Since the #1 objection I hear to getting brand photography is that “I hate getting my picture taken,” I’m continuing my series about how I “somewhat” overcame my uncomfortableness in front of the camera.
My previous series post was about how I don’t like my teeth and how I overcame showing my teeth in pictures. In this post, I want to discuss body image. I promise I won’t use my Psychology degree to dissect your negative thoughts and make you cry – I’ll leave that to trained professionals. LOL! But I do want to share some tips I use when choosing a wardrobe for my own personal brand photography sessions.
If you meet me in-person, you will notice I’m petite and overweight. While I fully accept my size, finding clothes I’m comfortable in is difficult. My arms and stomach are big points of contention when I’m trying to find clothes because I do not want my clothes to be tight in those areas.
I find that if I’m wearing clothes that I perceive to be too tight in either my arms or stomach, where I’m pulling or constantly adjusting, then I don’t feel comfortable, even if my clothes appear to fit perfectly to someone else’s eye. And if I don’t feel comfortable in my clothes, you will get a distracted version of myself since I am constantly thinking about what doesn’t fit.
This definitely becomes a reality when you are getting your pictures taken.
I recently had a client ask if I would look over some wardrobe options for her upcoming personal brand photography session. She showed me 6-8 outfits and asked for my honest opinion.
First, I narrowed down her choices by eliminating outfits that didn’t complement her brand colors. While your clothing doesn’t have to be in your specific brand colors, they should fit within a color scheme. For example, my brand colors are blush pink and grey with muted navy blue and white accents. I believe most muted tones would be acceptable complements to my brand colors.
Second, I narrowed down my client’s choices by eliminating outfits that had distracting patterns or multiple colors. You want the focus to be on you and not on your clothing. When you wear clothing with loud patterns or colors, it draws attention away from you.
Lastly, this process left us with 2 outfits. I asked her how she felt about these specific outfits. Did she like them? If not, why? Was she comfortable wearing them? Which was her favorite and why? Both outfits matched her brand color palette and she said she was comfortable wearing both of them. I decided I didn’t want to make a final decision without seeing the outfits in-person so she brought both of them to her session. And in the end, I had her wear both outfits during her session to give her variety in her images.
I wholeheartedly believe that if you do not feel 100% comfortable in the clothes you choose for your personal brand photography session, then you will not appear comfortable in your photos. If you pull or adjust your clothing over and over or if your clothes do not lay how you envision, you may want to choose another outfit.
If you don’t know where to begin with styling your clothes, you can always try a styling service like Stitch Fix or Dia & Co. Both will ask you a series of questions about your personal style, colors, fit, etc. and then send you a box of clothing to try with no obligation to buy. Stitch Fix serves women, men, and kids of all sizes and Dia & Co. serves women sizes 14+.
Once you have your outfit choices, don’t be afraid to share them with your photographer or even a trusted friend. You will undoubtedly be spending money on your photo session so you will want to look and feel your best.
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