Did you know that I pack for trips largely depending on what colors to wear in my travel photos that I know will stand out the most in the destination I’m going to?
It’s a trick I’ve been doing for years to make my travel photos pop! Whether it’s a full dress or an easy accessory! Many people comment on my photos how they love that pop of color or the way I always seem to make myself stand out, and I always admit it’s intentional!
Figuring out what colors to wear that stand out the most in certain destinations and scenarios is easy. All you have to do is think of a basic color wheel! The goal is to contrast with your surroundings. So find a color closest to what your background is, and pick a color on the opposite side of the wheel to wear.
For some places, wearing as much of the color as possible looks best. But for others, or if you’re trying to pack light or be incognito, carrying just a scarf or hat that’s colorful can instantly add that pop of pizazz!
That being said, SIDENOTE: If you’re not comfortable running around in “Instagram Clothes”, simply bring them in your bag and throw them on over regular clothes for the photo, or opt for the accessory method! I do this ALL the time in crowded places where I don’t want people staring at me in a massive flowing dress! Or when I need to do a hike first to get to the photo spot!
Also don’t forget that if you need any travel gear or clothes like I wear, click the SHOP tab on the menu above!
I’ll list a couple token destination scenarios as examples:
Jump To:
Tropical Waters: Seychelles, Aruba, Philippines
Colors to wear: Red, Orange, Hot Pink, maybe Yellow, maybe White
Don’t you dare wear a blue bathing suit in tropical blue water! This is one of the prettiest colors to contrast with, and it looks stunning when you do! If bright colored bathing suits aren’t your thing, opt for a pair of shades, cover up, hat, or even just a lip color!
White Sandy Beaches: Turks and Caicos, Mexico, Bazaruto, Mauritius, Aruba
A light bright color especially against dark skin and sneakily matching props pops 
Coordinating pop colors adds extra pop effect 
Pop Pop Pop 
Props that pop always make regular beach photos more interesting You can even stay in the same color zone and contrast with a dark blue 
Can you tell I like contrasting with yellow
Colors to wear: Blues, Reds, Pinks, Purples, Greens, Yellow
You can pretty much wear any color against a white background and it will pop. I prefer jewel-tones or a bright yellow because it enhances the idea of a sunny day. I usually save my patterns for white sandy beaches, so it adds some details!
Also, one of my go-to tricks for white sandy beach photos is to try to get creative with props! That way the photo isn’t just me in a bikini on what could be any beach in the world!
Aqua Lakes: Banff, Patagonia, New Zealand
Colors to Wear: Bright Yellow, Bright Red, Hot Pink, White
Aqua lakes have similar color contrasts to tropical waters. Except, you need to also consider the sky, mountains, and trees around them. There’s usually a bit more contrast, and bolder colors, so your aim should be a bright color that covers as much of you as possible.
It gets tricky to do that in cold destinations (like all of the ones listed), and wearing the same red or yellow jacket can get redundant. That’s why I recommend layering as much as possible! For my recent photos in Banff, I layered 3 different colored two piece hiking outfits, and also had 2 colored compressible puff jackets!
Yellow Desert: Sahara, Pushkar
Colors to wear: Deep purples or blues, white
You may only think of yellow, pink, orange, red, and white as colors that pop, but not when they’re the color scheme of the scenario! If your destination has warmer tones, you want to go the opposite direction with what you wear!
Orange/Red Desert: Namibia
Colors to wear: royal blue, light blue, green, white
For even warmer colored destinations like the sand dunes of Namibia, you get to play with some colors that normally don’t pop in many other places! Definitely use the color wheel for this one to match what your destination looks closest to color-wise. Then see which color contrasts with it on the other side!
Green Forest or Jungles: Madagascar, Banff, Samoa, Taiwan
Colors to wear: Bright Red, Pinks, Magenta, Yellow
It’s a little hard to stand out in forests and jungles. They’re usually a bit dark, and there’s just so much going on! That’s probably why most outdoors experts and brands make hiking/camping jackets bright red. So you don’t get lost blending in with nature! Just like their color selection for safety is intentional, so is mine for making photos pop!
Grey Cities: New York, Paris, London
Colors to wear: Yellow, Red, Pink, White
It’s probably a given that you should wear bright colors in grey cities, but I’ll give some examples anyway! One of the best ways to decide which color to wear in a grey city is by looking for a constant color that pops everywhere.
For example, in New York you have the yellow taxis, so wearing yellow to coordinate will be eye catching. In London, there’s pops of red from buses and phone booths. So wearing red or pink would contrast nicely.
Colorful Markets: Marrakech, India
Colors to wear: White, pastels, neutral colors, or dark colors with patterns
Now let’s talk about what to wear if you’re going somewhere with tons of different colors. If you wear a color, there’s a good chance you might blend in! I usually aim for white or a super light color.
BUT! If I know there’s going to be mostly bright colors, I’ll sometimes try to go for a darker color. Even a pattern stands out against all the colors sometimes!
Neutral Nature: Baobab Forest, Most Safaris
Colors to wear: Bold blues or purples
I’m not going to lie. As awesome as safaris and African nature is, it is really hard to photograph. This is because of how bland and neutral the colors are usually. While you’re technically supposed to try to blend in on safari and wear neutral colors, you definitely won’t stand out.
If you’re trying to wear pops of colors on a safari, do some research first though. Make sure it’s not a color that would irritate the animals. (I have to include that because yes, that’s something people have accused me of on Instagram before).
Waterfalls: Samoa, Malibu, Bali
Colors to wear: Red, Yellow, Orange, Pink, White
Waterfalls are a little bit tricky to contrast with because there’s so many different colors and lighting situations going on. The rocks that they fall from are usually dark, possibly with greenery, and the water at the base is also usually dark or with white foam. The waterfall itself is usually more white, so that’s all different colors to think about.
Your best bet is to go with go-to pop colors. Definitely make sure to do some Insta-stalking of the waterfall you’re chasing first. See what has worked best on other people’s pics! If you chose a color then arrived and realized it doesn’t pop, improvise! Use an accessory like a flower, scarf, or even floatie!
Winter Snow: Antarctica, Kilimanjaro, Norway
Colors to wear: Red, Magenta, Purple, Pink, Yellow
White scenarios are the easiest places to contrast with, so you can wear pretty much any color. I personally like red and hot pink the best though as it makes the most stark contrast!
Did I miss a scenario? Do you have a specific destination you’d like tips on what to wear? Comment below and I’ll help you out!
As always, if my post helped you at all, I’d really appreciate if you could return the favor! Sharing this on social media and/or showing some love on my IG posts helps a lot! Your engagement is what makes me able to keep sharing free travel tips and tricks!
Here’s a Few of my Go-To (Cheap) Outfits and Accessories Specifically for Adding Pops of Color to Photos! Click to Get Them Off Amazon!
Related Photography Posts:
What about a trip to the Greek islands where everything is blue&white? Thank u!! 🙂
Yellow and red pop beautifully there! Or you could try a bright pink/magenta!
Everybody has the benefit of choosing the right color through your post. Really awesome article.
Thank you Sandra! I appreciate that!
This was SO helpful! I wonder why my picture don’t always pop and this is why!
Thank you thank you for sharing great content
Of course! Thanks for reading Katie!
Wow, you are the queen of colors! I’m picking up some tips, too 🙂
great reminder Alyssa! You are so good at always picking just the right colors!
Thank ya! A lot of thought goes into it! 🙂