Take Better Pictures of Your Menswear Outfits! (How To)

When dressing well, you’ll likely want your outfits to be captured in pictures so you’ll remember how good you looked or even share it with others. So, how do you immortalize them and do justice to those well-curated looks? We’ve got expert tips!

Video Transcript [Lightly Edited for Clarity]:

[Preston] You’ve assembled a fantastic menswear outfit and now you’d like to immortalize it through photos. But, how can you make sure that the outfit looks its best in these photos? Well, our videographers are here to explain. Today’s video will be a conversation between two of our Gentleman’s Gazette videographers, Chris and Graham, to tell you more about how to get the absolute most out of your outfit photos. So without any further ado, I’ll turn it over to Chris and Graham and we’ll let their conversation begin.

[Graham] Hello, everybody! I am Graham. I’ve been working with Gentleman’s Gazette for just over a year. I started in about February of 2023, and seated across from me today is…

[Chris] I’m Chris and I’ve been with the Gentleman’s Gazette for almost five years now. We’re getting pretty close to that fiver year anniversary and, yeah, I’ve been running the camera behind the scenes for most of it. And you might have even seen me in a few videos, few clips here and there. But, I tend to stay behind the camera.

Lightning

[Graham] Let’s just start with the basics. Probably the most important aspect of taking a good photo of your outfit is lighting. What do the audience members need to know about lighting, outside versus inside? Take it away.

[Chris] Yeah, so the biggest thing, the biggest piece of advice I’ll offer is find a good light source, right? If you have the luxury of the cool studio stuff we have here and a bunch of good lighting, that’s great. But, most people don’t live [that as] a normal day-to-day life, right? So, the biggest thing, like I said, is the light source itself—whether that’s the sun if you’re outside, or inside kind of using that same source, the sun, with being up close to a window.

You want to make sure your light source is kind of up to the task. A normal lamp like this isn’t going to do the job as well as using the sun outside or being at a window, where you’re getting that natural light from the outside, if you want to be inside, for whatever reason. So, that’s going to be the biggest secret for lighting. It’s just finding a good light source. Whether, like you said, you’re inside or outside, using the sun, using natural light is kind of the easiest thing to do if you don’t have a full studio setup like this.

[Graham] And, in terms of, you know, where should you be positioned with a window, let’s say, inside? Because I know that in the past, when I was early on my photography journey, I made the mistake a couple times of being a little too back lit. So, what is the importance of positioning?

[Chris] Yeah, you want to make sure the light source—like we said, whether that’s the sun or a cool light that you have to use for photos, for example—you want to make sure that light is pointing directly at your outfit from the front. So, if you’re out a window, be looking out the window is kind of what I like to tell people, because that way the light is coming in at your outfit and lighting up everything there properly; and then you don’t run into your issue where everything is lit from the back and things look blown out and don’t look good. You want to make sure the light is pointed at whatever you want to show off.

Framing & Composition

[Graham] Yeah, so you’ve dialed in the lighting, the next stage is actually framing the photo itself. What are sort of the basics in terms of composition?

[Chris] Yeah, really it’s all about the rule of thirds. If you’ve started your photo or camera journey, you’ve heard that word before. But, essentially, it just goes over how to frame a photo properly and divides your frame whether that’s through your phone or a camera into a few different sections. The secret there is just don’t have anything off to one side or the other. Kind of center it as best you can is the easiest way to get that rule of thirds right. But, just make sure things aren’t skewed or off to the side or even out of frame if you can help it. Obviously, you want everything with your outfit to be shown off the best way possible, and the easiest way to do that is just make sure things are centered in the middle of the frame.

If you want to get a little artsy with it, maybe add a little negative space on the top of the bottom. But, essentially, just making things centered is the easiest way to get off that photo. Make sure you’re all in the frame, top to bottom.

“Center it up as best as you can and the outfit look is going to look pretty good framing-wise at least.”

Chris dummer

[Graham]: And on top of that, you know, obviously, there’s so many different areas to post your photos nowadays and we’ll be talking more about that in a little bit. But, in terms of aspect ratios, obviously Instagram is going to have a different requirement versus posting something to a website and whatnot. So, talk more about that. What are some of the basics in terms of aspect ratio?

[Chris] Yeah, that relates to framing your photo a little bit, too, so I’m glad we brought that up. But, essentially, you want to at least think about a little bit where you’re going to post that photo or where that photo is going to live, whether you’re going to frame it and hang it on the wall or, like you said, post it to Instagram. You want to think a little bit about when you’re framing your photo where it’s going to end up.

Like Instagram, for example, their post aspect ratio or how they post a photo is different from a story, for example. So, you want to make sure you think about all that stuff as much as you can beforehand, so that that one photo, hopefully, can be used in many places—whether, like I said, that’s online or something physical. That’s going to be the biggest thing … to add a little space on the top and the bottom maybe to make sure things can be cropped a little bit, which we’ll talk about in a bit. But, that’s really the secret.

If you want to fill the frame as much as possible, that’s great because I recommend that for most things. But, if you want to use the photo in many places, having a little bit of extra space so you can do a little bit more later is going to be the best way to keep things quick but also future proof them, so to speak.

Focal Length & Perspective

[Graham] Awesome! So, now, the focal length and perspective I think is something that people don’t always consider, especially when they’re starting out, so what Insight can you give us on that?

[Chris] Yeah, really, it’s all about perspective at the beginning. You can worry about focal length if you have a camera and all that, which is a bit more of an advanced discussion. But, essentially, perspective—you just want to think about how close your camera is to the actual thing you’re photographing, is the biggest thing I tell people.

If you’re using your phone and it has a few different lenses on, use that lens that zooms a little more further in so that you’re a little bit farther away. If I was taking a picture of you and we’re this close, the photo is going to look a little different versus if I back up a little bit and zoom in a little to get that perspective right. You want to make sure your facial features are shown off the best way possible.

Nobody’s going to be up in your space, 2 feet from you, looking at your outfit on a random Tuesday, for example. We’re going to be looking at it from across the street or casually walking by you a few feet away. So, you want to replicate that same perspective as much as possible and doing that with a little distance between you and the camera is kind of the secret there.

How Many Photos Should You Take?

[Graham] So, lighting, composition, perspective—I think something else that’s really important is the amount of shots that you take of your outfit. You know, obviously, if you’re wearing multiple pieces—you know, you got cufflinks and pocket squares and a tie—you want to highlight those different features. So, is that something that you like to do with your own outfits? Do you take multiple photos of a certain outfit?

[Chris] Yeah, I kind of have adopted how we do things here with the outfit rundown. Funnily enough, with just showing different things from the wide angle of the full outfit all the way to the different details when you have those, right? So, if you have a pocket square and a tie, you can show them and get up close to those as best as possible. But, taking the outfit all-in-all so people can see how all the colors went together and how all the elements kind of blend or work together to kind of make you look as good as possible is important to you.

[Graham] Yeah, and you’re taking photos of these closeup details, and I think something to really keep in mind is making sure that everything is aligned and looking good. And I know, even when we’ve been doing video here, you know, one of the things we have to always watch out for; “Is the pocket square in correctly, is the tie not good?” How much time should you spend kind of really making sure those details are locked in? 

[Chris] Yeah, really as much time as you need to get them right, because that’s the worst thing—taking a photo and then zooming in a little bit and seeing, “Oh! My tie was not done right,” or “The knot was loose,” or “The pocket square was almost falling out and should have been way more tucked in than it actually was.”

So, focus on that stuff before you start taking pictures, make sure all those details are right because the photo is going to look that much better when your outfit has just as much attention as the photo itself is kind of what I’ll recommend to people. Make sure everything’s good. Take all the time you need because getting the photo right is just as much about the outfit being good as it is things like lighting and composition, like we talked about already.

Where Are You Shooting The Photo?

[Graham] And location, location, location is something I think is really important, you know? Especially when you take photos, it’s nice to go out, you know? If you live in a city, try out different areas, but there are some things that you have to consider when you go out into a more public space and what are some of those things? 

[Chris] The biggest thing is the amount of control you have over the space, right? If you have a cool space in your house that’s great because you have more control over it. Nobody’s going to be there walking through your frame. But, like you said, if you’re out in public, that’s going to be the biggest thing, really, is dealing with other people.

So, if you can find a secluded corner, a secluded street that’s going to be great because you get that benefit of being outside and having that as your backdrop, but you’re not dealing with people photobombing your photo or walking by interrupting what you’re doing, walking through between you and the camera, so to speak. That stuff can get annoying after a while. It’s going to work the best if you have the most control over your environment.

Optimum Time of Day for Photography

[Graham] What’s your favorite time of day to take a photo?

[Chris] I have to say golden hour, right? As a photographer, whether that’s sunrise or sunset, that great light during that time of the day. The sun is going to be most directly pointed at you as a person on the earth, lighting you up from the front as best as possible. But, really, other times of the day work, too. Obviously, the light will look best at the golden hour sunrise or sunset, but if you can get out a little before or after those times, that still is okay.

High noon, if that’s all you can manage is great, too. Getting a cool location at noon or in the middle of the day still works if that’s all you can get. So, just go out and have fun at any time of the day. But, if you can do it at golden hour and get that great golden light as the sun is setting, for example, that’s the best.

Gear & Materials to Bring Along

[Graham] And in terms of stuff to bring with you, obviously if you have somebody to take the photo for you, this doesn’t really apply. But, if you’re a solo shooter here; tripod? No tripod? What are you kind of looking for?

[Chris] Yeah, a tripod’s going to be … the best, like you said, if you’re by yourself. If you can bring a friend, they can do that job for you, and the added benefit is they can direct you and help you out a little bit that way, too. But, if it’s just you and you want to go out to a cool location and you find a great spot to take a photo, get a tripod or a way to mount your phone on something.

You can do the whole prop it up against a pillar or somewhere like that, but that’s just not the most elegant angle … it could fall over, somebody could take your phone. There’s tons of downsides there. If you have a little bit more of a dedicated setup like a tripod or a mount to put your phone on something that’s going to be the best to get the angle right so that you’re not looking at it from the ground or looking at it from an awkward, awkward angle.

Which Camera Should You Use?

[Graham] And, you know, speaking of equipment and gear, I think this kind of transitions nicely into what we want to talk about in terms of what type of camera to use. As technology has advanced, obviously phone cameras are starting to improve. What are some of the biggest advantages that you’re seeing with having your phone camera be your main camera?

[Chris] Yeah, with your phone, it’s just going to be the easy and kind of automatic nature of it, right? If you’re just starting, it’s something you have with you already, you don’t have to go out and buy a dedicated piece of gear if you don’t want to. It’s going to be quick. You just tap the button, the photo gets taken. You can worry more about the elements we talked about already, which is lighting and composition and stuff and get that part of your thinking figured out first and not have to worry about the technicality of the actual picture-taking. That can be a benefit there, too. But, it’s just easy, right? You can click the button, you don’t have to have an advanced person behind the camera if it’s just your friend who knows nothing about taking photos. They know just as much as you, and it’s easy. You just hit the button, you’re good to go.

So, the best thing about phones is just how quick they are…. If you want to get a little more advanced, there’s that freedom, too. Like we’ve briefly touched on before, phones have different lenses in them now to add some dimension to your photos. That way, you can use these more advanced modes that let you dial in the specific settings yourself if you want to. But, you can start basic with all the automatic settings and it’s just going to be easy. Like I said, tap the button and you’re good to go.

The Downsides of Phone Cameras

[Graham] Yeah, I think that’s a really interesting point that you talked about, you know, with some of these more pro features that you’re seeing on phones nowadays. But, what are some of the drawbacks of those features?

[Chris] Yeah, the same kind of automatic nature of it can be a downside if you want to get more professional. You have the capability to do that but phones aren’t always set up the best way to do some of those things. Otherwise, if you really get into taking photos, your storage can fill out pretty quickly since you don’t have a dedicated place to put those photos that live with your music and your videos and your movies and all that stuff on your phone, and it can get a little get a little crowded with the storage if you’re not careful. So, that might be a downside, too. And we’ve talked about perspective, too. Sometimes, that can be an issue with phones if you just have one camera, for example, and not a nice iPhone 15 Pro with all these different lenses. So, that could be a downside, too, I suppose. But, yeah, that’s really it when it comes to downsides. The automatic nature is the best part about it all.

Are Professional DSLR Cameras Worth It?

[Graham] You know, we talk about maybe upgrading then to a DSLR camera of some kind. I think people get a little bit hesitant in that department because they automatically assume that they have to pay these crazy prices in order to get good photos. But, that’s not really the case.

[Chris] No, not always. You can visit different places to find used gear. I mean, it may sound a little… I’d be a little cautious as with anything that’s used. But, used camera gear is usually good. People usually take good care of their gear. It’s usually well-cared for. So, you can visit places like eBay; you can go in person in places like thrift stores, sometimes they have cameras.

Even camera stores that sell new gear usually will sell used gear as well. So, at that point, you have the extra benefit of an expert looking at it before you. So, as long as they give you the heads up like, “Hey, this is broken” or “This isn’t working” or “This is in good working order,” you have as much information as possible.

Recommended Brands

[Graham] So, if you’re looking not to break the bank and you’re looking for a good starter camera kit—obviously, this video is not sponsored—but what brands or models would you be looking for?

[Chris] Yeah, at this point, I probably recommend something from Canon or Sony. They’re kind of the best of the best—no matter what price range these days. The biggest thing I’d recommend regardless of whatever brand you pick is to give a little bit more thought to it other than just what’s affordable.

What I like to recommend to people is buy something that you could see yourself using lens-wise years and years in the future. So, if you want to buy a Canon camera now, make sure it will satisfy you if you want to be that advanced shooter in a few years that has more lenses, more cameras, and so on and so forth. If you want to get better at taking photos, think about that future-proofing a little bit. But, stuff from any of the camera manufacturers should get the job done at an affordable level. It’s just a matter of, is it convenient in the future or not?

What Additional Lens Should You Buy First?

[Graham] I like that you’ve been talking about lenses and whatnot. What is, like, if you had to pick one lens to start out with—you could only pick one—what would that one be? 

[Chris] Probably something like a 50 mm lens is kind of the next logical step after you get tired of your kit lens, which is perfectly usable if you know how to use it. But, the 50 mm is going to get you a little bit more of a different look after that kit lens kind of tires you out a little bit. It’s going to separate the background a little bit since they’re usually like a 1.8 aperture.

We won’t get too much into the techno-babble here if you’re not interested in that. That’s okay. But, the 50mm 1.8 is something that most camera manufacturers sell to so it’s pretty universal of a recommendation at that point as well. But, that’s going to be something that’s going to be pretty good for all kinds of shots of your outfits whether that’s the full body shot like we like to do here, as well as those more tight close-up shots. If I had to use one lens for this job, if I was forced to—I wouldn’t like it—but I could use a 50 mm and get most of the stuff we do here without too much adaptation and too much kind of change of how things look at the end result 

Editing Your Photos

[Graham] So, you’ve got all your gear, you know the basics, you’ve taken your photos, the next step is the editing phase, which I know you’re not a huge fan of doing too much editing and a lot of the reason is because you want to get it right when you’re actually taking the photos themselves. You can’t take an unusable photo and make it completely great, but if you are going to use some type of software or some type of app on your phone, what are some of the different components that you should be adjusting?

[Chris] Yeah, like you said, I don’t like to adjust too much. One of the things we hear a lot in this job is “fix it in post,” and “fix it in the camera” is what I tell people. Make sure it’s good as early as possible if you can help it. But, to your question, things like contrast, white balance, those kinds of things if you adjust those a little bit—saturation maybe even—can be things that help your photo look a little better.

But, like you said, adjusting them all the way to 100 probably isn’t the best. [It] makes the photo look a little bit more like Instagram back in 2014 or something like that; versus something that’s going to be clean, and make sure your red tie doesn’t become orange or vice versa or something like that, you know? All things in moderation and, yeah, just kind of add a little bit of something just to make sure you’re not, like I said, going all the way to 100% with all these effects, and then your photo looks completely like it’s a cartoon and not a real-life outfit photo that’s meant to show off kind of all the stuff you want.

Which Editing Platforms Are Best?

[Graham] Are there, you know—obviously again, this video’s not sponsored—but are there certain platforms that you like to use for editing photos? Ones that maybe you should avoid? What insight can you give?

[Chris] Yeah, on a basic level, if even for me, somebody who’s used all kinds of gear, all kinds of software, if it comes in my phone, for example, I just use the in-built Apple photos app to add a little bit of these things. All these adjustments are basic so most apps should let you change these things relatively easily. Sometimes, I even use the auto-editing feature. (Shh! Don’t tell anyone!) But, it just adds that little bit of pop that you might not get if your phone isn’t set up the right way from the beginning.

You can add some of these things as an in-camera effect, too, if you just want to take the picture and be done right there. But, I have to have a little bit of freedom to edit myself, so I’ll use—like I said—the Apple app on my phone. But, otherwise, the more advanced stuff we use are Adobe products for photo editing here at the office and that’s great if you want to take my camera out and go shoot something. But, if it’s just my phone, I just use whatever is on it, which is the Apple photos app at this point.

Cropping Photos

[Graham] We were talking earlier about sort of the different platforms that you can post photos to. What are the essentials in terms of cropping? Like, how to properly crop a photo? I feel like there’s sometimes some misinformation that gets out there.

[Chris] There are. Most of these platforms will kind of do that for you when you try to post a photo so the biggest thing, like I said is before, is adding that space so that it’ll adapt the best way possible. Like Instagram, for example, your post on their platform on your profile is a 4×5 aspect ratio, which not all phones shoot by default, so you want to add that space to crop in a little bit; whereas, their stories are more 16×9, which is maybe more native to what cameras do by default.

I’m not the expert in that either at this point. But, just making sure the biggest thing is that you have room for cropping and not fill the frame all the way from top to bottom with everything you want to show off, and then you delete something when you have to crop or adapt to a platform. It’s kind of my philosophy with all of that.

How Taking Better Pictures Builds Community

[Graham] Awesome! Well, I think we’ve covered a lot of the big things that we wanted to discuss today. I think something that’s really important is the idea of community and also sharing photos with people getting that feedback, you know? No matter where you’re posting, whether it’s Instagram or Reddit or what have you, I think having that feedback, whether you take that advice or not is really beneficial as you go through this journey. Whether you’re just starting or if you’ve been doing it for years.

[Chris] Yeah, for me, the community is the best part. Whether it’s the community for the menswear side of things, with your outfit people. If you take a friend with you that likes clothes as well, but can be the person that says, “Hey, your pocket square is a little weird. Fix it,” or “Hey, your tie is not straight,” and you can be like, “Oh, that was intentional. I want to keep it that way.” Whatever it may be. And, even on the other side, if you have somebody who also wants to get into taking photos, they can help you with framing and taking the photo instead of having to run back and forth with your phone all the time.

So, the community has its benefits practically but then also just from a social standpoint. That’s my favorite thing about both of these interests— clothes and cameras—is the community behind it and the people you meet and just the bonding that happens over those topics.

[Graham] So, I think something to also remember is that all of this is completely subjective, too.

[Chris] Yeah, subjective, totally.

[Graham] There’s the principles that you try to follow but, at the end of the day, what I might like is going to be different from what you like and vice versa. And then, but that’s kind of the fun thing is you’re able to bounce ideas off of each other and the end goal is hopefully we’re all taking great photos of our outfits

[Chris] Totally, yeah, you can learn something from me, I can learn something from you. A cool thing that you did, I’ll do that but do it this way next time. There’s all these things out there that you can learn from, and like you said, bounce ideas off and you’re just building community and building better photos at that point.

[Graham] Chris, absolute pleasure and, if you have any insight at home in terms of how you like to put your outfit photos together, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below.

[Chris] Also, if you like seeing me and Graham in front of the camera for a change, let us know, we’re happy to do more videos but we’ll see how that goes.