Beginner’s Photography Tip #7: Color

What not to wear.

Our eye wants to look at the brightest area of an image first. If you want the center attention to be the face, a really bright orange shirt, pretty as it may be, will only detract from that great expression you just captured.  Oftentimes a portrait client will want to wear something that makes them feel good. That wild stripe shirt or loud graphic often is not the best choice for a portrait as it demands a lot of attention. A solid color that matches or is close to your subject’s eye color will really be more attractive.

This lady in our sample images loves to wear red. It is an understandable selection for an outgoing, fun loving person, but not the best choice for a professional portrait. Pair that up with the corporate white shirt and power tie. It makes sense. However! The red is so powerful and demands so much attention that it is not my idea of a great professional image.

Selection of color after consultation.

After a consultation with me where I showed them other possibilities and suggestions, they selected softer colors that let you see their faces first. After that you can appreciate the understated details of a well coordinated wardrobe. (This couple volunteered to dress this way for me for demonstration purposes. We are not hurting anyone’s feelings.)

I will be writing more articles on how to use teach your clients how to dress for portraits, so keep watching the resources page on my website at www.BarbGordonPhotoCoach.com. Go sign up for the weekly newsletter now.

  

About Barb 

Barb Gordon, of www.BarbGordonPhotoCoach.com, is a Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman, and Certified Professional Photographer with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) to which she has belonged since 1984. She is a nationally published and award winning photographer, entrepreneur, speaker, and author including being published in the prestigious PPA Loan Collection 2006, PPA Showcase 2003, twice named Iowa’s Top Ten Photographer of the Year, and 2010 Iowa’s Master Photographer of the Year.  

When not working, she enjoys life on a new farm raising organic chickens, gardening, and playing with the horses, cats, and dogs.