The Only Photoshoot Vibe Guide You’ll Ever Need

For Clients
Written By Austyn Seitz

One of the things I want to accomplish most in your session is to give you EXACTLY what you want. The trendy way to say that is that I want to give you the “vibe” you want, but let me break it down for you in simpler terms. I really just want to give your photos the feel that YOU want them to have. A lot of that has to do with the environment. For example, if you’re getting photos in the evening sun with fall leaves, the photos are automatically going to look warmer and cozier because of the light and background. If you’re having family beach pictures done, they’re automatically going to be very clean and light because of the sand and the color of the water.

However, there are always things you can do to give your session the feel that you want. A lot of it depends on your outfits. If you want elegant pictures, wear something elegant (regardless of the location, your pictures will look more elevated if your outfits are). If you want cozy pictures, wear a flannel and boots. If you want your outdoor session to have a more outdoorsy feel, wear something that looks like you’d go camping in it (boots, knit socks, a sweater, a flannel, etc.). If you want your shoot to be cleaner and lighter, wear simple, light-colored clothing and leave the detailed patterns at home. If you want your photoshoot to look more springy and warm, wear warm florals. 

You can also use props to give your shoot the feel that you want. If you want a shoot to be cozier, bring a blanket and wrap up in it (obviously, this works better for fall and winter sessions). If you want a shoot to be springy, bring a bouquet of flowers or wear flowers in your hair. It’s really simple to give your shoot the vibe you want, and I’m here to accomplish that for you. 

I’ve been working a lot recently on a MASSIVE Pinterest board to help you narrow down your wants for your next photoshoot with me. I’ll link it here so that you can scan through it, but this post is going to break it down for you.

The board is called “Photoshoot Vibes,” and it’s divided into several sections based on the feel of the photos in many of my sessions (if we’ve done a shoot together, you might be in there, too!). This post is going to break down each section and give some comprehensive examples. While I would recommend browsing that board before our photoshoot, you could also read this post to get a bird’s eye view. 

Niche Vibes

This one was a little bit of a wild card. I wasn’t sure what to call it. I mean, a lot of shoots I’ve done use props, so that’s not limited to this board. It’s not JUST career or hobby-based… So I landed on “niche.”

Niche: “interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population” (Google)

Here, you’ll find a photoshoot I did with a client who graduated from flight school in Middle Georgia: 

Man with headset around neck and sunglasses on standing on plane wing
Man in pilot seat of plane with sunglasses and headset on looking away from camera

You’ll also find a sailboat date I shot in Savannah, Georgia: 

Man and woman wearing browns and neutrals kissing on a sailboat in front of sail

As well as a painting date photoshoot also in Savannah: 

Woman sitting in between man's legs on a picnic blanket with a painting on an easel behind them; they're sketching in sketchbooks, and there are flowers in front of them

I guess this board could also be titled “date ideas for the fun-loving couple.” Basically, this board is to inspire you to embrace that special thing you love and bring it into your photoshoot. I mean, how cool would it be to have pictures of an incredibly fun and unique date night on your walls forever? 

Editorial Vibes

This style is something I don’t shoot super often, but I did do an engagement shoot in this style, and it’s one of my favorites I’ve done. I love pictures in color, but the black-and-whites from this session turned out great because of the style. It reminds me of an old movie, and it denotes movement and storytelling. I mean, an editorial article is an article written about someone’s opinion on a topic, so, through editorial style photos, I’m telling your story through my eyes, directed by whatever you choose to do. These are some of my favorites from that session: 

Formal Vibes

Elegance is not a look I’m requested to capture very often outside of weddings (even some weddings are more casual than these shoots), but when I am, it’s so unique and fun! I love seeing my clients get dressed to the nines, and I love the poses I can do with a formal shoot. Contrary to popular belief, formal shoots do not ALWAYS have to be indoors. Posing in front of a building or even in front of a simple background can give an elegant feel, as can simply dressing up. 

I love that these pictures can be turned into actual art when hung in a home. If you put it in the right kind of frame, you can turn it into a piece of Renaissance art!

Last Christmas, I did a shoot for a family in their backyard… but it did NOT look like a backyard shoot: 

Mother, Father, and two daughters wearing blue velvet outfits standing in front of evergreen trees in their backyard, serious faces

I also took a few shots inside their beautiful, timeless home, and this one is of my favorite indoor photos I’ve taken:

Mother, father standing behind and above two daughters on white and black stairs with black rails, all wearing blue velvet outfits and smiling

A few weeks ago, I was asked to photograph a proposal in Buckhead, Georgia, at a park. Now, when I think “park,” I don’t immediately think “elegant,” but this is an example of the outfits setting the tone. They dressed up for the proposal, and it really gave their photos an elegant and formal feel that I love:

man reading from a book while facing a woman in a blue and white dress. both standing on a white blanket with flowers and candles, shot through willow leaves
man in blue and white shirt kissing woman in blue and white dress, holding the woman's hand with an engagement ring on it forward, the couple is out of focus, but the hand is in focus

Graduation shoots automatically scream “elegant” to me because of the cap and gown (and the occasional champagne pop). This 2023 grad understood the assignment (ESPECIALLY with the champagne pop):

man in green and black doctorate cap and gown holding silver balloons that say "MD" and a bottle of pink champagne in front of the Fox Theater
man in light colored printed suit jacket and pants standing in front of a tree popping a bottle of pink champagne with champagne raining down around him

Outdoorsy Vibes

I do lots of outdoor shoots (actually, I mostly shoot outdoors), but some of them feel more “outdoorsy” than others. Some of my favorites are made more outdoorsy because of the outfits and props. Florals can add to an outdoorsy shoot, as can plaids and thick materials (knits, large-weave sweaters). This shoot was a simulated camp-out (but it could be a real camp-out if you wanted it to!!). Their outfits and the campfire in the pictures hit the outdoorsy nail on the head:

man and woman wearing flannels and jeans and boots, kissing and roasting marshmallows on sticks over a fire

These engagement shots have a different feel, but I still think they have an outdoorsy feel simply because of the location. The water at Indian Springs is just gorgeous! 

Man in blue shirt and khakis and woman in white floral dress sitting on a rock in front of water smiling at the camera

Springy Vibes

I had to give this one its own section on the board because there’s something about spring that just gives me LIFE! It’s probably because I love flowers, and this entire board has a very floral theme. Fall is my favorite season (sweaters, fall coffees, football season, etc. Need I say more?), but spring is a close second. It’s not hot enough to be miserable outside (I’m located in middle Georgia, and summer here is not for the weak), and the flowers are in bloom at the outdoor sessions. Even if there aren’t flowers, the trees are the greenest they’ll be, and everything looks bright and ALIVE! Maybe spring is my favorite, now that I think of it… Anyway, these are some of the shoots I’ve done that scream “SPRING” to me: 

man in white with woman in a boat on water with dead trees in the background and white and green flowers on the boat
man in white with woman in a boat on water with dead trees in the background and white and green flowers on the boat

If you’re looking for a flower field in Georgia, look no further than Prospect Farms in Lawrenceville– that’s where these senior photos were taken (they also have a greenhouse decked out for several seasons): 

girl in orange ruffled dress in a green field with multicolored flowers throughout
girl in orange ruffled dress in a green field with multicolored flowers throughout; she is smelling a pink flower here

And now for the sweetest picnic date in Perry, Georgia:

Man and woman in white sitting on a picnic blanket covered in crackers and fruits, two glasses of white wine, and baskets of flowers; the woman is looking through an old camera away from the camera
Man and woman in white in a grassy field hugging; woman is holding flowers

Warm Vibes

This is one reason I do love fall sessions is because of how warm they are. I mean, really any session with good sun is warm (especially at golden hour), but the leaves and the fall tones in the outfits just add to it. In the fall, golden hour is a great time to shoot because of the way the sun interacts with the changing leaves.

Champagne, wicker baskets, and picnic blankets also interact well with the fall colors of golden hour: 

man in white shirt and blue pants holding woman in white dress on his lap, sitting on a yellow and white picnic blanket with a picnic basket on it, in a grassy field
focus is on a champagne glass being held between a man and a woman, very zoomed in

Now, this session was in the spring, but the dark-ish greens of the grass and trees around this couple plays well with their outfits, and the sun shining between them takes the feel of this session from spring to warm summer: 

man in gray and blue hugging and kissing woman in white on a wooden bridge in front of a grassy field

I can almost feel this photo through the computer. The warmth of the fire, the beachy breeze moving slowly through the palm fronds… Maybe I like summer the best? I think I just like whatever season I’m in for different reasons, and then, toward the end of the season, I’m ready to move on anyway. 

man in white shirt and jeans holding a woman in white in front of palm trees lit with string lights

This shoot was outdoors, but it gave the best warm, small town feel: 

man in white shirt and khakis dipping woman in white dress on a street

Clean Vibes

This style can be determined by what you choose to wear to a photoshoot. I do recommend staying away from small patterns in general, but patterns are always a great addition to a shoot if you prefer. However, if you want your shoots to have a clean, light, and airy feel, then avoid patterns altogether. If you have them, keep the colors light and the patterns minimal. If the environment is already “clean” looking (think: beach shoot, indoor shoot with lots of sunlight), then you can be a little freer with your patterns and colors. Either way, I love a good “white shirt with jeans” moment like I got in this studio shoot: 

I also think engagement shoots have a unique opportunity to have a cleaner look because most of the time you’re both wearing white or a light color:

man in white shirt looking at woman in white dress closeup
Man in white shirt and khakis twirling woman in white dress in front of trees

Finally, beach pictures ALWAYS have a light and clean look that I love: 

Family of 4 (man, woman, two children) spread out on a long beach in overcast weather, all facing away from the camera

Cozy Vibes

This might be one of my favorite ones because of its versatility. You can have a cozy summer shoot, like this one from Savannah: 

man and woman hugging with an orange blanket in front of palm trees lit with string lights

You can also have a more traditionally cozy shoot with blankets: 

man and woman touching foreheads and smiling at each other wearing flannels covered with a flannel blanket

However, cozy can mean SEVERAL different things. Last Thanksgiving, I was invited to photograph a family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and it was the coziest thing. I got to be a fly on the wall, and these photos turned out beautifully!

two women and a little girl putting marshmallows on a sweet potato casserole on the counter
three women and a man working together in the kitchen with lots of food on the counter

Coziness can also be captured outdoors with no props. Poses like the ones from this engagement session in a field give it a romantic feel that also screams cozy fall: 

man in blue flannel and woman in white sweater leaning into each other, man kissing her on the forehead, sitting in a dry field

Finally, coziness can be captured at a location as well, like a coffee shop: 

man and woman in a coffee shop taken from behind a plant
man and woman in a coffee shop looking at each other; taken from behind the centerpiece on their table

Coziness can fit into any season! 

Conclusion

My goal is to tell your story the way you want it told. I’m just a ghostwriter–you’re the real author! This post and the attached Pinterest boards are meant to inspire you so that you know exactly what you want– whether you’re a bride getting ready for your engagement session or a parent looking for a family photoshoot for your Christmas cards. When you know exactly what to ask for (or you have an entire Pinterest board of inspiration to show me!), I can be sure to deliver the session of your dreams.

man and woman laying on a white mattress with flannel blanket on the ground in a white tent with string lights on the ceiling
Austyn Seitz
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