Simple tips for photographing your projects

{above image: taking photos of the new upcoming patterns last week! Photo by Caitlin with her phone}

I’ve been getting some questions here and there lately about taking nicer photos of the garments you make, be they for your blog, Flickr, or just to share with family and friends.

I think my photography skills have gotten better over the years, and I’ve learned a lot from some of the very talented photographers and prop stylists I’ve been lucky enough to work with. I am by no means an expert, but I love photography and take a lot of photos of clothing and sewing, so I’m sure I have a few tips that could be relevant.

First of all, I’m not going to talk about specific camera equipment. That would bore most of you, I’m sure, though I’m happy to discuss it in the comments if you guys want. In any case, I think there are more important things than the type of camera or lens you use, things you can do without buying much of anything. So, in order of importance:

Lighting

I believe lighting to be the single most important factor in getting a good photo, but particularly if you’re shooting clothing. A few tips:

• Natural lighting is usually best. Assuming you don’t have a fancy-pants studio light set up, natural light is going to be your best friend. Try to make use of it whenever you can. On-camera flash can do in a pinch, but it will rarely give you the flattering, soft light you want, so I’d use it as a last resort. All the photos in this post were taken with 100% natural lighting. Though we now have a more fancy-pants studio lighting set up as well, I still think natural light is incredibly versatile and will continue to use it along with other lights.
• Use filtered light. Have you ever tried taking a photo of an outfit outdoors only to see ugly, harsh shadows all over your face and body? If you take photos in direct sunlight, particularly when the sun is right overhead, you’re going to get this kind of hard light with strong, contrasting shadows. Not ideal or flattering. If you have to take photos mid-day on a sunny day, look for a shady spot with filtered light.
• Late afternoon/early evening light is awesome. A favorite time for photographers shooting people outdoors is an hour before sunset. The light is soft and hits at just the right angle at this time of day. Check the local weather report for the time of sunset and try taking photos one hour prior to that.
• Face toward the light. This might seem obvious, but be sure to tilt your body toward the light source (the sun, if you’re using mostly natural light). This will also help eliminate harsh shadows, especially unflattering on your face.

Taking the photos

• Grab a friend (or substitute). Have a friend or family member help you with the photos. If they’re too busy or whine or roll their eyes, you may want to learn to use the self-timer on your camera or pick up a wireless remote (if your camera works with them). If you have trouble standing your camera up, check out the gorillapod! I have one of these, and it’s fun. It’s inexpensive and flexible, so you can position it anywhere, and even wrap it around tree branches, door handles, you name it!
• Take plenty of shots. I often say that I take the shotgun approach to photography. Maybe this is because I tend to close my eyes and / or make stupid faces in photos, but I like to have a whole lot to choose from. Move around and try different positions and poses. Try a variety of angles.



• Mix in some detail shots. When I photograph sewing projects, I like to mix in detail shots with full-length shots. I think it helps tell the story of the garment better and it’s more visually interesting.
• Consider your “set.” Take a look at what’s in the background of your photo. Things like cords and wires may not seem obvious in real life, but they can be distracting in photos. Or if you’re outdoors, you might not want to have a busy background if it distracts from the subject (that’s you and your garment).

Editing the photos

• Pick the best. Once you’ve taken a bunch of photos, it’s time to choose your favorites. This can be time consuming, and every photographer has their own workflow. I like to give all the photos a quick once-through and choose my favorites quickly. I then narrow it down from the smaller batch.
• A little Photoshop goes a long way. There’s nothing wrong with doing a little photo editing. I almost always have to crop my photos and adjust the colors to bring them closer to reality. You might also need to brighten or darken your photos. Photo editing software can help you with all of this. You don’t need to master it to do these simple things.