all really want to. One rule I will say is best to follow though when referring to colors is that very few photography styles make neon colors look flattering . Neon yellow, orange, and green are probably best to save for another occasion.
Feel free to dress up or dress down. Wear that sparkly dress or pop on a swim suit. If going with a pattern the following are safe bets :
Subtle stripes
Floral
Small polka dots
Abstract
Small patterns such as surf boards or palm trees etc.
Though Aloha Print as a pattern choice is a hit or miss. An Aloha print shirt aka the classic Hawaii type button up shirt you see in movies and in stores everywhere when you arrive to island can work but there is a way it works best. My #1 suggestion is to never pop the whole family in matching Aloha print. You can throw that opinion out the window and truly live your best Hawaii photo dreams if that is what you would love most since the outfit choices truly are up to you. Though it gets pretty chaotic when you look at a photo of a family standing all together in their matching Aloha print outfits. Aloha print looks best if a max of 2 family members in a party of 5+ and just one if a couple or smaller family has that as their shirt choice. I would not recommend a dress made of Aloha print since it does draw attention of the eye even more taking the focus off of everyone else. There is my word of caution but again do what makes you happy.
This is a perfect example of how to make Aloha print work on the gentleman above in this image
Okay time to reverse back to the comment I made before patterns of dressing up or dressing down. I want to make this very clear -
YOU DO NOT HAVE GO FORMAL FOR A PHOTOSHOOT.
Maybe your significant other is apart of the large group of , “ I don’t want to do a photoshoot “, sayers and forcing them to wear a tight buttoned up shirt and nice shorts/pants will not fuel their already unexcited attitude. Your 3 year old daughter I am sure looks beyond adorable in that tulle gown but if she loves her overalls there is no need to have a battle in the early morning to wrangle her into the gown she despises. As a parent I totally get it on wanting your family to look nice for the occasion. My goodness my two boys are full on priority members of team no photoshoot but they march through grumbling to get the photos mom wants to remember these days. However, my life became SO MUCH EASIER when I stopped forcing my husband and son to wear the outfits I ordered for them. I starting saying , “ Hey, maybe don’t wear that grass stained tee with the giant logo “, casually to our kiddo and guess what he now chooses a clean shirt that surprisingly tends to work well for family photos on most occasions. Sometimes it has wording on it like , “ Surfs up”, but you know for keeping that laid back Hawaii vibe I don’t hate it. When it comes to my husband all I request is for him to choose a comfortable basic Target tee from the closet and BAM it works. Now maybe you do need to do a bit of wrangling or bribing if you have someone who is a die hard Disney fan ( unless you want to go all Disney theme where we embrace that much loved “Mickey Mouse “ tee ) but don’t over stress to reach any crazy level of dress up if it’s going to be a ton of work for you and make your family super unhappy. Now building off that if your family is no stranger to photos and trusts you to help guide their outfits always start with Mom’s outfit first. Choose what you would like to wear ( maybe choose it a few times if you’re indecisive like me ) and then decide from there what your family will wear. Go off colors that are similar or pair well with what you have in your outfit choice for building off of. Also do not be afraid to mix some patterns.
When doing a photoshoot on a beach here in Hawaii you most likely will get wet from the ocean or sandy. Here are some safe options that look great in photos and keep everyone comfortable :
basic tee with board shorts
rompers ( I mean with my die hard admitted love at the beginning of this post probably expected this )
maxi dress - if you love it wear it I will support your decision do you
comfortable beach throw over ( with a swim suit under )
if you want the whole family to show up in swimsuits for water captures or have them already under their outfits I 1000% support this plan
unless we are doing an engagement session or up on the volcano here on island I do not recommend pants. THOUGH an exception to this is wearing flowy pants ( hellooooo comfortable and chic ) or pants that have a tie that wraps around them super cute ! If you do have a pair of old worn in Levi’s you can totally pop them on just always keep in mind the tropical heat so maybe pair it with a light blouse
wear slippers aka sandals but unless you really really love your shoes you do not have to wear shoe shoes unless you want to . About 99% of the time clients go barefoot during my sessions and as do I
If you made it this far you far well done ! That was a lot to take in and hopefully you feel a bit more prepared. Though any questions you may have on outfits do not be afraid to ask your photographer. We are here to help you and guide you throughout the experience. It does not bother us if you want an opinion so please please please do not be shy from asking us anything. However, if you have chosen me as your photographer ( OH HEYYY I am stoked to meet you and have the best time ! ) I will send you a What to Expect/What to Wear Guide upon booking a session with me. This is easy to share with Aunt Jo and Uncle Bob if you feel like any family member needs a helpful easy breakdown and not this long blog post.
You are now well versed in what works great for a Hawaii photoshoot - live your best comfy styling photoshoot dreams and have the most amazing time here in Hawaii !