What to Wear to a Photo Shoot

When you are thinking about what to wear to your photo shoot, there are some things that you should keep in mind. It all depends on what the pictures are for, and your taste in fashion.  If you are having your high school senior pictures taken, you can go for a high fashion look, or go for a more traditional look. If you are having family portraits done, casual or dressy is the perfect way to go. If your family is more relaxed and laid back, then everyone would probably feel the most comfortable in jeans. If your family is a little more formal, then you could go with suits and formal dresses.

You should pick out clothes that you feel most comfortable in, because your comfort level shows in the pictures. You want your photos to make sense, so be aware of the season and the location. Normally you would wear a dress and sandals to the beach in the summer, not boots and jeans. Layering your outfits will allow more variety in your shots and can provide more visual interest in your photos. Not everyone will think about this before there photo shoot, but you should remember where you come from. You can think about the décor in your home, and the style of your home. You will most likely be ordering prints after your session, so you can try to get your photos to blend in with everything in your home. You should bring outfit changes, so you have more of a variety in your photos.

Also, you should try to avoid patterns. If you had a choice between a plain shirt and a patterned shirt, you should choose the plain one. Patterns take the focus off of the main subject, you! Wearing all dark colors of the same material will make it hard to see the details in the photo, and make it boring. If you are light skinned, bright colors can be a little tricky. If your cheeks are rosy colored, you should try to avoid reds. If you have blond hair, you should try to avoid yellow. When it comes to the sassy pair of shoes, I am all for it. But remember it can make a painful session, so make sure you bring flip flops or flats along with you to change into in-between shots.   

The most important thing before a photo shoot is to make sure you get a good night’s sleep. If you look tired or under the weather, it will show in your photos. Your stance and the look in your eyes all contribute to a great photo. When people look at a photo, the first thing they look at is the eyes. The difference between a fair and great photo is how bright your eyes are. Cigarettes and alcohol can make your eyes look blood shot and dull and can take a few days to clear. So if you smoke or drink, it may be good to not do it a couple days before your photo shoot.  

If you do your own makeup for the photo shoot, make sure you avoid using heavy face make up. Also do not wear dark makeup around your eyes, as it will come out darker on the photograph and that does not look good. You should avoid any glossy lipstick because it will cause unwanted reflections. If your skin gets sun burned easy, then you should avoid excessive exposure to the sun.

Don’t forget to bring a selection of necklaces, ear rings, scarf’s, and belts to your photo shoot to reinforce your image and complement your outfit. If you are having a personal interest shoot then you can bring anything with you that you are interested in such as a hobby or sport or something you like to do. Also, don’t forget to bring a hairbrush and extra makeup for touch ups.

Which is better: Film or Digital?

When you have a digital camera, you can shoot any time, as many times as you want, all onto one memory card. With a film camera, you have to make sure you have the correct lighting, film exposure, and composition. Before you decide to choose one or the other, it is important to know the benefits of both of them.

Film is better at capturing details in black and white, and is more forgiving for exposure problems or focusing issues. Film cameras are usually heavier than digital, and can take up a lot of space. Film is a continuing cost and must be developed before viewing, and if you don’t have a darkroom, you have to rely on a photo lab to develop your photos. Film also has a higher resolution than digital.

Digital loses black and white details easily, but the cameras are generally lighter. The memory cards can store more than a roll of film, and the memory card is smaller. You can also edit your photos, only print the ones you like, and you can view them immediately.

The main difference between film and digital is the cost. There is a big difference from the first year prices to the second year prices. In the first year for Film Photography, you can get a Film Camera, Batteries, Film, and Developing for around $490. For Digital Photography, you can get a Digital Camera, Batteries, Memory Card, and developing for around $895.

In the second year for Film Photography, you will spend around $240 on batteries, film, and developing. For Digital Photography, you will spend around $130 on developing. The second year is cheaper than the first year because digital camera equipment does not have to be replaced, but film has to constantly be replaced. It will take around 3 to 4 years to make up the difference from film to digital. But this is only if you shoot the same number of images, so keep that in mind. Most people shoot more than digital than they did with film, but they don’t print them all, which brings down the cost of digital more.

The benefits of digital cameras and digital photography are amazing. The ability to shoot hundreds of photos without needing to buy film is terrific, but there is still a lot of amazing things about film. If you love the feeling of developing a roll of film, seeing the photo develop right in front of you, knowing that you created it yourself without any help from the computer, then film photography is for you.