Although we’re in February already, the wardrobe post season
isn’t quite over. Whether people share theirs late or continue on the hype to
plan for next year, the topic remains relevant. While I have already touched on
what makes a wardrobe post good in my Wunderwelt Libre article,
for this week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt I’ll elaborate on this.
Get ALL the Light
 |
This is unretouched, but thanks to all
the light I got there was no need for
touch ups. You can see the colour as
it looks in real life. |
This is the most important point in my opinion, although at
the same time can be the most difficult one to get for many people: light. You
need plenty of good light, preferably natural, for your photos to come out
well, show off detail on your pieces and save you time on editing. January is
awful for that for anyone in the Northern hemisphere as our daylight is limited
and good quality lighting is pricey, but it’s all about squeezing everything
out of what you have available to you. Move to the brightest room in your
house. You can spread photo taking over two or three weekends to
capitalise on the few hours of daylight you have. If you have friends with such
equipment, you could borrow some lighting from them for the time being. If you
can afford to, you could invest in some kind of daylight lamp (preferably one
you’d be able to use outside of photography, if you’re not trying to become a
pro photographer, maybe a diva light for makeup or a daylight lamp for
crafting). I made do with two little makeup light strips that give off white
light that we got in Lidl and a borrowed desk lamp from work which happens to
be a daylight strip one. But do whatever you can to maximise on that all
important light.
Plan Your Post
 |
A lot of thought and planning goes
into one shoe shot. |
Secondly, you need some sort of a game plan. You don’t need
to have every minute detail of it figured out, but at least know what sort of
aesthetic and layout you’re aiming for. Looking through past wardrobe posts
from other people helps gather inspiration and decide what you like and what you’re
able to do. Knowing in advance things like how you want your photos to look
(top down or at an angle; single items, groups or coordinates; sorted by brand,
type, colour, year of release or a mix; show only the pieces or add detail
shots etc.) will make your photo taking more efficient. When you know what you’re
aiming for, it’s easier to establish whether you’re achieving that aesthetic or
not and then you only have to retake the shots that didn’t come out well. This will
also help with editing photos and the layout later as, again, you’ll be able to
put them together the way you want straight away rather than spend time faffing
about and figuring out what you want.
Prepare Your Items
 |
Even though my rings are all in one
place, taking them off then putting back
on was a good 20 minute process. |
Whatever it is that you decide to take photos of, you will
have to prepare it somehow. The obvious thing is making sure that your main
pieces look presentable, are ironed and free of any massive stains, since that’s
what everyone will photograph one way or another. Apply this to any other
clothes and shoes you want to include in your post. Wrinkled clothing isn’t
photogenic and you’ll have a harder time taking a good shot. Lucky for you if
you’re one of those people who does maintenance like that regularly and is able
to store things in a way that doesn’t create any extra wrinkles, but if you’re
not so lucky, do your best in advance. As for other bits, making sure that you
have them collected and ready to be photographed, especially if they’re stored
in several different places, will speed up laying them out and photographing on
the day.
Take Care of Yourself
 |
Having the mug and fan already out
meant I could fan away my hot face
and stay hydrated whilst embracing
the aesthetic. |
This probably should be the most important thing, but just
like when you’re actually doing your wardrobe post – it’s easy to forget about
it. Doing a wardrobe post is a long, tiring process. When you’re tired and
achy, you won’t want to put any more effort in, so quality may start to drop
and that could lead to you being disappointed in your post and yourself. Take breaks, however
regularly you need, to nibble on something, have a drink or even just sit for a
bit and stare into the void. If you need to, spread the process over a few
days, there’s no shame in that. Remember about your mental health as well as
physical one! Do what you can to not let any kind of pressure get to you and only
photograph when you’re in the mood to do so (excited, determined, generally
positive about the process – not resigned or resentful). At the end of the day,
you’re doing that wardrobe post for yourself, so if your mind and body are
giving you signals to stop, listen to them.
These are the bits that I followed this year and I am much,
much happier with my wardrobe post this year than I was before. I started with
a clear idea of how I wanted it to look after browsing for inspiration, I
prepared my room to make the best backdrop I could (and positioned all these
lamps), prepared my clothes and took (probably way too many) regular breaks on
the day, leaving editing and posting for the day after, once I’ve had some
sleep. It worked for me, although as I then looked through other people’s
posts, those shared after mine, I had gotten more ideas on how I’d like things
to be done next year, so despite my best intentions of reusing this year’s
photographs, I may change that once it gets to next January.
Have you done a wardrobe post this year? Maybe you’ve done
one in the past? What have you learnt from that experience that you feel would
be useful for others to know? If you’re hungry for more tips, make sure to
check out what these bloggers have written:
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