What (not) to wear

Foques · August 22, 2013

Hi all, I've been asked by a few clients of mine to come up with a doc outlining dress choices. After explaining things over via email or phone, I figured I'll try to build a doc.

here is what I have so far. what are your thoughts?

Don't NUMBER 1.
Please don't dress your family in the whole white shirts and jeans / khakis. Try not to wear any white - unless you are a small person under the age of 2. The reasoning behind this: the eye is ALWAYS drawn to white first.
Cream, ivory, off-white works as a great substitute to white. Off-white goes a long way, looks more natural, and is a great color for any complexion. Mutltiple bright / vibrant colors, and BLACK don't photograph well either.

Don't NUMBER 2.
If possible, please, keep jewelry smimple.

Don't NUMBER 3.
Please don't "match". We are all unique, let some personality shine through. Matching clothing is so 90's

Don't NUMBER 4.
Please keep your shoe choices in mind. Unless we're shooting a gym session, we should stay away from gym shoes and sneakers (ESPECIALLY the New Blance stuff).

Don't NUMBER 5.
Kindly, stay away from the brands and prints. That said, I will be happy to incorporate your sponsoring company brand in the image if needed

don't Number 6
If possible at all, let us stay away from the sleeveless shirts, short pants.

So, now, that i'm done with the No's...

..Here are the DO's!
DO number 1.
While picking out outfits, do the hardest personal first. And by that, I mean The mom. One amazing person once told me "if mama don't look good in the picture that photo is NOT going up on the wall." And I can completely rely to it. And i'm a guy! Let's face it. Often times, Mom is the person who brings this all together; of course it is imperative that the lady of the family looks confident and happy with her clothes choice.

DO number 2.
Follow the rule 3 neutral colors. If you wish to include a pattern, let's keep it subtle and have it on one or two people in the family. While it isn't important if patterns are exactly same, just something coordinating will go a long way. Then, we can coordinate the other outfits with these prints.
If this isn't hard enough, dont' forget to keep the venue / shoot location in mind. that said, we do not want to blend into the environment.

Here are some great color combos:
green, blue, gray
brown, orange, green
yellow, blue, cream
teal, coral, gray
cream, orange, blue

Do number 3.
Have fun! Stress shows. I absolutely understand that we want everything to match - match the location, match each other's outfits, match the room in your house said picture will be hung. But what I learned in the years of shooting is all this stress and pressure just isn't worth it. Let's have fun, let's laugh, look silly. The real emotion will always

Do Number 4
Embrace individuality. If your 3 year old loves his Superman costume and getting him out of it is a going to bring an uninvited adventure on both of you, just go with it! A few years will pass and when you look back at that photo you will smile at the memory of that phase that is probably long gone.

Do number 5.
Shoes and accessories. These can make or break any session. Consider your surroundings. Is this an urban shoot? Converse and flip flops are awesome. Or maybe Sperrys and ballet flats for the ladies. If it's a lifestyle shoot (say, at home), barefoot is best as long as the weather permits. An orchard or a garden shoot lends itself to boots, hats and fun gloves, leg warmers during the fall. Always keep the time of year in mind.

Do Number 6
I am always happy to hear ideas! Bring them with you, let's discuss them. There is no such thing as "too crazy". Trust me.

divamum · August 22, 2013

I think it's a great list, I just might try to trim it down and keep each point a little shorter - not only are people TERRIBLE about reading things all the way through, but the humour may not play to all personalities. I think it's funny... but mom/dad/aunt nellie etc might not.

I like the concept of "pick mom's clothes first" but calling mom the "hardest" sets up a negative vibe. I think everything you say after that in that section is great!

Also, I think be clearer that "brand" means "visible lettering". Be super-specific - people are beyond clueless about things sometimes!

Do #3 should, IMO, be your closing point. Trim it down - you don't need to talk about all the matching, as you've already made that point - and finish it (you seem to have cut it off mid-sentence!) and that's a great thing to end on. Most people read the beginning and the end of things - lead with your most important, and close with the thing that you want them to remember

Foques · August 22, 2013

great!
thank you for reviewing, and pointing out a missing part of the sentence. Working on this while doing my day job, so get distracted $:\$

puzzledpaul · August 22, 2013

Main thought I had when reading this was whether you'd considered doing it with image based examples ... whether photos / artwork / cartoons etc is up to you and the skill set available.
Photos might seem the obvious first choice, but maybe artwork - with a bit of humour - might work better?

I'm just glad I'm not either side of the cam in this sort of gig

pp

Hackbone · August 22, 2013

Whites with jeans or khakis can be nice on a white bkg. I tell them to lay the outfits on the bed and squint. This runs the outfits together and if one color really stands out get rid of it. Bright colors and bold patterns are a no no. Put weight on you. No spaghetti straps for the ladies or guys for that matter.

Nice list.

D3Sshooter · August 23, 2013

I think it is a great list if one wants to make universal/standard family picture.
There are two more elements that can brake or make a shot; Make-up and hair style, it has to line-up with the outfit and therefore I never let them do the MU themself. Instead I hire a MUA who will listen and analyze the person (type of person, summer-spring etc....) before she puts the makeup on.

What is the purpose of the picture ? if it is a blow-up for an office or living room, then try to understand what kind of style/tone that environment has. Once known, I decide on the best matching background for that picture, which then sets the color tone selection for the clothing.

Besides this, I always ask what kind of emotion they want to put down in the picture... Laughing is not always the answer. Depending on the desired emotion, the outfit needs to match.

Talk with the persons and indirectly go through a list of do's and don't as you described. A document or guidline becomes very quickly to formal and many people will not feel at ease.

I good and friendly conversation with a cup of coffee does magic, and you can still go through all the aspects.

However I feel that it all depends on the type of shoot that one is about to make.
If it is your own creation / shoot, then indeed the photographer needs to state clairly what style and impression he needs to put down. I am a men with little taste (hahaha, according to some) and have my own idea's. However for that type of shooting I rely often on advice from a MUA and a Stylist.

If one is making a character shoot, then I do not tell the person anything and let them do whatever they want. If one never combs his hair, why should he then in front of the camera. I like to capture them as close as possible as they are. The same applies to live style shots

Foques · August 23, 2013

D3s... MUA is not an option, it'll put classic family on location shoots out of price range for many families. This list is, of course, for a standard shoot set up, not a character.
PP, I thought of that, but was worried that it may be a wee tacky. since i'm not the only one to have thought this.. I think i'll have to try to come up with something

Charles, thank you for your feedback. I'll add the spaghetti strap note to the doc.
I don't really shoot in studio, so white bkg's are super rare for me.

Qarik · August 23, 2013

put this in the no section..avoid solid bright red clothing. red channel can blow out very easily.

anonymouscuban · August 23, 2013

Here is a link to the page I setup on my site. It's been very helpful:

http://www.alexsotelophotography.com/Tips

divamum · August 23, 2013

Great job, Alex (love the image(s) at the top, too!)

Obviously, I'm doing something a little different since 95% of my market is specifically headshots for performers, but I also have an FAQ with clothing tips; I usually also send each client a more specific set of suggestions as we're setting up the shoot and I learn more about what they're looking for (since the roles they sing, ways they plan to use the images - ie website promo, or audition submission headshots - will all affect styling choices)

http://divatography.com/faqs/

anonymouscuban · August 23, 2013

DIVA...

I love your FAQ. I've actually been considering adding more to my page than just simple clothing related info. Thanks for the inspiration.

divamum · August 23, 2013

It saves me a ton of repetition for every client (even though you'd be amazed how many people read it and STILL ask the same questions - like I said to Foques, people DO NOT read things properly!), and I also wanted it to give at least a little bit of insight into the spirit of how I shoot - some headshot clients will want a different approach (which is fine), and I hope that by putting it out there on the blog I'm already pre-screening some folks so I don't waste time. Works for me!

Foques · August 23, 2013

So.. Alex, could I steal yours?

Thank you all for the great ideas!

What (not) to wear

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