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This post is for current and future Fabulous Girl Clothing Brand Reps.  This is intended to be a list of helpful hints to make your images as usable as possible for marketing on our social media platforms.  It is in no way intended to single anyone out or lead you to think you're not doing a good job.  This is a list to clarify what we need and are looking for when it comes to the images to represent our brand and to offer a few resources as you in turn are growing your social media pages as well. 

  We're aware that every brand has its own aesthetic and we certainly have ours, but that can make it a bit rough on brand rep mommies trying to please each brand and figure out exactly what each brand is looking for.  This post is here to facilitate this process and help it to go as smoothly as possible for all parties, hopefully creating a memorable and enjoyable experience as our brand rep mommies share their lovely girls with us and the entire FGC community.  Bottom line:  WE APPRECIATE YOU, YOUR TIME AND ALL YOUR EFFORTS!  We know photography is no joke and can be a lot of work. 

 In a nutshell here is a list of helpful hints and what we're looking for when you submit images to us.  While all of the images sent in are darling and capture sweet moments in time, they are not all necessarily "usable", which is the ultimate goal for both FGC and our brand rep mommies.   We want nothing more than to be able to show off your fabulous girls in our clothing!

1.  Take a look at the our branded images that we post on both our Instagram and Facebook pages so you can see and understand what our aesthetic is.

2.  Light & Bright:  although the occasional studio shot is acceptable and even cute from the professional photog brand rep mommies, we prefer natural light images that are bright, light and clear.  We love sunshine, but are not looking for a shadow to partially cover the face of the model or part of our clothing. Be careful when outside in a natural setting that the area you're shooting in has plenty of light so the overall look of the image is not dark. Because I'm not a photographer and am shooting strictly from my iphone I need all the help I can get, so when I take a few pictures myself, it's typically on a sunny day,  morning or late afternoon/early evening on our covered porch. This offers me the bright, natural light, but not direct sunlight which can create shadows.  

3.  Composition:  Be cognizant of the framing our your image. You should have background space around ALL sides of your muse (your fabulous girl in this case).  Sometimes we may need to crop an image so it will show up properly in the square frame that social media, especially IG, uses.  We much prefer to receive all images ready to post, so we don't have to spend our resources on editing additional images, but will do so on occasion if its just a little tweak that we need.  *Also, please note that Instagram automatically crops the image to 1080 x 1080, so if you've sent in a fairly tight vertical image, either the feet and legs or part of the head will be lost when the crop is done by Instagram.   If you do send in vertical images, just be sure to leave plenty of space all the way around the subject.  The vertical images do make super cute pairings for a side by side image on Instagram, which is fun. 

4.  Image  Size & High Resolution:  We need large images with fantastic resolution.    We need images to be at least 1200 x 1200 with no less than 300 dpi please.  

5.  Styling the Photos:  Please do not add unnecessary elements to the outfit/dress that is sent to you.  We love to see well kept hair with a bow or hair pretty and a piece of simple coordinating jewelry perhaps if pairing with another brand (we're cool with that!).  Be sure to make a wise selection for the shoes as well.  Your fabulous girl needs to look "fabulous" from head to toe, without any distracting elements.  Many of our pieces are designed to "layer up", however please do not layer without inquiring first.  Layering is for seasonal purposes, which we love to do, but it can be distracting  if a piece is not intended for such.   Lastly, please do not introduce a new color to an image unless it is a true neutral:  white, cream, pink (in our world pink is definitely a neutral!  lol ).

6.  Flat Lay Images:  We love to see some flat lay images, too!  There is an art to it, but it's not as hard as I thought it'd be, whew.  I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I can tell you who is! I learned how to do flat lays from Helene in Between   She's a travel blogger and has a gorgeous page on Instagram, check it out if you're interested in growing in this way.  Follow the link above and you'll find where and how I learned how to use my Iphone to take some great quality images. I was so pleasantly surprised to learn so much for a small investment. Check it out and see if it's for you!

7.  Best Iphone Apps for editing:

*Colorstory

*Snapseed

*VSCO

*Afterlight

Here is another article I found helpful regardign flat lay images from The Exposure Co. 

I hope you find my bit of insight helpful.  Here's to wishing you happy and successful picture taking!!

xoxo

Embracing Girlyhood,

Rachel