What to Wear Wednesday...with Christine Long
It's WTWW and we have 2 posts for you today! You can check out the first one HERE. This 2nd post comes to you from Christine Long Photography! We're wrapping up September's studio theme with a post for guys!!"I'm so excited to share a little bit about wardrobe within my studio senior guys' sessions. I have a loft-style studio space that I've been shooting in for a few months, and I absolutely love this location for senior guys...exposed brick walls, wood floors, and window light help me to craft my sessions around the senior and keep the portraits masculine. I've just started introducing studio lighting (thank you PUSH conference!), which is helping me add even more variety to these sessions.
Before the session, I coordinate with the senior (and let's be honest - the senior guys' mom) about wardrobe via email. I share a Pinterest board as inspiration, and I also suggest that the senior bring a combination of outfits, including a suit or dressy outfit; a casual outfit such as a polo shirt or tee with jeans or shorts; a more preppy outfit (if that's his style) of a button down shirt and khakis; and sports or hobby-related clothing and paraphernalia. Once they arrive at the studio, I help them go through the outfits and pick out which to shoot so that we have variety in the senior's looks.
I absolutely love shooting suits in the studio, and this senior not only had a great looking suit, but a pink tie and pink socks. We had to show the socks off, so I had Ethan sit on a stool with the gray seamless backdrop for a simple but chic studio-lit look.
Similarly, Caleb wore a suit and tie for his session and using window light to camera right, we created an elegant and mature look.
I also love incorporating a classic and simple tee into the session. It really showcases the senior and is clean and modern. Caleb wore a simple white tee with blue shorts for his session, and I love the moody, window-lit shots we got with this outfit.
Ethan also wore a simple black tee shirt, which looked great against the exposed brick walls of the studio.
Ethan also brought a button-down collared shirt and khakis for his session. This more preppy look is really popular with my senior guys, and I love it because this shirt style also helps me with posing. There are so many ways to have the senior guy place his hands with this clothing style - flip the collar up and down, roll up the sleeves, etc. By having them play with their clothing, it's easier to get them to relax and look natural in front of the camera.
Finally, most senior guys have a sport or hobby that they'd love to include in their session. These activities are such a huge part of their lives at this point and time, and it's important to showcase who they are right now. Not to mention, this is a great way to get to know them and get the senior guy to relax in front of the camera. Ethan plays football and wanted to include this in his session in a natural way. I chose to use directional window light and the exposed brick walls to create a more dramatic but casual and moody image of Ethan with his jersey and helmet."
I love these images, Christine! It goes to show that it is important to plan out looks for guys too! I know that their Moms are a very big help with this, and more often than not, better to communicate with than the senior;) Thanks so much for sharing your tips with us!
Stay Stylish!