First photo shoot pictures.

[PBreeze84]

Going to be a bit transparent here.
I've never been the most photogenic guy unless it was in action shot photos for my athletics.

I'm doing my first photo shoot next Saturday and the photographer basically told me that I need to bring up to three different outfits. To be honest I'm freaking out a little bit because I have no idea what constitutes is a good picture. I know the photographer is supposed to make me look good but I feel a sense of responsibility to be able to dress myself to make his job easier.

So I'm just looking for some ideas on what you guys think would be possibly four good outfits for me.

The first thing I did was get on Google and get some ideas lol. Then I went to the tailor and had them take in my suit jacket and taken the legs in my pants to make them slimmer.

If it helps I am African American and I am about 5'10 with long legs. I am a former track athlete and fighter so it is very difficult for me to find clothes that fit me off the rack because of my athletic proportions. And admittedly I am just now learning the importance of a tailor hahaha.

Lastly I went on men's wearhouse's website and they had a deal on dress shirts so I bought six of different colors. I've got a ton of pants and I've got a gang of stuff in my closet that I haven't even wore yet lol.

What I am thinking is I will wear the suit for one set of pictures.... Then something somewhat business casual for the second set of pictures.... The photographer also told me to have some kind of leisure clothing and something I would go out in at night possibly but I have no idea as to what that would be as I am kind of an introvert.

Lastly I am thinking about buying some clear frame lenses to accent the outfits but I'm not really sure where that stands in the fashion world hahaha.. So just looking for some ideas and I am willing to share with you what I have so far if you need more details..

I appreciate your time and I thank you for allowing me to share my journey.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

It would help to know what the photo shoot is for.

 

[PBreeze84]

It would help to know what the photo shoot is for.

Sorry haha. The photo shoot is for basic lifestyle and fashion.

I was in the gym doing squats and he said that I had a nice frame lol and that I would take good pictures.

So he said he would do it for free. We are going to go downtown and take a variety of pictures and he told me just to freestyle and come up with the best outfits I can for myself. I'm sorry if this answers a little incomplete as I've never done this before.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I’ll admit I’ve never been asked that so I wouldn’t know where to start.

I suppose the easiest would be one business formal outfit, like a suit with tie and pocket square, a causal weekend outfit. Something like nice denim and a casual jacket and one “athleisure” outfit given the genesis of this whole enterprise.

 

[dieworkwear]

I recommend not wearing a suit or sport coat unless you have to. Tailored clothing requires a very precise fit. It's hard to get a suit or sport coat to fit well unless you have experience with the area. Most men don't look good in tailored clothing for this reason.

It sounds like you have an athletic frame given your activities. I would choose three casual outfits. Casualwear is much more forgiving in terms of fit. However, it's hard to give outfit ideas since we don't know what's in your closet. Maybe lay out some options.

 

[PBreeze84]

So to start. I am going to wear a gray suit blazer with black pants. I am going to go get the shirt size down tomorrow so I'm not sure what color dress shirt I will wear with that color combination. This is partly due to the fact that that is the only suit I have as of right now that fits. I also have this blazer that I bought a few years back and I could go get it size down. The same also with this blue suit. It has never been worn.I'm thinking I will go with the brown Oxford's and a brown belt to accent what I have. As far as the casual outfits I'm thinking about wearing this is what I have to offer. I really like those maroon chinos in the middle and I really think I could set something off really nice if I had the right shirt to go with it. I don't want to overcomplicate it but this is kind of what I have.

 

[PBreeze84]

I recommend not wearing a suit or sport coat unless you have to. Tailored clothing requires a very precise fit. It's hard to get a suit or sport coat to fit well unless you have experience with the area. Most men don't look good in tailored clothing for this reason.

It sounds like you have an athletic frame given your activities. I would choose three casual outfits. Casualwear is much more forgiving in terms of fit. However, it's hard to say what's in your closet unless you lay out some options.

Already ahead of you sir. Could you explain to me a little bit more about why most men don't look good in tailored clothing?

 

[dieworkwear]

Already ahead of you sir. Could you explain to me a little bit more about why most men don't look good in tailored clothing?

A few reasons.

Good tailoring is expensive, and many men aren't used to spending these kinds of prices. It also takes some experience in knowing what fits, and many shops today don't have good sales associates. Many are left to figure out for themselves what fits. And the range in which tailoring "works" is much narrower than casual clothes.

A lot of the tailoring you see in the wild looks like this

Good tailoring looks like this:

When you buy off the rack, it's hard to get the precise fit you need. You may find some areas baggy; some parts tight. Often, if you're shopping on the lower end of the market (say, less than a $1,500 for a suit), you will find the jacket is too short and the buttoning point too high. But you may not even know the jacket is short because you're not used to wearing tailoring.

The advantage with tailoring is that it can hide a person's weight, as good tailoring can help build up a V-shaped figure. But if you're an athletic guy, you will likely look like that in casualwear. And casualwear doesn't have to be that exacting in terms of fit.

 

[breakaway01]

I dabble in photography — the photographer is looking for a free model (you) either to gain more experience and/or to build their own portfolio. You might get some good photos of yourself in the process but that depends on the skill of the photographer.
Since you’re not a professional model yourself, try not to feel any pressure. Best advice I can give you is to wear what you feel most comfortable in. I would also skip the tailored jacket. Your attitude and comfort level will be so much more important to the shoot than the outfit(s). Above all, have fun!