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Dress For Success in Photography

Damien Franco | Feb 08, 2010 | Comments Comments

One of the keys to success in photography business is looking the part.

Yes…I know we’re all artists to some extent (some more than others) and we all have our own little quirks and such, but it doesn’t suit you well to dress like a starving artist (whether it’s true or not) when you’re trying to pull in business.  This is true whether you’re a weekend warrior, a photojournalist, an artist, or a full time wedding photographer.

Your vision as an artist should help to determine how you dress when you’re meeting with potential clients, agents, art buyers, or shooting a wedding.

We live in a world where perception is everything.  You work in an industry where beauty, vision, or style is what you’re trying to sell.

Rock'n'Roll Star wannabe

Rock'n'Roll Star wannabe

The simple truth, is that no one really wants to buy photography from someone who isn’t successful and can’t sell their own beauty and style.

Marketers and advertisers know that people buy from winners.  This is key advice you should pick up on as you are actually a marketer of your photographic services and goods.

Do your best to look like a winner and you’ll have much more success in your chosen field.

If you’re a wedding photographer it would do you well to dress the part.  That may mean anything from a suit to expensive jeans and a stellar shirt for meeting with clients or on shoots.  As an art photographer you may have a quirky or brooding style but either can be dressed up with some minor tweaking when you’ve finally landed a meeting with a gallery owner or have a big show.  The classic little black dress for women can be dressed up or down for almost any occasion.

There are too many variables to go into great detail about how to dress for success as a photographer in your given situation but there’s at least one good tip if you’re struggling with this thought.

Everyone knows someone who has a great sense of style.  It would be well worth your time to take this person to lunch/coffee and ask for their advice.  Maybe they could take you shopping and actually work as a style guru for you.  Allow them access to your cl0set to help you put together outfits and ensembles with the clothes you already have.

As a last resort, when you can’t find someone who’s style and/or opinion you trust, look through magazines that deal with style.  There are tons of them that will help you work within your budget.

Bonus tip: Black almost always works for artists.  It also happens to be quite flattering and slimming for almost everyone!

How do you dress for success?

Photograph Rock’n'Roll Star wannabe by razrez


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  • Dress play the important role in photography, if your dress sense is good and u have the all basics of photography then collections of photos would be good
  • This suit is very nice. The photo captures the true image of a person that is holding the camera. I like the natural thrill that I feel while watching this picture.
  • Dress code looks professionals and dress code based on the industries.
  • naganigi
    oh, it is so incredible post. I am a wedding photographer, thanks for sharing.
  • A very nice article Damien
  • This is a really interesting post, and while I am all for saying your quality of work should be the thing swaying people's decisions, human nature is human nature, and first impressions count hugely! Dress to impress is great advise, and as an artistic type you are allowed a certain amount of poetic license in your interpretation of fashion.... ;-)
  • This is true. It's a fine line between being yourself and being unsightly. Many people think their artistic excellence will let them get away with a shoddy dress sense, and in many cases of very high profile artists, it might, but overall, for most people, being presentable is very important.

    Till then,

    Jean
  • A very nice article Damien, well written and straight to the point. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
  • Tricky one. Looking like a WORKING winner can be hard - as long as you don't have an entourage to support your status. I think being yourself is the key, and putting your style into your outfit, whatever that's made up of. Then it shouldn't matter what you wear... presence matters, and professionality.

    In my experience, always looking a tiny bit less good and/or stylish than your client is a winner. This way you show you're on par but you try not to look better than them. But that's a tricky one, too, I admit.
  • That's an interesting point about not looking more stylish than the client. But then again, it depends on the expectations your client has of you. He may expect you to be dressed more stylish than him to meet his expectations of you or else he'll be disappointed. So it's definitely a fine line.

    Till then,

    Jean
  • Agreed- Being yourself IS key. Your own style should never be compromised (unless your style happens to be sweatpants and sneakers) just tweaked a little here and there.
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