How To Get Badass Photos of Your Costumes

[@SiriusFeanor]

Your underground photoshoot is like HOLY SHIT WOW! Such style, such sass!

[@empressofbuttons3478]

😎😎😎

[@KatieCottingham]

Absolutely YES to giving yourself "business" with a prop! It's a very early thing you learn in directing classes because actors will instinctively try to make business for themselves and it can be broadly or disastrous. Ever notice Robert Downey Jr. always seems to have food or something in the Marvel films especially? He hid them around the set himself to always have business that helps normalize the scene. I will say, going in with a character or story for the costume can help immensely in terms of communicating with your photographer and being clear who is directing and/or styling the shoot. Having been in a situation where it became a war between a shoot director/stylist and the photographer, simply having clarified before hand who was directing the tone and how you would work through any problems could've prevented the ugliness that happened. Teamwork makes the best final product and experience. ❤

[@dawnmorningstar]

Lovely video and tips, thank you. The jaunty camera angle is called a Dutch angle.

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Ahhh I knew there must be a term for it! My absolute favourite 🙏

[@bettystimetravels6372]

The film "The Third Man" is famous for its Dutch tilts - or at least, that's the No. 1 example we were always told about in film studies. 😊

[@k_golly_g]

Oblique is another name for it. 😁

[@murmurecostume]

Es macht mich so zufrieden deutsch zu hören ! Die Qualität von der Video und dem Content ist unglaublich, und dieses "Blooper" am Ende ist perfekt ! Danke

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Gern geschehen 💞 Ich würde normalerweise kein Deutsch einbauen aber ich bin beim bearbeiten darauf gestoßen und musse mich erst mal über mich selbst ablachen, es musste einfach rein 😂

[@jackiejames4551]

Wonderful information, great tips. Thank you for doing this.

[@marliesethomas]

So fantastic and badass! Thanks for boiling this complex issue down to concrete, actionable tips!

[@jayneterry8701]

Thank you for your well thought out tips! Very helpful in general for taking pictures. 💗

[@miri2810]

This is really helpful! I just started sewing and took pictures of my first project last week and it was quite challenging :)

[@estelledesigns]

Agree 100%about hobby photographers! I am so grateful for the photographer friends I have made. Great video, very useful tips!

[@estelledesigns]

Also, got to the end of the video where you speaking another language.. curious, what language is it?!

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Me too!! Having photographer friends is the best ❤👌 I'm a native German speaker 🙏

[@emmamarentette]

Das war so hilfreich, vielen Dank. Die Fotos in Underground sind super!

[@tubemapper]

Yes just seen the video. Awesome Empress. Very nicely put together and explained. Definitely Badass!!

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Hehe, the badass is in big part thanks to you 😎

[@Costuming_Drama]

This video is awesome!!! Great work!!

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Thank youuu ❤😊 It was a great idea on your part!!!

[@911nmg]

Great video!!! Definetly taking the prop tip, I hate my hands on every photo

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Ohh yeah that's one I use a lot, I've gotten pretty good at hand posing but it always makes me feel safer to have that option.

[@rachelstelmach698]

Thank you for the video tips! I particularly like the point about the importance of finger position for controlling the visual size and shape of your hands, plus adding personality.

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Yeah I always find that this is what makes it look truly historical, mostly I look at paintings for reference and I found that it is similar to ballet poses sometimes 😂

[@ej075]

That intro was absolutely hysterical XD Thank you for the helpful tips!

[@CraftsyPenguin]

Yay, that was fun and informative, thank you!

[@TealCheetah]

Helpful vid, thank you!

[@kaitlynlongberry]

I love the blouse you are wearing!

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Thank you, I found it on a flea market in Amsterdam for 3 Euros last week 👌

[@idasvenning3892]

Looks like I might have to show my mom this video... No but these are wonderful tips and I will definitely get back to this video the next time I need photos taken!

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Ohhh boi *flashbacks to me shading my parent's photography* Nah I'm just joking by all means educate your mum 😂

[@jenniferold-dentremont6698]

That had so many amazing tips and tricks in it. I'm totally saving this as a reference to come back to before my next photo shoot. Thank you for putting it together for us.

[@empressofbuttons3478]

You're welcome, good luck for your next shoot! 💪

[@jenniferpearce1052]

What a fun video! Great tips for even non-costuming photos. I'll be trying them out. Thanks!😊

[@empressofbuttons3478]

You're welcome, good luck ❤

[@HalflingSeamstress]

I am absolutely saving this for future shoots - great tips!

[@caitlinrobertson3780]

omg!! i had no idea you had a youtube! i remember when I started following your Instagram :)

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Hiii welcome to my KZbin as well 😊💕 I don't upload here as often as on instagram but I'll always put something in my stories when a new video is coming 🙏

[@yourbookladykatie]

My niece is a fantastic cosplayer, and she's had photographers approach her and take her photos for their lookbook and lets her use them for her own!

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Yes that is usually how it works! I always have contracts where we are both free to use the photos as we please, sometimes the photographer will make a bit of money out of it and I get a part of that or prints in return but that is super rare, mostly its for portfolio purposes 🙏

[@yourbookladykatie]

Empress Of Buttons PORTFOLIO oh my gosh I could not think of the word to save my life. My brain has checked out. And yes she has a contract with the photographer. :)

[@Chibihugs]

Thank you so much for these ideas and tips! It was something I never considered. We spend all this time creating cool clothes and want t take photos in them but I honestly would have no idea how to pose.

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Yes that's totally why I made this video 🙌 A lot of people make amazing costumes but don't have the photos to show it off, we need to change that!

[@thebratqueen]

This was really good. I love how you gave practical tips that were easy to understand. Also I love your sense of humor (and flare with a fan).

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Thanks! I tried a bit of a meme editing style this time and I'm glad it worked 😂

[@thebratqueen]

@@empressofbuttons3478 It really did! You had just the right touch with it where it enhanced the humor but wasn't over the top.

[@babygirllovespink]

Good advice! And applicable even without costubing

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Absolutely, a lot of those things are pretty general so it's great to know them. (for the next family photo or something 😂)

[@countrysidesewist]

Really helpful tips, thank you! BTW, it is SOO nice to find a costume bod based in the UK, and I absolutely adore the tube photos...

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Glad it was helpful! I'm actually moving out of the UK next week after 3 years of living there, sad story 😢 But my degree has come to an end and I'm going back home. There are tons of costume people in the UK though, probably more so than in most other countries 🙌

[@TimesmithDressHistory]

This is exactly what I've been needing. Thank you!

[@bettystimetravels6372]

Very interesting video! 👏👏 I love your tube pictures they are just 👌👌👌 (the others, too, of course)

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Hehe thanks ❤😊❤

[@JuliaSkottMakes]

Now I want to go take some pictures!

[@arimurila]

Awesome!

[@cheerful_something_something]

This was really cool, thankks for sharing your tips. I've been a chaperone for a friend at a shoot, it was really interesting, altohugh too dark to knit : p

[@empressofbuttons3478]

You're welcome 💕 Bless you for being that friend 🙏

[@SurfaceofBeauty]

so good!

[@selenetaron]

The tips are fantastic, but can we talk about the Empress' shirt?! It's everything. 😍🥰

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Amsterdam flea market find for 3 Euros says hi 👋😂

[@selenetaron]

@@empressofbuttons3478 HIIIIIIIIIIII!

[@lynn858]

Awesome costumes are definitely something many amateur, or aspiring pro photographers would like to add to their portfolio. It can absolutely be mutually beneficial. However, I recommend never uttering the words “It will be good for your portfolio”. Ever. It’s an often heard phrase that, regardless of you actual intent, translates to: “I don’t value your work, skill, practice, equipment, the cost that has gone into acquiring said equipment, or your time, enough to offer you money or any other kind of compensation. Because I believe that people who do work that they enjoy do not require money, and I do not believe you deserve to afford your rent.” Which, as a person who has invested a lot of time, practice, energy, research, cost of materials and tools, in order to create your fabulous costume... for which you will likely never receive any kind of financial return (because even if you later sell the costume, you’re probably making less than $1 an hour for your work, if you even make back the materials cost). You KNOW the value of a talented photographer with the right equipment, a great eye, and the skills to do the post-shoot editing - even if that’s just sorting though 100 photos to choose THE one where everything was perfect. Be impressed by, and appreciate a good photographer as much as you are impressed by and appreciate other costumers. This gives you the best chance of reaping the rewards of a mutually beneficial working exchange. Thank you. :)

[@empressofbuttons3478]

I'm not sure what the intent behind this comment is and how it relates to this particular video, these tips were given from the perspective of a costume maker and I never said anything along the lines of "I'll be good for your portfolio", neither have I had someone say that to me. As a dressmaker with a professional degree I'm also extremely aware of the issue that our work is often not appreciated and paid badly. In my personal experience with photoshoots there was however never any commercial intent so the industry context doesn't apply and both me and the photographers did it entirely for fun rather than the need to make money or commercially promote it. I made the video for hobby costume makers who would like some good photos of their costumes because I think that we deserve to show off our work, nothing more and nothing less :)

[@lynn858]

Empress Of Buttons Sorry. It wasn’t a criticism of anything you said. My intent was to let people know how not to accidentally alienate a photographer they might wish to work with. It gets said A LOT. People think it’s a good thing to say. I don’t think any costumer is likely to actually devalue a photographer, but it would be easy utter an innocent and positive-seeming statement in talking to a photographer you have just met, or looking for an affordable photographer to work with.

[@kitkatkagomeX2]

I can't help but notice the fan in the background. Did you cosplay Temari previously?

[@empressofbuttons3478]

Haha you saw that right! Temari was my first cosplay about 6 years ago, I couldn't fold fan 1.0 after painting it so it's been on my wall ever since!

[@kitkatkagomeX2]

@@empressofbuttons3478 Nice! The fan makes a lovely decoration, so excellent use of props as decor! And hopefully fun memories are associated with it. 😊

[@gladdy2104]

🤣🤣🤣🤣... Mama!s!... 🤣🤣🤣... Leider bin ich heute erst über deinen Kanal gestolpert! Dank deiner Mutter weiß ich, dass ich dir in Deutsch schreiben kann! 🙈🤣🤣 Danke für das und all die anderen Videos... 💞

[@johannageisel5390]

12:04 Huch, du sprichst ja Deutsch!