How to photograph your outfit (without a photographer)
The photos you take of what you wear are the most useful thing in your wardrobe. Here is how to take better ones with a phone.
The photos you take of your outfits are the most underused tool in your wardrobe. They show you what works, what does not, and how a piece actually looks on you rather than on a model. Most people take them badly and then wonder why the outfit looked better in the mirror.
Light
Face a window. Natural light from the front or side is flattering and honest. Backlight turns you into a silhouette. Overhead light creates shadows under the eyes. A window at 45 degrees is the best light there is and it is free.
The best outfit photo is the one you actually take.
— the studio
Angle
Phone at chest height, slightly above eye level. Too low and the outfit looks heavy. Too high and the proportions distort. Hold the phone in landscape for full-body shots and portrait for detail.
Background
A plain wall or a door frame. Busy backgrounds compete with the outfit. If you are outside, a wall or a tree line behind you works. Avoid standing in front of a mirror — the reflection confuses the composition.
The full body test
Take the photo, then look at it. Does the outfit read as one thing or as separate pieces? If separate, the proportions are off or the colours are fighting. Adjust and reshoot. This takes thirty seconds and saves a day of wearing something that does not work.
The detail shot
One close-up of the fabric, the button, the seam. This is the photo you will look at in six months when you are deciding whether to keep the piece. It is also the photo that makes you notice quality.
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