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This is All for Your
benefit!
The selection of proper clothing for your portrait is critical in the
preparation for the successful portrait. If the clothing is noticeable
in a portrait, it could easily become a distraction. Clothing that
does not attract attention to itself is the ultimate goal. It could
be the difference between a very successful portrait and just another
picture. We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to
observe the following criteria:
Darker clothing helps to blend the bodies with the background, so that
the faces are the most important part of the photograph. Dark colors
definitely tend to slenderize the subject. Light colors seem to
add weight to the bodies. Of course, if we are planning a lighter
color background, lighter colored clothing is fine.
The color of the clothing should always be toned down. Bright colors
attract attention away from the face. Colors MUST be dark and not
bright. This is ESSENTIAL! Prints and any kind of pattern–
no matter how small become a distraction.
Long sleeved clothing is a MUST! For casual portraits it is equally
important to wear long pants instead of shorts. When arms and legs
are exposed to the camera there will be more flesh in the photograph in
those areas than on the face, itself. This is a major distraction. |
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White shirts and/or blouses under a
dark jacket are perfect. A scarf loosely tied around the neck
helps to frame a face beautifully when a collarless blouse or sweater
is worn. Neckties should definitely be toned down in color
and with a minimum of pattern.
The most flattering neckline for most people is something that comes
up close to the neck. A wide-open neckline tends to thicken
the neck in a photograph. On the other hand, a neckline that
comes up to the base of the neck– a turtleneck
or a v-neck top is the most flattering. It tends to slim down
the person and frames the face beautifully.
Clothing for group portraits must be carefully selected to blend
the bodies together. First, decide whether the basic tone
of the clothing will be warm-toned (browns, etc.) or cool-toned
(blues/grays/blacks,etc.) Then, make sure to follow all of
he above instructions.
Finally, lay out all the clothing onto a bed. Then, take a
careful look at the collection. If your eye goes to any one
item in particular, you can be certain that the same thing will
happen in a photograph. That item should be changed.
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