What to Wear for a Photoshoot in Norway, by Setting and Season

If you read nothing else:

• Choose solid, mid-to-deep colours. Rust, terracotta, mustard, burgundy, forest green, navy, camel and charcoal all sit well against blue-green fjords, grey rock and white snow.
• Avoid busy patterns, big logos and neon. They fight with the landscape and date quickly.
• Bring a coat you are happy to be photographed in. In Norway you may keep it on for most of the session, so it is part of the outfit, not something to take off.
• Plan layers you can hide. Thermal tops under shirts and dresses, thin wool tights, gloves you can pull off in a second.
• Wear shoes for the ground, not for the photo. Trails, wet stone, cobbles and ice decide what you can wear on your feet. Bring a smarter pair only if the spot is a few steps from the car.

Coordinate as a couple or family, but do not match. Pick two or three colours that work together and spread them across everyone.

Fjord landscapes such as Geiranger and Flåm are mostly blue, green and grey: deep water, steep green slopes, grey rock and, in early summer, snow on the tops. Warm colours stand out against that without looking out of place.

• Works well: rust, ochre, deep red, warm cream, camel, chocolate brown, and dusty pink for a softer look.
• Works with care: dark green and navy are classic and flattering, but on a dull day they can merge into a shaded fjord wall. Add a lighter scarf or jacket.
• Usually disappointing: bright cobalt or turquoise, which clash with the water, and pale grey, which disappears against rock and cloud.

At viewpoints such as Stegastein or Flydalsjuvet, and on the plateau at Preikestolen, expect wind. Long, light dresses and loose hair look beautiful in a gust and chaotic in a gale. A dress with some weight to the fabric, a hair tie in a pocket and a jacket with a structured shape all help. Near waterfalls the spray soaks clothes and lenses quickly, so plan those photos for the end.

Many Norwegian towns are already full of colour. That changes the advice.

• Bryggen in Bergen is a row of ochre, red, white and yellow wooden façades. The lanes behind, and the white houses of Nordnes and Sandviken, are calmer.
• Ålesund has pastel Art Nouveau buildings around the harbour and the view down from Aksla.
• The red rorbu cabins of Lofoten in Reine and Hamnøy are strong red against grey rock and dark water.

Against painted walls, choose neutrals and one muted accent: cream, oatmeal, camel, charcoal, denim, olive or black. Wearing red in front of red cabins can work as a deliberate choice, but most people look better in cream or dark blue there. In Oslo, with the white sloping roof of the Opera House, the modern Bjørvika waterfront and the grand façades of Karl Johans gate, the background is lighter and more neutral, so a single strong colour such as burgundy or cobalt works well.

City cobbles and steep lanes are slippery when wet, which in Bergen is often. Flat soles with grip are a better choice than heels, even for a smart look.

Western Norway is wet, and the coast is windy for much of the year. Plan clothes that look the same whether it is calm or blowing.

1. Base layer. Thin merino wool under everything. It keeps you warm when damp and does not show under a shirt or knitwear.
2. Main layer. The outfit you want in the photos: knitwear, a shirt, a dress with tights, a blazer.
3. Outer layer. A wool coat, a trench coat or a waxed jacket photographs much better than a technical shell. If you need a rain jacket, choose one in a muted, solid colour without reflective strips, and keep it on hand between photos.
4. Accessories. A wool scarf in one of your accent colours, a knitted hat, leather gloves. They add colour and texture and solve the cold at the same time.

A large clear or plain dark umbrella is a useful prop in rain and lets the session go on in a light shower. Your photographer will also have covered spots in mind for heavier rain. In Bergen and Ålesund it is normal to keep shooting in drizzle. The light is soft and the cobbles shine, so a wet forecast is rarely a reason to cancel on its own.

In Tromsø and Lofoten in winter, cold sets the rules. Nights at an aurora location can be −10 °C or colder, and you may be standing still for long periods.

• Wear the warm layers and dress the top layer. Thermal underwear, a fleece or wool mid-layer, then a long down or wool coat in a solid colour. A long coat in camel, rust, red or cream reads well against snow, especially at night under a headlamp or soft video light.
• Avoid white on white unless you want that look deliberately. In snow, a white puffer jacket makes you disappear. Dark navy or black loses detail at night, so mid-tones such as rust, mustard or burgundy are the safest choice.
• Knitted hats, mittens and scarves look natural in winter photographs. Chunky wool reads well, and logos and shiny fabrics do not.
• Thermal suits offered by some aurora tours keep you warm but look like work clothes. Wear them between shots and take them off for a few minutes when the lights come out.
• Hands and feet get cold first. Use hand warmers in pockets and insulated, waterproof winter boots, with wool socks.

For dresses or suits in the snow, plan short bursts: coat off for two or three minutes, coat back on, warm up in the car. Photographers who work in the Arctic plan around this. For how an aurora session runs, see the northern lights photoshoot guide and the northern lights photoshoot service.

Footwear decides where you can go. Be honest about the ground:

• Hikes to Preikestolen, Reinebringen or Ryten: proper hiking boots with ankle support and a good sole. Change into smarter shoes at the top only if it is dry and flat.
• Beaches in Lofoten: sand, wet rock and cold water. Boots or sturdy trainers; bare feet look good for a few frames in summer but the water is cold all year.
• City streets in winter: icy pavements are normal from roughly November to March across much of the country. Slip-on ice grips, which Norwegians call brodder and which are sold in supermarkets and sports shops, fit over normal boots and can be pulled off for the photo.
• Roadside viewpoints in summer: almost any comfortable shoe works, but the ground is often gravel or wet grass.

Dark, simple footwear photographs best. Bright white trainers draw the eye to the bottom of the frame, so if you love them, keep them clean and wear them deliberately.

Mountain roads and high viewpoints can be much colder than the town you start in, even in summer, so take one more layer than seems sensible.

For a family session, start with the youngest child’s outfit and build around it. Children are happiest in warm, soft clothes they can run and sit in, and a happy child photographs better than a perfectly matched one. Bring a spare top and dry socks in a bag, since puddles, fjord water and snow are hard to resist. Rain trousers and boots for small children are worth wearing for the walk in and taking off for the photos. In Norway nobody will think twice about a child in a snowsuit.

For more on family sessions, see family photoshoots in Norway.