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There’s an old expression: “Clothes make the
man.” Well, I don’t know if that’s really true, espe-
cially today, when some millionaires walk around
in jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers. However, clothes
are important when it comes to photographing
people. What a person is wearing not only says
something important about him or her, but it can
also change the appeal and mood of the photo-
graph, and, of course, the subject.
I took the two pictures in this lesson of the girl on
the motorcycle in the middle of Mongolia’s Gobi
Desert, believe it or not. When I first encountered
the young girl, who was selling souvenirs at a site
called the Flaming Cliffs, she was wearing a brown
shirt. Through my guide, I asked her to pose on
her brother’s motorcycle. I took a few shots and
was pleased with the results.
Then I thought about something I read in the
1978 edition of National Geographic’s Guide to
Photography. The author suggested that when
photographing a person, have the person wear
something red (or another strong color) so that he
or she will stand out in the scene. Usually, that’s a
practical idea. So, I asked the girl to change shirts
with her nearby girlfriend, who was wearing a red
shirt. ...