1) The items can be “flat layed”.

Flat lay is exactly what it sounds like. The items are laid out flat, usually on a white backboard. Lighting is applied and adjusted as needed, and then the item is photographed usually from above looking down.

The flat lay technique can be utilized effectively for relatively simple low end clothing, such as a t-shirt or socks. But it is not a good fit for more detailed or complex clothing like blouses or dresses, and it is not a good fit for individualized clothing. Clothing that falls into any of the later categories sells much better when your customer is able to visualize themselves wearing it, and nothing allows a customer to better visualize a garment being worn than to actually see that garment being worn.

2) Your clothing can be put on a Mannequin.

Anyone who’s ever been in a store has seen clothing displayed on a mannequin. And while a mannequin can display some types of clothing effectively, they fail miserably with others.

For the most part a mannequin is simply not a good representation of a real human body. Mannequins typically have unrealistic proportions that are quite often substantially smaller in size than a typical person would be.

Add to that the fact that the color is usually either actual white or actual black and you can see why certain colors and shades simply won’t look correct when used on a mannequin.

Also mannequins are more or less fixed in their position. Conversely, a real life model can strike a virtually unlimited number of poses, and these poses can be used to highlight and accenuate certain aspects of your garment in order to draw attention to features specific to that dress; like the flowy nature of the fabric.

These are not things a mannequin can do.

And have you ever seen a mannequin jump or spin? Forget about it.

Just like the flat lay method of apparel photography, mannequins do have their place. But it is a niche area and is not a good choice for the overall majority of apparel product photography.

3) And then there’s a real model.

Think of the negative things we just went over when it comes to using either the flat lay method or a mannequin to have your items photographed.

The great thing about using a real model when it comes to having your apparel items photographed is that none of these drawbacks apply to real models.

Real models give a sense of life to your clothing items. A real model allows your potential customer to envision themselves as the one wearing the garment. A real model can move. He or she can spin, jump, and kick.

A real model can point to a specific unique feature of your item.

A real model can smile, a real model can laugh, and a real model can convey a sense of their personality that appears as friendly and welcoming which can form a unique and inviting connection between your potential customer and your product. They subconsciously want to like your item because in their mind the person wearing the item likes them. It’s marketing 101 and it works.

So, Do You Truly Need a Real Model for Your Apparel Photos?  –  Verdict.

We do flat lay apparel photography. And yes, we do mannequin, including ghost mannequin, apparel photography.

But unlike other ecommerce photography studios we specialize in modeled apparel photography.

And we do a lot of it.

In fact it is by far the most common type of photography we do.

And it’s precisely because of this that we can offer to have your clothing items modeled by a real model for no more that what you might typically pay for a flat lay photograph somewhere else.

So if you could choose between having your clothing item photographed laying flat against a board, or… on a real live model, for the same price, which one would you choose?

This question of course should be a no brainer to anyone who truly wants to see interest in their product rise and sales increase.

And that’s lucky for you. Because now that you’re here, why would you ever want to go back to paying for photographs that are flat layed, or nothing but a dressed up mannequin, when for the same money you can have your apparel item presented on a real model?

Click the button below to get your modeled clothing photos now. We’re confident you’ll never go back to flat lay or mannequin photos again.