In my Instagram Live on 10 Minutes with Manzanita we tackled CLOTHES. As in wardrobe. As in how the heck do you dress your families for a session, or if you ARE the family, how the heck do you know what to wear? Let's jump right in:
WHY: Wardrobe is the fastest element of photography to change your "look", your "vibe" both as a photographer and as the client. You want magic? Change your wardrobe. You want mood? Wardrobe. Showing up in jeans and plaid shirts will not do what moving fabric can. This is something I help my clients do from the very beginning and we work together to make the session tell THEIR story using beautiful pieces.
WHAT: Some elements I look for when dressing a family are: texture (cottons, leathers, tweeds, linens, knits), color (muted tones across the board), simple pattern and solids all the way, and pieces of interest (shaggy coats, button down boots, turquoise jewelry). And always, always, always, moving fabric. Dresses and skirts are easily the best way to create motion with wardrobe.
WHERE: So where do I shop? So many places. I live in a great little community with creative women, and many of them own their own businesses. Which means I can go local first and always do (Blue Dot, Bloom and Flourish, Periwinkle, The Blonde Pineapple, The Hanger). If I can't find what I need locally, I move to Etsy, Joyfolie, Lemon and Lucy, and even TJ Maxx. And then I hit up Amazon. Amazon has been incredibly surprising, and I would suggest checking it out before going to more expensive boutiques. Sometimes those boutiques are original and quality and sometimes they are not, Use discernment. Not all boutiques are created equal.
HOW: So that's all great, right? But how do you approach your client with your ideas? You don't want to come off as pushy, and you don't want to step on toes. Well, my secret is no secret: I just tell my clients I'll be speaking to them about wardrobe. Right from the moment they book, I tell them I cannot wait to talk about location and wardrobe and guess what? I really can't wait. I'm not pretending to like this part of photography, it literally is as exciting to me as the session itself. So tell your people with all the exclamation points that you cannot wait to help them create their wardrobe pieces!!! (see how exciting that sounds lol).
So what about you? Tell me how wardrobe has influenced your work.