Your Guide To Capturing Sweater Weather
Cardigans, hoodies, oversized grandpa knits—I can’t get enough of them! Here’s a homage to the softest materials, the most slouchy of styles, and the overall coziest of seasons. And fashion photography tips on how to use the BeFunky Photo Editor to show off your latest, most comfortable accessories, of course.
The Shawl
Let’s be real. Sweater weather is the best because these bundles of fuzzy goodness are all minimal effort and maximum coziness. The shawl does that while still maintaining a gracefulness fit for a queen. There’s a soft elegance to draping a shawl over the shoulders or wrapping it around the waist. My knitted, cotton shawl is my go-to whenever I need to add a touch of class and warmth to my casual jeans-and-tank-top look.
Photography tip: The way a shawl hangs over the natural curves of the body gives off a womanly beauty. So when I photograph my favorite shawl-wear, I want to mimic that simplicity and class. For my example shot, I created a natural backlight by standing in front of a sunlit window.
I then overexposed my background just a little bit more with BeFunky’s online Photo Editor, turning up the brightness and contrast to my shot.
Next, I warmed up the colors with a chromatic filter. And voila! Easy but effective, just like the shawl itself.
The Oversized Grandpa
It’s a simple equation:
Shapelessness + Bagginess = Comfiness.
Out of all the items of clothing deemed fashion-acceptable in fall 2015, the oversized grandpa sweater is the best example of this rule. It’s the socially-acceptable version of the Snuggie. My favorite of my grandpa sweaters (and I do have quite a collection) is actually one of my dad’s old wool argyle cardigans from the 1970’s. This worn-in wonder is the perfect shade of autumn leaf brown and it’s so long I can wear it with leggings (elastic waistbands: the next best thing to sliced bread) or, if I’m feeling a little less lazy, blue jeans.
Photography tip: Oversized outfits don’t always look best in straight shots; the same qualities that make them so cozy also transform them into total blobs on camera. So instead, when I want to show off my fugly sweater collection, I look for a background with composition to structure my image. I want planes of lines, shapes, and other compositional contrasts to deemphasize my sweater. In my example image, I chose to pose on brick steps because their pattern struck that balance.
I then put my image through BeFunky’s online photo editor, choosing a chromatic filter to catch those golden rays of outdoor light.
The Grunge Denim Hoodie
I would like to personally thank the gods of hipster fashion for bringing back grunge. Ripped blue jean material has propelled effortlessness to a whole new level and opened the doors for all kinds of casual wear. The fact that it is acceptable for me to wear a faded hoodie that is meant to look like an old school denim vest with ragged gray sweatshirt underneath is the epitome of “homeless chic.” When I go grunge, I like to rock the full look: black jeans, wire-frame reflective sunglasses, sneakers, and a baggy white t-shirt accentuate my personal ode to the rockstars of yesteryear.
Photography tip: Get your hipster on. Put your hood up and vibe the rock n roll that first made acid wash denim cool. Then add on multiple grunge and vintage filters from BeFunky's Online Photo Editor, because you know, the '60s, man.
The Black Turtleneck
Who says fashion can’t be practical? The timeless black turtleneck draws influence from Andy Warhol to the femme fatale of James Bond flicks all while keeping you extra snuggly in winter weather. However, it’s a chic essential that should be worn with purpose; I like to dress it up with smoky eye makeup, flared slacks, and heeled booties. It’s my ultimate confidence booster, a stretchy, easy-to-wear must-have for the young professional woman’s work events and dinner parties.
Photography tip: I’m all about recreating the '70s fashion aura that originally brought the black turtleneck its hallowed fame. And so I found a floral wallpaper to use as my background. Not only do bright colors contrast the black of the turtleneck’s fabric, but they also bring out my personal flower power.
Finally, I used BeFunky's Photo Editor to add a Pop Art filter over my image, solidifying my devotion to the '70s style.
There you have it, my fellow sweater lovers: your guide to capturing the innate coziness of the best nontraditional season of the year.
