I also don't have any friends who sew, or make costumes like I do (I know, my life goal is to be a hermit). So, how do you take pictures of the things you make when there is no one to help?
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| An action shot from a solo photoshoot. I call it "stop the dog's lead from knocking over the tripod" |
In case you find yourself in a similar situation, here's the steps I take.
1.) Try to make your outfits as easy to get into by yourself as possible.
Yes, this unfortunately does mean that CB fastenings might have to be left at the design stage. It is possible to lace yourself into tight-fitting bodices, i.e. stays, but I've only managed it once, and it was difficult as hell. Assuming you'll be travelling to a shooting location this either means you wear your outfit on your journey, which is ok-ish in a car, but what if you're taking public transport? Most of us who do historical costuming/costuming in general, are introverted, hence why we like a hobby that forces us to be by ourselves for most of the time. I've been in public three times wearing costume, and it gets exhausting. Suddenly, you, an introvert, finds themselves the centre of everyone else's attention. Nightmare.
The other alternative is to just get dressed on site, which is fine if there's a bathroom (yes, i have done this #priorattirevictorianball2017) but what if there isn't, like my latest photoshoot at an abandoned church? Fir trees and thick shrubbery can be invaluable (don't worry, I was never completely without clothes), and if you have a bigger car than my wee go-kart that's also a plus.
The easiest way is obviously to have front fastening, or perhaps side fastening outfits, which you can still do if you're a hardcore HA-er. From my knowledge it's only certain decades/eras where CB was the most common (mid-late victorian era, but there are some examples of front openings on extant gowns from this period). For example anything in the 18th century is all front fastening.
Everything I make has a front or side fastening, with the exception being the Baldoch gown, and a pair of 18th century stays that are currently in progress (but it is difficult getting into them because I don't bend that way).
I don't know about you, but when I'm on my own at the place I want to take photos, I want to get into my outfit as quickly as possible. To be fair I want the whole thing to be over as quickly as possible so people don't find me and start a conversation...
2.) Equipment is key
I have a DSLR camera I invested in solely to build my costuming portfolio, but I knew I'd be working it by myself, so I also invested in a tripod, and a remote control clicker/shutter (I know, really excellent technical talk on this blog). I love both of these things, and I couldn't have built this blog without them. You can just put your camera on a timer, but who wants to run back and forth every 3-10 seconds?It's much easier just having a remote control, which is why you always see one of my hands clasping something, and occasionally bent weirdly towards the camera (it can be tempermental). A tripod is easy too, you just stick it where you want it, adjust the height, but do be careful not to put it on a slope or you'll get some weird stuff like the photo below.
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| Makes me dizzy just looking at it. No, the church wasn't on a hill, the tripod was. |
3.) Pick somewhere quiet
This is optional, but if you're desperately introverted (like most costumers are) then dressing up like Anne Boleyn and going to Hever castle to take photos of your new tudor frock will have you spending more time talking to other visitors than actually taking photos. This is fine if you're in a group because this has probably been arranged beforehand with the location you're visiting (at least, it should've been). I'm never sure about taking photos of places that you usually have to pay to get into. For instance Kenilworth Castle wanted to charge a friend of mine hundreds of pounds to have her engagement photos shot there. Wouldn't this be the same for costumers? Not to mention, places run by the national trust, or a private trust, will often have visitors, and we all know how much society loves a good conversation.It's also not great to go to these places expecting no one to come up and talk to you, or want pictures with you. It's just something that comes with the territory, hence if you're looking for a quiet place to just take pics it's best to go somewhere else. I would recommend not being rude to people who do come up to you though, I'm not a complete monster. The last time I was dressed up in public many tourists in Bath stopped my friend and I for pics, which we agreed to, and we got a discount at a chocolate shop for our outfits (so there's always a silver lining).
My new favourite website is shot hotspot where people list abandoned or nice places that are good for photoshoots. Google was my best friend for this. Just type in "abandoned places for photos in <insert where you live>". This was how I found the beauty that was St Conan's church where the above pic was taken. Granted there were 2 houses beside it, but no one came out to ask what I was doing. The only 2 cars that used the road did slow down a bit, but didn't stop. I'm sure there are places like this all over the country, possibly even ones without houses adjacent.
And that's really it, 3 simple steps for taking pictures of yourself in costume. Obviously the ideal situation is to attend an event with other like-minded people and you can all take pics of each other, but at least 2 of the outfits I have in my portfolio aren't appropriate for any meet-ups because they're completely fantasy (and not the LOTR or GoT fantasy). Or if you live somewhere that's nigh on the middle of nowhere (ah, the dream), and only get to 1 or 2 events a year.
Do you have a better system? Do you love sewing but dislike photographing yourself?
