I’ve recently been thinking about making my own personal ‘look book’. Imagine Cher from Clueless flicking through her e-wardrobe to choose her outfits each morning, but even more old-school in a ‘what-works-with-what’ outfit book. I plan to photograph each item in my wardrobe then I’d take some snaps of me wearing the items in different combinations so that I could flick through and pick out an outfit in no time at all. Okay, it’s a just little bit of fun for me and no-one else will ever need it (or even see it!) but I think it would make me experiment more with my clothes rather than wearing the same go-to outfit over and over again. I’ll finally stop being one of the many people who only wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time and really start to get my money’s worth out of my clothes! Plus it’ll save me time in the morning when I need to choose an outfit in a hurry.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only teenage girl who wanted to get my hands on computerised wardrobe?!
Blurb is a cool self-publishing company that lets you make books about anything that interests you. And if you’re interested in fashion and style as I am – and love to show it off – making a book of your personal fashion is a fantastic way to capture your sartorial genius for all time. Whether you want it just for yourself, so you can look through your greatest hits, or you’re a bit of an Internet fashionista who wants to make a book to sell, I’ve found these tips on fashion photography pretty helpful:
It’s all about lighting. To make your fashion really pop, choose natural light or some studio light with a soft box (you can even make one from a lamp and last season’s white t-shirt). If you’re using a flash, you’ll probably want to bounce it or stick a diffusion filter on it.
Make a shot list. This is a critical step, and even more important if you are photographing models. Even if your model is just your best friend who owes you a favor, they’ll appreciate it if you know exactly what you want to shoot. Think about the poses you want to capture, the outfits you want them to wear, and the details that you want to highlight in every shot.
White balance (WB). Accurate color and skin tones come from making sure the WB function on your camera is set to your lighting situation.
Choose the right lens/zoom setting. If you’re using a wide angle, you’re going to lose your beautiful lines (and your model may never forgive you). If you have a camera with different zoom levels, zoom out to minimize lens barrel distortion.
Keep it stylish. It’s a fashion shoot, after all. Play music, keep things moving, try new angles. Attitude, attitude, attitude.
Dress it up. Make your book as fashionable as the clothing featured in it. Choose a simple design that doesn’t upstage the clothing, but still looks chic. Pick a size and paper type that showcases the work brilliantly.
If you’ve ever paid attention to what’s on the catwalk, you know that fashion means different things to different people. Follow your own fashion obsessions and document them in a fashionable book. If you look good today in person, imagine looking great forever on the printed page. I’ll let you know how I get on!
