What to Wear Wednesday...with Craig Stidham

It's WTWW and this week we have Craig Stidham joining us! Craig wanted to mix things up a bit, and I'm loving his input! If you aren't aware, Craig is an amazing Fashion Photographer. Be sure to read his tips on wearing emotion!

"Shooting images in the senior world has been limited to your more traditional garments.  Clothing like normal blue jeans and lazy top or a formal Prom dress, all these garments have been photographed so many times that now we are stealing ideas from our own industry.  Take for example “trash the dress” from wedding photographers, now senior photographers are taking that idea and “trashing the Prom dress”.   In the Fashion world, creative minds known as designers are always creating new designs or Art.  As a fashion photographer you’re given a task to showcase the designer’s work (dress or outfit) and your job is to bring an emotion to photograph.

As a Fashion photographer shooting in the senior world, I wanted to take the basic ideas for showcasing.  No designers, no garments, no textures…just an emotion. Emotions are the best-kept secret to any photo shoot.

 In my work, emotions are the key point to every image.  We are all human, with the ability to talk and act out our feelings.  Photography being a media of 2-demention and that of “still”, we as artists need to illustrate movement but if we are talking portraits we have to communicate our emotions. If you shoot an image of a senior with a rocking prom dress, and the senior is just simply smiling, then you only have a cool dress and a smile.  But in the same means, if you shoot the same prom dress and your model/senior portrays a noticeable emotion that we as a whole can read and feel for ourselves, then you are communicating with the world.

In my present quest to explore my own soul, I have started looking at the simple basic form of who we are and what we are doing.  I have found that in the senior world, I am being  “commissioned” to illustrate a modern piece of art.  Stay with me, most photographers are shooting portraits of their clients, thus shooting clean faces and then trying to sell that image back to the client.  With any luck you’re making a living.  For me, I changed my perception on this. Like I stated above, I am being commissioned to create a modern piece of art.  In that idea I no longer have to capture clean faces.  I have taken to capturing my seniors in any manner that the client can feel.

Here are a few examples of Emotion first."

 

WOW...just WOW. Craig, emotion is definitely a must have, regardless of the wardrobe! Well done! And if you were lucky enough to snag a seat at SSG's upcoming PUSH conference this summer, you will get the pleasure of learning from Craig!!

Thanks for joining us, Craig! We're all swooning over your work right now:)

Stay Stylish!Megan