Costume Assignment

A round up of the pictures made for the first assignment

During our September 9th meeting we reviewed photographs from the first assignment, here is a round up of that work.

Assignment: Make a portrait consciously using costume to help tell the story. Of course, wardrobe is always part of the decision-making process, but selecting a more pointed outfit can be a powerful shorthand for communicating who we're dealing with in a photograph.

I dug out the costume bin from my storage closet and dumped it on the floor, seeing that I had several masks. I loved the wide-eyed look of the German Shepherd, inspiring the idea to have my human subject wearing the mask while holding a real dog, reminiscent of the BoJack Horseman aesthetic.

Once at the park, I found my composition, and we sat the dog on the bench and fired off a few frames. By coincidence, the dog had its tongue out like the mask, and they were both looking in the same direction. — Andrew Flemming

My subject wanted her online clothing business to stand out with portraits that told a story. We settled on a "runaway" theme— a young woman in the woods, surrounded by her clothes.

After capturing the main narrative shots, I shifted to something more personal. She changed into a mismatched outfit, reflecting the character’s hurried departure, and rested her head inside a suitcase, softly lit by natural light peeking through the trees and a reflector. In that moment, everything clicked—her expression, the mood, the light. — Alex Franklin

The plan was to build the shot around the purple dress against a purple backdrop, but something was lacking.

I asked an assistant to hold a purple gel between the light and the subject's face. We played with the angle and distance of the gel and ultimately settled on this diagonal look.  — Matt Coughlin

I loved the idea of using a costume to tell a story, but my initial ideas felt contrived. Then my neighbor, Katie, a dog trainer and walker, dropped by with her dog Birdie, and it clicked!

While experimenting with lighting in my new space, I followed Katie and Birdie's natural interactions. By sticking with it, we captured something that felt both visual and authentic. — Wendy D

Our next assignment, photographing an older person, is due October 6th, and the meetup will be Monday, October 7th, at 7 PM EST.