The viewer should be focused on what you are saying and not on distracting clothing. This is the most important part of dressing for the camera lens. The second most important thing to remember is that your attire should match your role in the story. A solar panel installer should not be dressed like a surfer and a CEO should not be dressed like a mechanic. Besides being true to yourself, here are ten helpful tips.
1. Consider bringing more than one clothing option: You could spill something on your favorite shirt or show up to a set with pink walls and you decided to wear a pink shirt. If it's a photo shoot or a video shoot, having two top options is a must. To go the extra mile, bring a jacket. Jackets can also be useful for making the process of attaching a lapel mic easier for everyone.
2. Wear colors that complement you: Blue, pastels, purple, and brown are all good on camera. Avoid green if you are doing any green screen work.
3. Be careful with wearing black: Black and other dark colors work well on the lower part of the body. Darker colors tend to absorb a lot of light and make you blend in with your surroundings. If you want to wear a black shirt, try adding a colorful jacket on top to give yourself dimension.
4. Avoid bright white: White just does not look that great on camera. Unless it is a lab coat, a better choice is light gray or other pale colors.
5. Avoid orange and sometimes red: Red should be avoided unless it is covered with a jacket and is in contrast with a cool background. Orange just does not look flattering on camera and it is a difficult color for cameras to capture accurately.
6. AVOID PATTERNS!: They are distracting to the viewer and can create bad-looking artifacts in the camera's footage.
7. Jewelry: Jewelry is fine for photoshoots. The problem with jewelry in video shoots is that it makes noise when pieces touch each other or objects such as a table.
A leather strap is preferred to a metal bracelet if you are wearing a watch as it won't make noise when touching a table.
8. Solid colors please: Solid colors look the best. That's it.
9. Pressed and wrinkle-free: Remember what we said at the beginning. For the most part, you want to match the story you are telling even if it is a photo. I can't think of a situation where wrinkles look good. Even rock climbers look good in wrinkle-free clothes.
10 . Logos: Logos are usually on t-shirts which should be avoided and are distracting. If it's your brand in your video, then go for it!
One last look: Finally, just look at yourself and ask if there is anything you are wearing that might be distracting viewers away from your story.