How to take pictures of clothes to sell, or show them on Instagram, Facebook
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In this article you will learn how to take pictures of clothes to sell, and to promote on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media.
When I started my first virtual clothing store (it was for t-shirts), one of the biggest difficulties I had was how to take pictures of clothing to put on the website.
When your business is large, I advise you to hire a photographer to take the photos.
But if you’re just starting out, then you can take pictures of pretty decent clothing.
And this is what I will explain to you. In the end you’ll be able to take pretty good pictures of clothes, even if you don’t know much about photography.
And if you’re a photographer, or are going to hire a photographer, you should read this article, as I’m going to reveal some secrets that help you create photos that sell.
First of all, it’s important for you to know that there are 3 main ways to present clothes.
So let’s start by seeing what these shapes are.
#1 — Mannequins or busts
Exhibiting clothes on busts and mannequins has some advantages:
- Unlike human models, they are always available.
- You can take photos of clothes whenever you want, without wasting a lot of time, and without having to schedule a photo shoot.
- It only has the initial cost of the mannequins or busts. Attention, if you don’t have a bust or dummy that you can wear well, you won’t get good pictures of clothes, no matter how beautiful the clothes are. If you can, buy the mannequin or bust at a store. Bring clothes and ask to try on the clothes on the mannequins.
- get one greater consistency in photos. To achieve the same consistency with human models, you’ll have to take the photos of clothes all at the same time.
If you choose to wear mannequins or busts, be aware that there are some types of clothes that look better on busts, and others on full mannequins.
So make a list of the type of products you have, and see what is most suitable.
If you have questions about choosing between busts or mannequins, read this article:
Busts or mannequins
Tip: If you’re not taking pictures of clothes for the store’s catalogue, and if it’s a picture for posting on social media, dress the bust and the mannequins with several pieces of clothes, one on top of the other. This makes the set more appealing, and adds value to the products.
How to take pictures of outfits on mannequins and busts — do it yourself — in two steps
Step 1
Firstly you have to learn how to dress the busts and mannequins. Seems easy, but it is not.
Or rather, it’s easy to wear the clothes, but it’s hard for them to look attractive. So my advice is to take a look at chain clothing stores, and see how they wear clothes to make them more attractive.
By the way, this is my advice always: learn from someone who has done it well.
See how chain stores do it and try to do the same. If you don’t get a good shot the first time, see again how stores do it. When we do it for the first time, there is always a detail that always fails.
Step 2
Start taking pictures.
If you have a place with a wall with a white background, use that wall and place the mannequin next to the wall, but without touching it. If you touch it too far, it will create shadows.
Try taking photos with a flash and without a flash. Depending on the natural light that enters the room, it may be better with a flash, or without a flash.
If your camera doesn’t have quality, and there isn’t enough light, then take the mannequin outside and take the picture there.
The ideal are days when the sky is covered with light clouds, so there is plenty of light but few shadows.
Here are some examples of photos with mannequins or busts:
#2 — Human dummies
The use of human mannequins (photographic models) is the most real way to expose to take pictures of clothes.
The main advantages are:
- It’s easier for your customer to visualize how the clothes will look.
- Using an appropriate template (age, size, style) helps to position your brand for a particular type of customer.
Many people are afraid to use real mannequins to take pictures. And the reason is they think that only with professional models can you get photos that make customers buy.
But that’s not true, as I’ll show you.
Others don’t because they can’t find anyone who wants to be a role model.
If you have a hard time convincing someone, tell them that the person’s face won’t show. It is possible to take very acceptable pictures, just taking the picture below the neck.
See this article I wrote, in which I give a concrete example of how to do it:
Techniques for taking pictures of clothes (using an amateur model, and an amateur photographer)
How to take photos of people yourself (real mannequins)
Step 1 — Arrange people
First you have to get the person, and you don’t need to be a professional. Nowadays, the idea that you need women and men with perfect bodies to take good pictures of clothes is being lost.
The big brands themselves are using people with more common bodies, as most people have.
Better for you if you can’t hire a professional model to take the outfit photos.
The most important thing is to get someone who is the same age and style as the customers you want to sell to.
Step 2 — Choose the clothes
It is very important that you know the purpose of each photo.
If your goal is to take pictures of clothing to sell a product, then highlight that product. And don’t cover this product so that it is clearly visible.
If your goal is to take pictures to promote the brand, then you can use many products if you like. And you can even dress over each other. After all, what you want is to show products. And as long as the set is appealing, you can show off various pieces of clothing.
Tip #1: Don’t forget to iron your clothes so they look good.
Tip #2: Don’t forget to have safety pins on hand to make your clothes look better after they’re dressed. If the clothes don’t fit perfectly, you may need to adjust. And the pins help.
Step 3 — Location to take pictures.
If you’re not a photography expert, you probably don’t have a lighting and background system. And that’s why I don’t advise taking pictures inside.
The easiest thing is to take pictures outdoors, and enjoy the sunlight.
As I said, the best days to take pictures, for those who are not professionals, are when there are light clouds, and thus, the brightness is great. And the best time is around noon, when the sun is at its peak.
Step 4 — Choose people’s position.
One of the mistakes of non-professionals is trying to take pictures like the professionals (professional photographer + professional model).
This is wrong.
First, because you’ll never get it (that’s why they’re professionals). And secondly because the current fashion is to have photos of people as if they were amateurs. If you see some photos of big brands, such as the free people, Or the nasty gal, you will find lots of pictures that look like they were taken by someone else.
And this happens mainly on social networks, but also on virtual stores.
So don’t worry about having professional-looking photos. Amateur-looking photos, as if they were taken by a friend, work very well. They are truer, and make people notice them more.
Some examples of photos with photographic models:
#3 — Unworn clothing
The simplest alternative is to take pictures of clothing without dressing it on mannequins. It can be hung, or displayed on the floor or table.
The main advantages are:
- It has no extra cost or investment.
- Good consistency between photos is achieved.
- It is recommended for posters, advertising, posts on social networks and catalogs, in other words, for all cases.
More and more people are using this form of exposure. There are many variants, such as:
- Put clothes on a hanger and hang on a wall.
- Place on the floor (wood, stone, etc.)
- Place in an environment (beach, grass, terrace table, etc.)
- Take the photo in a studio, with no background, and then, using graphic software, put a background.
How to take pictures of clothes (not dressed) yourself
Taking pictures of clothes like the one in the next photo looks easy.
Photo of clothes on the floor
Unfortunately, it isn’t.
Unless you have a special tripod, and artificial lighting, you won’t make it. The problem is that there will be a lot of shadows (in the background), and the lighting will not be the same (some parts will be lighter than others).
With graphics software (Photoshop type), you can improve a little, but for that you’ll have to have the program and know how to use it.
But there is a simpler solution. And that solution is to take pictures of clothes hanging on a hanger, and outside.
Use the advice I gave earlier on how to use sunlight. And get yourself a coat hanger, and a hook to hang your clothes.
You’ll have a few tries, but it won’t be too difficult to get a picture like the following:
This photo has a wooden wall as a background, but it could be a painted concrete wall, or any other.
If you want to continue taking pictures of clothes with this background, I would advise you to make a wooden structure (a wall) measuring 1.22 meters by 1.22 meters (this is a standard measurement for wooden boards) .
Then you can cover this wall however you like to get the desired effect. You can, for example, put wallpaper to imitate:
- brick
- wood
- ajudgments
- etc
Some examples:
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