Wardrobe for the Camera - 5 Tips on How to Dress Yourself for a Photo/Video Shoot

The scenario: You have a scheduled shoot coming up. Perhaps a photo session to use a professional-looking portrait for a business card or sign. Or maybe it's a video shoot; a commercial for your entrepreneurship or an appearance on local TV as an expert in your field. The day before the shoot is going down a thought pops into your head. You've never thought about it before, but now it makes you anxious: "What do I wear?!" I may not be the most fashionable lad here, but thankfully I have framed up a number of people in my camera. So luckily for you, I've got a few tips to picking out your wardrobe should you ever be called to set one day and need to look your best while pulling off some style. These tips I've collected from my experiences on video shoots, but they are easily applicable to photo shoots as well.

1. DO select shirts/dresses/pants that are comfortable for you and are something you would normally wear. DON'T go out and buy something new and "not you". You need to appear yourself first and professional second, and it's a bit difficult to do that when you're fighting with what you're wearing. Even uncomfortable shoes can affect how you stand on-screen, and they can also affect your mood. This will show through on camera.

2. DON'T go with any loud colours or bold patterns. They're distracting us from you! Unless these reflect your personality and are truly what you want to show off, you'd be best to avoid them. Try instead for something a little muted. If you're going to go with a pure, white shirt, at least try to go with something slightly off-white. To the camera, Tide-white shirts equal blown highlights and you'll look like a lightbulb. Plus it makes the videographer's job difficult, as it can make setting the exposure for you a challenge. Off-white will likely appear as clean white in the final picture.

3. Wear something interesting and stylish. Fold that plain, crew t-shirt up and put it away. What you wear shouldn't distract, but it also shouldn't be boring. Try a long-sleeve, collared shirt or something with a subtle texture or pattern.

4. Avoid logos or trademarked images on your clothing. If it's for broadcast the editor, may have to go through the trouble of removing it or worse yet, simply blurring it out. Then you'll have this freaky, blurry ball stuck on you.

5. Bring a few changes of clothing. At the very least, bring two different shirts so that if one doesn't work for the camera then you can switch. For photo shoots you should have a change of clothing handy anyways so that you can get a range of looks for the camera.

Following these tips can help the videographer do his/her job better, which by the way is to make YOU look good. For extra credit, you can do some of the following:

- Bring a comb or some hair product for uncooperative hair

- Get yourself a bit of face powder to smack on just before starting the shoot. This will reduce shine on your face, especially if you sweat easily or have oily skin.

- Bring some Visine if your eyes tend to get irritated or bloodshot at all.

- Keep hydrated and use a bit of lip balm for those dry, chapped lips. Yes, that will show on your close-up and it will look nasty.

Lastly: Just relax! If you can avoid being self-conscious about how you look, then you'll appear natural and most importantly, yourself.