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Sunday 15 June 2014

What To Wear For A Photo Shoot


If you're going to have your photograph taken by a professional photographer, it stands to reason that you want the best possible outcome. You'll pay extra attention to your grooming - tidy hair, perfect make-up if you're a woman, shiny shoes. But what should you wear? And does it matter?

Actually, you'd be surprised by the difference your choice of clothing can make to the final result!

First considerations

What's the purpose of the photo shoot? What sort of picture are you hoping to achieve? How do you see yourself? These are the questions you'll need to discuss with your photographer when you're deciding what you're going to wear. It's important that both of you are on the same page, so to speak, and as a professional he or she will be able to give you good advice on the type of clothing which will enhance your result rather than detracting from it.
Carefully chosen clothing can be used to highlight and flatter the wearer and, on a more subtle level, tell the viewer of the picture something about you. However, it should in the majority of cases be unobtrusive—nothing's worse than a picture in which you see the clothes rather than the person, unless of course it's for a fashion shoot.

Professional hints and tips

Naturally, you need to choose clothes that you feel yourself in and that reflect the image you're trying to create. But there are some tricks and techniques with clothing that will enhance your picture—and there are definitely some garments and colours to be avoided.
·       Avoid super-bright colours and colour clashes.
·       Limit the number of colours in your outfit to three at most. This also applies to group portraits, for the whole group.
·       Pick colours that are slightly subdued and which work together tonally.
·       Keep your top and bottom fairly similar in colour and tone. A bright or light top with dark bottoms could make you appear top heavy, while a dark top with light bottoms may have the opposite effect. And either way, you'll appear bisected across the middle.
·       Avoid stripes and patterns—plain colour blocking will achieve a more harmonious result. Particularly in a group photo, if one person is wearing patterned clothing and the rest are wearing plain, that person will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
·       Avoid showing too much flesh—go for long trousers, knee-length or longer skirts and avoid sleeveless tops. Bare arms, in particular, compete for attention with your face.
·       Avoid footwear and socks in lighter shades than the rest of your outfit. White socks will be the first thing anyone notices in the picture if you wear them!
·       Don't have a haircut just a day or two before the shoot—it will probably look too severe.
·       Keep accessories and jewellery to a minimum.
·       Remember that pale colours are the least flattering to a fuller figure. Furthermore, bright red, orange and yellow can also make a person appear heavier.

Dressing for a group portrait

If you know in advance you're going to be part of a group portrait, it's worth discussing with the other sitters what you are all intending to wear. Although everyone wants to be themselves, co-ordinated dressing can result in a much more professional looking result. I'm not suggesting that everyone should wear the same outfits—far from it, as that would look somewhat creepy. However, choose a colour palette that everyone can follow, such as navy and black or shades of coffee and camel. Sometimes it can work well if you direct everyone to wear, say, jeans with a black top or chinos with a pale shirt.

 (c) Headshot London

Dressing children for a photograph

Small children have their own favourite clothes but that doesn't always mean they're suitable for a photograph. Your son may love his cartoon character T-shirt, while your daughter might insist on a dizzying mixture of bright patterns and pink accessories. However, if you want a picture that will look good for years to come, resist their entreaties and pick the clothes yourself.
The principles for dressing children are the same—muted colours, avoidance of bright patterns, and keep things simple. There is not so much choice of dark colours in children's clothes, but light can work well. Jeans, sneakers and a white t-shirt look great on boys and girls—or if your daughter favours a more feminine look, a simple sun dress in a plain colour can be charming.


At the end of the day, most of these tips are common sense. Skim through a family album when you've finished reading the list and you'll be able to pick out the outfits that work and the outfits that don't. See what a difference the clothes can make? Now, go and raid your wardrobe!

(c) Headshot London at http://www.headshotlondon.co.uk/ 

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Types Of Photography Article

Types Of Photography Article | HEADSHOT LONDON



Whether you’re an amateur photographer or looking to turn professional, there comes a time when it makes sense to choose an area of photography in which to specialise.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Ten Black And White Photography Tips


Black and white has been around as long as photography itself, and even though we can now produce the most spectacular colour images, this enduring photographic format continues to fascinate. Even today photographers all over the world still produce arresting and eloquent visual images in black and white, images that seem to have a particular resonance with the viewing audience....

Find Out More here: Ten Black And White Photography Tips

Thursday 31 May 2012

Steps To Better Product Photography


“Several steps to better product photography”

Contrary to popular belief, product photography can be quite a challenge. In fact, a lot of photographers say that not all of them can be as great product photographers as they are as, say, wedding photographers or portrait photographers. Not all photographers can capture great product photos. And not all product photography projects are that good. Truth be told, demand and requirements for great product photography can also be quite stringent. This is one of the reasons why it is important to be armed with even the most basic, most simple yet highly effective and doable tips and knowledge in order to excel in product photography.



Interested to know more? Read on and find out which steps you can follow in order to do well in product photographs.

  1.  It is but important that the images stay sharp. As you guys may know, each angle, each look and even each speck of the product that you’re supposed to take photos of should be clear and obvious to the naked eye. In order to do this, your images should stay sharp. This is where the first step in great product photography comes in. You must learn how to focus your camera in order to capture sharp images. Although a lot of the digital cameras of today have auto focus features, you might want to avoid using those and instead use manual focus. This way, you will learn how to manipulate your camera in order to come up with the sharpest images possible. Try to spot focus. This will give you more control over which part of the product you’re supposed to give attention to.
  2. Use a tripod. Actually, it’s quite rare for a budding product photographer not to use one. So bring one and of course, use it. A tripod can come in really handy especially if you need to take shots of moving products or moving objects. If you’re just starting out, an inexpensive tripod will do. Now if your camera has a remote shutter release feature then you are most welcome to use it. If your camera does not have that type of feature then you might want to stick to the built-in timer in order to lessen the possibility of “camera shake.”
  3. Be a fan of soft lighting. Soft lighting is almost always a must. Do not just rely on your camera’s built-in flash. This can most likely result in too harsh, too bright images. Soft lighting can come in really handy especially if you’re supposed to undergo outdoor product photography. If you’re worried that you won’t be able to come up with good enough soft lighting, you might want  to consider borrowing flashes from other photographers (especially if you’re still learning the ropes) or you can always purchase inexpensive flashes. These external flashes are sold both offline and online. Don’t forget to canvass for the best price before you buy! Here’s a little advice on how you can figure out if you’re using hard or soft lighting, though. By holding your left hand out and keeping it flat and slightly in front of you, hold a finger from your other hand. Place that a few centimeters above your left hand. Now take a look at the shadow cast by your finger. If you notice a “hard or solid shadow,” then that means you used hard lighting. Naturally, a soft shadow means that there’s soft lighting.
  4. For professional product photography projects, you might want to use an image editing software such as the Adobe Photoshop Elements program. Truth be told, it’s inevitable to use image editing software programs these days. It all just boils down to what you prefer or feel comfortable using. Other popular image editing software programs used today include Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw. By using these types of programs, you can easily crop, expand, adjust, sharpen and resize images.
  5. Now the last tip is highly recommended. Create your very own checklist. Checklist on what you should use, do and manipulate whenever you undergo product photography, that is. This way, you need not worry about the settings of your camera, which flash or lighting to use when needed and which program to use in order to sharpen your images. By coming up with your own personalized checklist, you can easily determine what to do and which steps to take in order for you to exert only the best product photography possible.
(c) HeadshotLondon - All rights reserved
 
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