street style photography

This month, Melbourne Central has invited me to be their Guest Street Style Photographer to scope out some of the most stylish shoppers which is currently featured on their Melbourne Central Facebook page and Instagram feed.

In no particular order, here are my top 15 street style looks at Melbourne Central…

Coco’s grey, black and white colour theme was really easy on the eye. I see a lot of black worn in the Melbourne street style scene, so it was refreshing to see a mix of grey and charcoal in her look. I also love how she styled it with a pom pom beanie and a pair of Adidas sneakers. Both are staples for any winter wardrobe.

Flares and wide-legged pants are making a comeback this season. It was good to see Melanie wearing colour this winter and I also love the way she wore her tartan scarf around her body as a cape.

The signature three stripes on his white crisp shirt immediately grabbed my attention. Thom Browne New York is the latest label to hit the Melbourne shores and I loved how Will styled it with a mid-length khaki coat from Nique. He’s got that mix of sports luxe and casual.

Besides Zac’s gorgeous curly hair, I love his cropped chinos and plimsoles and the way he tied that scarf around his neck. Once again, it’s about styling affordable pieces together to create a good look.

The colour and soft wool texture of Emma’s coat by Nicolas caught my eye. Once again, I’m a big believer in investing in a quality wool winter coat because it’s the first piece of clothing people notice.

I love a guy in a clean look with a simple fitted jacket worn over a tee and chinos with white Converse sneakers.

I love a quirky printed shirt to give a monochrome-inspired outfit at bit of an edge, and this one is paired with a good pair of skinny cropped jeans from J.Crew. She pulls this look beautifully with a pair of flats from Mimco.

I believe in investing in a good winter coat. Indianna is wearing a beautiful vintage Elvie Hill mohair coat, which belonged to her grandmother. I loved the way she styled it over a simple black tee and leather tights, paired with Alexander Wang flats.

Melburnians are best known for wearing black. To pull off an interesting all black look comes down to the choice of textures. Mai is wearing a leatherette skirt, oversized coat, mohair sweater and ankle leather boots illustrating why minimalism is one of the biggest trends this season.

I’m always looking for the little details whenever I snap street style and I can’t go past a guy in pink socks and a polka dot shirt. I love the way Dylan layered his look with different textures and patterns. Dylan has a bubbly nature so this street style look matched his personality perfectly.

You don’t need to spend a lot to look good. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that most pieces of Jamo’s street style look were purchased from Savers. What stood out the most was the leather brief case he was carrying with his Daniel Wellington watch.

I come across the double denim look a lot so to see how May styled hers was pretty refreshing. She looks uber cool in her high-waisted denim overalls worn over a light coloured denim shirt and finished off with a pair of white Nike sneakers. You can never go wrong with a good pair of white sneakers.

If there is one winter staple you must own this season, it is definitely the biker leather jacket. It just goes with everything! Kim’s look is pretty close to what I wear almost every day so it was cool to see someone else with a similar style. What also stood out to me was her short-cropped platinum blonde hair, and the Salvatore Ferragamo shoes she was wearing to polish off the look.

Kingsly is rocking the coolest beard, hairstyle and faux fur coat from the late ’80s or early ’90s. Every item he’s curated has a story to tell. Kingsly told me it took him ages to find his dream quality boots, and guess where he found them? From a guy waiting in line at Subway! Score.

Scott looks dapper in his one-piece suit by Oscar Hunt Tailors. What I love about his look is the way he layered his beige trench coat from Jack London over his suit to give a bit of contrast. He’s got this old-English class to him.

Also, a huge shout out to my amazing intern, Nicola Tauros who has been the most incredible sidekick for the past two months.

As you know, snapping street style may be daunting if you are doing it for the first time so I’ve come up with a list of dos and don’ts to get you started on the right track.

Dos:

• Know your fashion and understand trend.
• Stay true to your style. Don’t just shoot anything. Shoot the style you love and what you would wear.
• Get a reliable assistant to work with you. Their job is to hand out business cards, waiver forms, grabbing outfit details, and give you that extra security and professionalism. Oh, but make sure you feed them.
• Be alert when you are stopping people and make sure they aren’t busy eating or talking to someone. Eg, I remember walking past two well dressed ladies engrossed in a conversation and I was about to approach them until I caught a glimpse of the paperwork. It had their company name written across the front cover and I realised they were in a job interview. I immediately turned and walked away.
• Introduce yourself, shake their hand and always compliment on what they are wearing every. single. time.
• Ask for permission before shooting. If they say no, don’t feel defeated. Get over it and move onto the next person. It will happen!
• If you have the luxury of time, pose and shoot the person with the best available natural light and contrasting background.

Donts:

• Don’t be creepy and shoot from behind a bush, a wall thinking they won’t notice. They will. Always ask for permission.
• Don’t shoot up close to their face or the lower part of their body without their permission. It is VERY creepy and rude.
• Don’t wear heels when shooting street style. You will be either running or on your feet all day.
• Don’t stop anyone if they are blatantly in a hurry. Just shoot them candidly (applicable to Fashion Week only)
• Don’t shoot until the background is steer clear of people. You don’t want a random person’s head sticking out in the background.
• Don’t pressure anyone for their photo to be taken. They are not obliged to have their photo taken so don’t give anyone pressure. If they say no, just thank them and move on.
• Don’t be rude. Enough said.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave me any questions!

Until then, happy snapping!