Bonus: The Modstylists' tips on outfit photos!

Hi, Indie e-Conference readers! This is Jess of ModCloth.com’s ModStylist team. We’re all  young women with unique personal styles and point of views which we use to offer styling advise to our customers via live chats, phone calls, and emails. We also work closely with social networking sites like Facebook, Chictopia, and the ModCloth Flickr Style Exchange! When we heard about the Indie e-Conference, we thought it was such an exciting, fun idea and immediately knew that we wanted to get involved. Since taking outfit photos has become such a regular, vital part of what we do, we thought it might be helpful for us to share a few tips on what we’ve found makes an outfit photo particularly successful.

Now that you know a little more about us, let’s move onto taking great outfit photos! Snapping photos in adorable clothes, shoes, and jewelry is obviously one of our favorite tasks, and we’ve quickly developed a foolproof system within our day-to-day.  We’re narrowed our tips down to five points that we feel should be kept in mind:

• Lighting: The key is to make the light work for you, not against you. This means looking for areas where the light is soft and even on both you and your background.  Overcast days are perfect for this! On super sunny days when the light around you is harsh, look for a shaded area outside of direct light. We’ve found that outside light is normally most flattering!

• Camera position: Use what’s around you to find the perfect angle! Tripods or having a friend/significant other snap your photo are also awesome options, but don’t be afraid to prop your camera up with your purse or even a nearby DVD or rock -- whatever works!
• Proportions: By keeping the camera at around waist height, your body will appear most proportionate in the photo. Leave some space above and below you as well! A bit of extra space in the frame under your feet keeps the focus on your awesome outfit and looks best.

• When it comes to posing, try testing positions that work for your body. Sometimes it takes a while to find a natural looking pose that you like. We love checking out our favorite blogs, Chictopia, and Lookbook.nu for inspiration!

• Have fun with what you’re wearing! If you love your outfit, your confidence will shine through in the photo!

We realize that many of you have already found your niche in the world of outfit photos, but we hope that these tips will introduce or inspire some new ideas within your routine! :)

Feel free to reach out to us by emailing askamodstylist@modcloth.com.  Also, you’ll find us on Facebook. Let’s talk style!