Flattery is your photographer’s prerogative. No one better understands the need to limit distractions from the true message and impact of a stunning image than your photographer.
Flattery is less about making you look like someone else and more about celebrating what you’ve got. We teach ourselves to be incredibly self-critical, focused on our flaws, and perpetually driven by impossible to reach, self-imposed standards. Of course, capturing your natural beauty isn’t going to occur if we are dreading what we expect to see. We need to change those expectations because whoever said professional studio photography was only for models certainly wasn’t a photographer! While portraiture is about honesty, flattery is about working with your strengths.
We can guarantee your photographer doesn’t see flaws. Want to know what a photographer really sees? We’ll let you in on a little secret….all your photographer sees is endless possibilities. This is not a joke, this is what it really means to be creative. In general, we look to celebrate diversity in our bodies and encourage you to look beyond traditional beauty to see who you are and what you truly mean to each other. There are, however, a few little hacks, to choosing an ensemble that will ensure you are comfortable in the knowledge that your clothing is working for you.
Women
Chatting to your photographer before your session is a great way to get more tailored tips on flattering looks. There are some key areas that we find women often prefer to address specifically before arriving to your shoot: Upper arms – If you are sensitive about your upper arms in particular, we suggest opting for loose sleeves that fall 3/4 of the way to your elbow or to the wrist. We suggest, looser, flowing fabrics, or creaseless fabrics that don’t cling to this part of our body.
Neck and jawline – Wear your hair loose if it is longer to flatter your décolletage and jawline. Wear drop earrings and choose necklines that flatter, such as crew-necks, v-necks, collared button ups or turtlenecks, avoid off the shoulder looks and wide scoop or boatnecks if this is not an area you wish to draw attention to. Scarves, collared button up tops, tailored blouses, blazers, jackets and shawls are your friends here.
Hips and thighs – Avoid clingy jersey and stretchy fabrics if you worry about your hips and thighs, instead, accentuate the waist and wear loose and flowing skirts or trousers that fall just before the curve in your hip in crisp fabrics such as cottons and linens or floaty fabrics. Opt for higher waistlines, pleated skirts, slim to straight cut denims, flowing trousers, A-line, empire line and baby doll cut dresses.
Men
It’s important that we don’t forget our style in the excitement of the experience, we can tend to stand out like a sore thumb or blend into the background if we don’t take care of a few details beforehand. Clashing – Brandnames, fluorescent sleeve bands, uniforms, sporty fabrics, bright primary coloured shirts and large printed numbers can distract from your image and perhaps create clashing colours in your home.
Soft, pale or warm neutrals work well with jeans and trousers for a casual look, play with layering and texture where possible. We love to showcase personality, so if you’ve got a bright print style button down shirt you love, a stunning suit or a fancy pair of shoes, throw them in the mix, just check in with anyone you may be bringing to the shoot, ensuring your looks are complimentary to each other is something worth preparing for. Midsection – Layering button down shirts open over T-shirt’s can flatter the midsection, as can an untucked button down shirt on its own.
Simple washed denim and tailored slacks with minimal detail and pockets can be more flattering on the thighs and around the waist. Avoid overly heavy pockets on the outside of your trousers, opt for a pleat or straight to slim line slack, tailored always looks smarter, while denim offers up a casual look. Shoes – Your footwear can say a lot about your style and if you happen to live in thongs, then so be it! If you haven’t thought about it, however, this might be an opportunity to wear a casual shoe that can still be dressed up or down, such as a boater or loafer.
A neat pair of sneakers can really add to your look if you want to opt for something casual yet style driven. Don’t ever be afraid to be a part of your own visual story, collectively, our humanity is what is interesting and worth documenting. You are not the only human to be older than you were yesterday, more cuddlier than your were in your youth, shorter than your neighbour, taller than your partner, skinnier than your friends or somewhere in between. If you have a nose, thick eyebrows, hips, curly hair, white hair, no hair; if you are curvaceous or all angles, if you are somewhere in between, if you have all of these things or none of them, we know you still have a story to tell, people who love you and relationships worth celebrating.
