A sweet blogger and fellow Canadian , Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow, recently asked me about my pictures…and who took them. I shared on Flickr for Me Made May that my daughter, Emily is a budding photographer and offered to take my pictures for May. I was thrilled to say the least! So she has been taking the pics, doing her thing, including adding her awesome watermark and then generously allowing me use them on my blog and the flickr pool. This is not the norm though and won’t likely continue because she is a busy girl. And despite my begging, pleading and bribing…she will someday move out. So that means my boys (husband and son) will be back at it in no time.
I thought I would share my tips, although limited, to getting a better outfit picture.
Be relaxed. This may sound obvious but when I’m relaxed, it shows in my picture. Your photographer has a lot to do with this too. My boys are funny and they like to make fun of me. Laugh at yourself… it’s funny to be outside taking pictures of yourself. Be silly!
Know your camera. I have a good Canon camera and use a 50mm lens for my outfit pictures but it would all be useless to me if I didn’t read my manual. Cameras have so many great features and functions that we never use. Most of us just open the box, point and shoot. Try different settings, take the same picture repeatedly on different settings to compare. This may take some time but life is about learning new skills. Practice on your loved ones…I always think that taking someones picture even when they say they don’t like it, makes them feel loved and special. As well, you will have some fun memories.
Go outside. If you’ll notice, about 95 percent of my pictures are taken outside and usually in bright sunshine. The sun makes my hair look shinier, the colors are brighter and I’m just happier outside….
You can see the difference in these two pictures, the one on the left is when the sun was behind a big cloud.
Shine some light on your butt. Standing with the sun shining behind me and slightly to my right works best for my pictures. I don’t squint so much and the colors in my outfit are not as washed out.You can see in these pics that my shadow is cast mostly in front and slightly to to my left. Have the photographer stand where the light isn’t directly hitting the lens. Also,don’t be afraid to use your flash outside as well to light your face. This is one I often forget to do myself. Trial and error..find out what works best for you!
Put some shades on. When I have to take my pictures in direct sun, I put my sunnies on. My eyes are very sensitive to sunlight. VERY. So you will usually see my sunglasses on my face or at the ready.. on my head. For pictures in direct sunlight I can’t seem to keep my eyes open… so on go the sunglasses and you don’t even know that my eyes are closed under there! I just close my eyes and smile!
Have a set of standard shots to take. By this I mean…head to toe shot (front and back), upper body, lower body( which ever you are showcasing) and a few detail shots. Explain this to your photographer and they will know what to take. It can speed up the process and not frustrate you or them. Of course you can always crop but I find that the pic can get blurry and I don’t know enough about editing or have the editing software to fix that. These pics were too bright but they give you the general idea..
Strike a pose. This part always feels silly. But so what!! Just go ahead and do it until it starts to feel natural and have a good laugh in the process.
Edit. I don’t have much to say about this one because my laptop is as old as the hills and I don’t have Photoshop. There is an edit feature on google + but again my laptop is too old to be compatible. This isn’t a bad thing though, it forces me to learn about photography and my camera. The most I can do is brighten and saturate the color an bit. Which I do to make the colors more true to life. When a skirt is hot pink in real life I want you to see that it is really HOT pink. So there will be no surprises when we meet on the street. I don’t use contrast because I don’t know how and I think it makes my wrinkles more prominent. We don’t want any of that now do we!
So there you have it…my two cents on photography. I am no pro and maybe some of these tips would make a pro cringe but…hey…they are working for me until I learn more, which is what I am always striving to do.
Happy shooting!
For anyone interested in my camera details…I use a Canon EOS Rebel T3 with a 50mm lens with lens hood to protect my lens and keep out unwanted sun glare.
Note: The pictures used in this post were not taken by my daughter but by my son, husband or mom. 🙂
Yay! Thanks for writing this post! I used to take pics outside, but I always looked for shade – now youve got me motivated to get out in the sunshine! (Shine some light on my butt – THAT I can remember! 😉 I have a 50mm lens too, which I love but sometimes fear. For some reason I seem to get more blurry pics when I use it? I don't know if that's bc my husband shakes or doesn't prefocus, or if it's the lens itself needing a longer exposure time or something. Hmm. Something to experiment with.
Thanks for the tips and inspiration!
Ahh. I'll take your advice and take decent photos this week.
Now where's that camera manual…
Really helpful thanks Margo! I have been taking my photos looking into the sun with the sun behind the photographer, and I'm always squinting. And, come to think of it, the colours are often washed out. I'm going to try your tips!
Thanks for writing this post! I recently started taking my own pictures with a tripod and a remote. My husband is always home late and I agree on natural light conditions. What I'm missing is the fun part of someone making you laugh spontaneously, smiling at some hardware just isn't the same. And it shows! Now I just take a gazillion pictures and hope for the best 🙂
I've so enjoyed seeing your photos on the MMM14 flickr group and 'getting to know' you a little there. Not only have your gorgeous clothes stood out, but your gorgeous light-filled photos. Thank you for writing this post. I also use a Canon EOS Rebel T3 with photo editing limited to Google's old Picasa. I think my lens is the 18-55 mm that came with the camera package. Hmmm, need to read my manual! 🙂 Thanks to MMM14 I'm leaning LOTS about photography and your post is so timely. Thank You again!
Happy to share my VERY limited knowledge! I didn't get into talking about camera settings because I wanted to focus on some simple tricks anyone with any camera could try but…when you use your 50mm lens, try changing the aperture (Av setting) to see what works best. The lower the number the more light is allowed in…I think. (Truly amateur!! I wasn't kidding)
I fiddle about with mine until I get something that works. I like to set mine up before getting my photographer so they aren't waiting around for me to set up. Another trick when asking someone to take your pics….if you have a continuous shooting feature, set it high! They like the quick shooting and you get a lot of pics to choose from. I don't do this anymore because my boys are better now but I did this at first because they found it fun. Hope this helps with the 50mm lens.
Lol! Those manuals can be pesky buggers…hiding themselves before we get a chance to read them!
You always look great but I'm glad these were helpful!
You have a beautiful spot to take pictures in your garden and they look great! Maybe if you put on some music and try dancing around, you might just make yourself laugh spontaneously!
Thank you Lisa! I'm happy to share! You have a great camera and reading the manual is key. Good luck!
Like Gillian I always go for the shade – sunrise or sunset but your photos always do look great with the sun shining on you – so maybe I should try a bit of sun 🙂
Ha, this is such a coincidence. I was thinking about writing a post about this just today while cooking. I totally agree with everything you say here, and I´ll add one more thing: wear tons of make up, it tends to disappear on the photos, so don´t be shy about that!
Great one, Margo!
Yes! Yes! Lots of lipstick is a must, I agree! I put it on for the pic then wipe it off after. Thanks for reminding us all of that one. 🙂
Your pics do always look gorgeous! I am stuck with a tripod, no remote so I think I could go for that next. I do like the way you use sunlight, I will have to try your indirect light method.
This is a great post! Your photos are always beautifully backlit, and you're lucky to have so many willing helpers in your family.
I wrote a similar post a few years ago when I was asked during me-made May too. A good posing tip is to never put your hand on your hip, it's a very unnatural pose and once you "see" it you just can't unsee it when everyone does it. It sounds like a photographer's cliche, but lighting is everything! Different colours and styles of outfits have a different "best" light to show the details to advantage.
Thanks for your beautiful photos and inspiring tips 🙂
Thank you so much for this post! Your photos are ALWAYS gorgeous! Can't wait to try out your tips!
Marche I'm so glad you said this! I took some pics this weekend and couldn't figure out why my face looked so strange and flat…retook pics with different light and it was still happening… then of course I realised that I wasn't wearing ANY eye makeup! (and I'm blonde, so nature wasn't helping!) I felt really strange not to recognise my own face in a picture – do I really reply on makeup that much? Makes me feel better to think that it's more a trick of the camera and less a trick of my mind!
Also, Marche, please do post about how you take pics, because you always look great too!
Thanks Becki!
Hand on hip pose…Guilty as charged! Hehe. Oh well….there's not a lot natural about posing for pics of outfits. You're right, there is no "best" light, it all depends on the subject. Thanks Carolyn for your wonderful insight. You always have great pics. I must go read your post on the subject!
Thanks!
Your photos are fabulous! I must remember your tips for next time! Thank you.
Thanks so much! I'm a new follower to your blog and finding lots of great inspiration!
Thanks Kirsty! The sun on your pretty blonde hair would look great!
Great tips! I recently wrote a similar post, but mine focuses on taking photos indoors by yourself. If you don't have a photographer, decent photos are still within reach. 🙂 I especially like your tip about taking standard shots of your garments – front, side, details, etc. As a fellow sewist, I want to see all the angles and all the complicated stitching!
I just found your blog and am looking forward to following your sewing adventures. 🙂