How to get the best travel photos- what colours to wear

These days with a camera in our hand and a flick of a thumb away on our phones, it is inevitable that we will be taking photos. Be it on a holiday, weekend trip or just a day outing. The changes that we will be taking photos to commemorate the day is kind of indubitably. But sometimes, we look back at those photos and wonder what was I wearing? I am blending in, or it’s just so dull. Let me keep these in my private collection of photos not to be shared on social.

I often get asked how I know what wear, or how I get my photos to pop. So let me tell you, with just a little bit of planning, you can get amazing photos that pop. Photos you would want to print, frame and place up on your wall for all to see. (wall – Instagram wall, living room wall, either one) And guess what, I will share with you how I do it.

In this article, I will give tips on how to select the best colours to wear for travel photos. What are the best colour combinations with samples and tips on how to use the colour wheel.

Packing

Let’s start with how to pack or what to pack. Spend a bit of time researching before you start selecting items to pack. Look at photos of the region you will be visiting to get an idea of the hues of the location. For instance, Jaipur, the pink city, or autumn on the Great Wall with the fall colours. Rainy grey and cloudy London or the green Bali rice fields or forests.

Instagram hashtags are a helpful tool to use and start with when researching a location. Type in the place you will be visiting and scroll through the feed to observe what other travellers have worn. This will give you an idea of what works and what doesn’t work for you too. 

Packing for Summer vs Winter

Packing for summer is much easier than winter. With summer outfits being much lighter, you can take a few varieties of colourful outfits. I like to pack one or two dresses and then tops and skirts, for some photos I will wear the top over the dress, this gives even more outfit options.

Yellow dress worn in Bali

The same yellow dress with white top worn in Bali

Accessories are also a good way of changing an outfit, bold necklaces or earrings. Secondly, a scarf is always a good idea, especial as in summer you would probably be wearing sleeveless, it serves a dual purpose. If you are visiting a religious site, you can use a scarf to cover up. A scarf also works well to bring movement to a very static image or landscape.

During Winter it is more difficult to pack a variety of colours. Firstly, winter items are bulkier, which means they take up more space, leaving little room for other pieces. Secondly, we usually buy neutral parkas or coats that might be a bit of a drab colour in photos. So play with your accessories, from colourful hoodies, gloves or scarfs that can add that pop of colour you desire. You can also try layering, wearing a colourful sweater inside can be a pop of colour. As a Capetonian I am quite use to doing this, having all seasons in one day during winter.

What will work with you

Select colours you know will work for you. Look at photos of yourself and see which works or not. I know basic orange does not look good on me. But peach, salmon or yellow do, I tend to dress in warmer tones. If I do wear cool colours, I wear emerald green, royal blue or turquoise. Lighter blue does not work well on me either. You don’t need to go and buy a whole new wardrobe. It only requires a bit of planning and using what you have. Again, accessories is king, queen!

My favourites:

For summer locations, I always make sure I have a flowy dress, skirt or wrap pants and my hat. I have a few items that always go with me, my navy wrap pants, print skirt and white tops. White tops help to reflect light up so your face is not do dark, works similar to a photographers reflectors.

The flow navy wrap pants worked well in Namibia

Matched the navy wrap pants with a peach top in Penang

Visiting vineyards in Bali

Ceres railway

Choose to wear the printed shirt in Bali at a waterfall

In Elgin wore the printed skirt

For winter locations, what I would pack is a neutral jacket or coat. And if space allows for it, a pop of colour jacket. I accessories these jackets with different hats, beanies, scarfs and gloves of various colours. I usually pack a poncho as well, which I can throw over my coat to create a different look. A poncho comes in handy on a flight too.

Grey coat with blue skirt and beige headband

Same grey coat with orange scarf and tan hat

What colours to wear in travel photos

Solid colour or print

There is no wrong or right here. But when you researched and see that the place is very detailed, like a Marrakech market or a flower field. Try adhering to solid colours as it can become overly busy, and you will disappear in your photo. A complimentary colour or a print can work well if you observe buildings with solid colours or backgrounds with monotone colours, for instance all green trees.

If you go skiing, a solid colour like snow, which is bright white, works well with yellows or reds, even hot pinks, as these are warmer hues that will pop out. To produce a cooler vibe, your blue or purples will work well. Let’s say you are in a landscape where you want the focus on the buildings or park my advice would be to use more neutrals or a monochromatic harmony. Green can work with so many warm colours or even white. For a more romantic feel a white or light colour with print works well.

The solid salmon colour works just as good here against the solid white back ground

Contrast colours with small print

Subtle print in a contrast colours

Vineyards in Thailand

Colour combinations

This, is where the educator in me is stepping out again, so let’s start at the beginning. The colour wheel, yep, you might have heard of it in school, maybe art class. But what the heck does a colour wheel have to do with dressing for photos.

Colour combinations!

Yes, the colour wheel is the colour theory of the relationship between colours and was invented back in 1660’s already by Sir Isaac Newton while he was examining how light reflecting off a prism. A colour wheel is the colour spectrum mapped out. That is it.

How to use it? Well, a colour wheel can help identify complementary colours and other harmonies. Artists and designers have been using it for like ever.

So what is harmonies?

For your travel photos, I suggest three types of harmonies. Either choose a contrast or complementary colour that will pop. Secondly, an analogous harmony that enhances the surrounding colours. Or thirdly, monochromatic/neutral harmony that brings focus to the area or location you are shooting in.

So let’s see how to use the colour wheel.

Going through a bit of colour theory here before we get to some samples, so get your notebook ready. On the colour wheel, you have your primary, secondary and tertiary colours. The colour wheel is split into cool and warm tones, One side is the warm tones, of yellows, oranges, to reds, and the opposite side, is the cool tones, of purples, blues to greens.

Complementary Colours

Now two of my favourite combinations are complementary and split complementary. Complementary or contrast colours are usually cool and warm colours that are opposite on the colour wheel. Wearing these colours will pop and stand out in a photo. It can also work well in a very crowded or busy place where you want to stand out, a grey busy cityscape can work well with bright yellows, pinks or reds.

Split complementary is similar to complementary, but instead of two, you use three colours, starting with your dominant colour and then adding two hues opposite it as complementary colours.

Green and reddish pink

Contrast hues, with a solid wall contrast tones work well here the peach colour stands out more against the blue as it is a warm colour compare to the cool blue.

My mom know how to pose

Analogous Colours 

The next colour harmony is analogous, it is adjacent colours, so it’s colours that occur next to each other on the wheel. These harmonies are excellent to enhance a feeling, for instance, by wearing similar tones such as red, burnt orange, and orange to the autumn leaves. Using similar colours will generate harmony and a cosiness ambience. Blue would have drawn a contrast and taken away that autumn feeling. Analogous harmonies set a mood.

Reddish and pink tones with cherry blossoms

Orange prints with red door

Great Wall of China Hike

Monochromatic & Neutral Colours

Lastly are your monochromatic or neutral tones. Monochromatic means it is the same colour but in various tints, shades or tones.  Neutral colours are your colours without ‘colour’, so to say. Neutral hues range from black, shades of white, tan, sand, various greys, cream, taupe, ivory, various shades of brown, and even olive. These work well when you want to be in the picture but bring emphasis to the surroundings, for instance, a cityscape with you walking. But you are just a detail to show the size or magnitude of the place. They also work well in safari settings where you yet again don’t want pop out but become part of the setting.

Beige in Namibia

Black and greys in Tokyo

White at Thames Valley Khao Yai

Tan and black in London

Triadic Colours

The last one is an extra one, I don’t use it often but at times it works brilliantly. Triadic colours are three colours that are evenly spaced on the colour wheel, basically in a triangle. 

Triadic Colours – The primary colours

Samples of what colours to wear

Final words

This website is somewhat helpful to use when trying to figure out what colour combinations can work. They have an interactive colour wheel, so you can select the colour of the area or background plus what type of harmony you want to create. 

We hope that this article gave some insight into what colours to wear in travel photos and how to select them according to the location and your style.  Is there any locations you would want recommendations for? 

Leave a comment to tell us about your best colour combinations!

Enjoy the process, and safe travels!

xxx