As a community of fashion/beauty enthusiasts whose main medium of expression is through Instagram and photographs on blogs and editorials--photographs that are all shared to the Clozette Community--we were thrilled to have a special Advance Photography Workshop with renowned photographer Melvin Lau (@multifolds) from Multifolds Photography.
As the photographer of Style Blogger and Instagram Star @melissackoh, Melvin had loads to share with our Clozette Ambassadors over the weekend at our #CreateShootFilm Workshop--taking them through the basics of framing and composition of a shot, introducing the concept of the Golden Ratio, and a few nifty photo editing tips on Adobe Lightroom and VSCO.
Watch this video for a peek into what went on at the workshop!
Want to up your photography-game? Click next for the tips & tricks that Melvin shared with our Clozette Ambassadors!
Equipment
If you truly want to improve your photos, then it's time to invest in a quality camera and lens. A basic DSLR will do for beginners with a prime lens upgrade to a 50mm. With a quality camera in hand, you can then decide if you'd also want to invest in lighting equipment or rely on natural lighting for your photographs. If you intend to quickly share your photograph on Instagram and Clozette, select a camera with a built-in Wifi system for easy photo sharing.
Location
Before shooting, take the time to plan your location as it will determine the styling of your shoot--from the clothes you wear to the lighting and angles. Find your favourite place to shoot so you will always have a go-to place where you are familiar with the lighting, background, and shooting scenarios. What's Melvin's favourite place to shoot? Tuas South Avenue 14 in Singapore!
Lighting
Natural light is always the best for OOTD photography. For the best natural light, opt to shoot from 4pm - 7pm for soft lighting. If you're after starker photos with more dimension and contrast, opt for the 12pm shoot time. If you lack a good source of natural light in your space, your next option would be LED lighting or a Box Light--but be aware of the position of the lighting source. Light from the top for a sharper chin and to avoid any harsh shadows on your face.
Framing & Colour Composition
Once you have your basics, it's time to plan your framing and the colour composition in your shot. Melvin introduced our Clozette Ambassadors to the concept of The Golden Ratio, which is better described in the video below:
No matter which framing rule you stick to (Golden Ration vs The Rule of Thirds), another concept that should be at the top of your photo styling is colour composition--and here, you can take guidance from the colour wheel. Best way to do this: look at your background and plan the colours of your outfit accordingly. At a purple lavender field? Try experimenting with a complementary colour scheme, pairing colours at opposite sides of the colour wheel and wear a yellow dress just like Gary Pepper did in this photo!
One of our favourite Instagram star @garypeppergirl
