What to wear for a photoshoot in Switzerland

If you read nothing else: choose muted, solid colours over bright or busy ones, bring shoes for the actual ground you will stand on, pack one warm layer more than you think you need, and try the whole outfit on together before you travel, not the week you bought it.

The rest of this guide goes through each of these in more detail.

Lucerne's Weinmarkt, Hirschenplatz and Kornmarkt are painted in ochre, red and green, and the Chapel Bridge is dark wood over green water — backgrounds with a lot of colour and texture already. Solid, darker or neutral clothing stands out cleanly against them; busy prints, logos and very bright colours compete with the façades instead of sitting in front of them.

Cobblestones are the real hazard, not the colour palette. Stiletto heels catch between the stones on the Kapellplatz and the Musegg path, and new leather soles are slippery on wet pavement after rain. A block heel or a flat, comfortable shoe photographs just as well from most angles and means you can actually walk the route between spots rather than being carried between them. If heels matter to you for part of the shoot, bring them in a bag and change for the two or three frames where they count.

The same logic applies in Zurich, Geneva and Bern: stone streets, painted or historic façades, and weather that can turn a dry morning damp by midday.

The meadows above Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald and Mürren are a strong, saturated green for most of the year, with grey cliffs or white peaks behind. Earth tones — rust, cream, olive, warm browns and deep greens a shade darker than the grass — sit into that palette rather than fighting it. A crisp white shirt or dress also works well here, since it reads clearly against the green without clashing.

These are working landscapes: hay meadows, grazing pasture, occasional livestock. Trainers or light walking shoes handle the paths better than anything with a smooth sole, and it is worth checking with your photographer whether the meadow you have in mind has been mowed recently or is still growing, since long, wet grass will mark hems and trouser legs within minutes.

Wind is more noticeable in open meadows than in a sheltered old town. Flowing fabric photographs beautifully in a gentle breeze and works against you in a strong one; a scarf or a loose skirt in a stiff wind becomes something to manage rather than something to enjoy.

Around Zermatt, Stellisee and Riffelsee sit against grey granite and, for much of the year, snow. Muted colours and deep reds stand out clearly here, because there is so little colour in the landscape itself to compete with. Neon shades and busy patterns do the opposite: against plain rock or snow they read as loud rather than striking, and they date a photograph faster than almost anything else.

White clothing works two ways at altitude. Against snow it can disappear into the background if the exposure is not managed carefully, but against bare rock or a grey sky it reads as clean and simple. Your photographer will tell you which applies on the day, but as a rule, a touch of colour — even a scarf or a single accessory — helps separate you from a fully white background.

Shoes are the practical problem at these spots. The paths to Stellisee and Riffelsee are gravel and rock, sometimes uneven, and not realistic in heels or smooth-soled boots. Walk in trail shoes or trainers and change into the shoes you want in the photographs once you reach the shoreline, where the ground is flatter.

Lake Geneva, Lake Lucerne, Lake Zurich and Lake Lugano all photograph with a softer palette than the high mountains: blue-green or deep blue water, stone quays, and greenery rather than bare rock. Soft, light colours and white read particularly well against turquoise water, such as at the Iseltwald pier or along Lake Brienz; avoid wearing the same turquoise as the water itself, since you will blend into it rather than stand out.

On a boat deck, wind is almost always present even on a warm day, since the air moves faster over open water than on land. Loose hair, wide-brimmed hats and long, unstructured scarves all need managing on deck; a low ponytail or braid and a fitted jacket cause fewer problems than they solve. If part of your session is a lake crossing on a scheduled boat, bring a light layer regardless of the season, since it is always cooler on the water than on the promenade.

Piers and jetties are often wet or slightly uneven timber. Sandals with a back strap or simple flats are safer than anything that slides on wet wood, and bare feet, while tempting for a few frames, are worth checking with your photographer first if there are splinters or barnacles nearby.

Temperature drops with height faster than most visitors expect. At Gornergrat above Zermatt, expect roughly 10 degrees colder than the village below; the same pattern holds at Rigi Kulm, Pilatus and the Jungfraujoch compared with the valley floor. A morning that feels mild at 500 metres can be close to freezing at 2,500 metres, especially before the sun has been up for long.

The practical answer is a warm layer you can remove for the few minutes the camera is on you, rather than a warm outfit you wear throughout. A coat, a shawl or a jacket that someone can hold just out of frame lets you dress for the photograph while staying warm in between takes. Gloves and a hat are worth carrying even in July if your session includes Gornergrat, Rigi Kulm, Pilatus or the Jungfraujoch — you can put them on the moment the photographer says stop.

Hands and noses redden fastest in the cold, and it shows in close-up portraits. If you run cold, a hand-warmer in a pocket between frames makes a visible difference to how relaxed you look in the final images.

A few patterns come up again and again in outfit choices that look fine in person but disappoint in the photographs:

• Busy prints and small repeating patterns can shimmer or vibrate slightly in photographs, an effect called moiré, and they compete with a detailed background such as a painted façade or a patterned building.
• Bright white in full sun causes blown-out highlights that lose all detail in fabric folds; a warm off-white or ivory holds detail better.
• Neon and very saturated colours flatten against natural backdrops and pull the eye away from faces.
• Brand-new, stiff shoes change how you walk and stand; break them in before the day, or bring a second, comfortable pair to walk in between spots.
• Large logos and text date a photograph and distract from the setting you travelled for.
• Sunglasses for most of the session hide the eyes in the majority of your photographs; bring them, but plan a few looks without them.
• Wide-brimmed hats in strong side light cast a hard shadow across the face; a photographer will often ask you to tip the brim up or remove it for key frames.

For couples, complementary rather than identical outfits usually photograph better: a shared colour family — say, terracotta and cream, or navy and grey — reads as coordinated without looking like a uniform. One structured piece (a blazer, a fitted dress) paired with one relaxed piece (a knit, loose trousers) also keeps the pair from visually merging into one shape.

For families, the same principle scales up: pick two or three colours from the same palette and let everyone wear a different combination of them, rather than putting every person in an identical shirt. This also solves a practical problem, since matching outfits in every child's size are hard to find and harder to keep clean until the shoot. Comfort matters more for children than for adults — a scratchy collar or new shoes will show on a child's face faster than on anyone else's.

For a proposal, the person planning it usually has more freedom to dress up, since their partner does not know a shoot is happening; keep the surprised partner's likely outfit in mind only in the sense of choosing a location and time that suits how they will probably be dressed that day.

Summer gives the most freedom: light fabrics work everywhere except at altitude, where a layer is still worth carrying. Winter sessions in the snow reward warm, structured layers in colour rather than pure white, since white on white removes shape from the photograph; a coloured coat or scarf keeps you visible against snow at Zermatt, Grindelwald or Mürren. Spring and autumn are the layering seasons: mornings can be cold even when afternoons are warm, so bring options rather than committing to one weight of fabric. Read the month-by-month guide alongside this one if you are still choosing your travel dates.