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Do you wear the professional photographer’s uniform?
I was thumbing through images on iStockPhoto.com the other day, and while looking for a generic photo of a professional photographer I noticed something interesting. The vast majority of the photographers were dressed in all-black. A quick search of Google images confirmed my suspicion: most of the (admittedly male) photographers were also clad in black.
In the public’s eyes, is an all-black outfit the official uniform of a professional photographer?
While it is at first easy to dismiss the idea of “dressing like a photographer” as a gimmick, it is at least worth considering. What if the average consumer equates someone in all-black outfit as an artist, of which a photographer is a specific type? Don’t we automatically have a different level of respect for a soldier in a tee-shirt and jeans verses one in full-dress uniform?
Which leads to the question, if black equals artist and artist equals photographer, could wearing black have an impact on your sales?
It’s an interesting experiment, and one I’m sure everyone reading would like to read about if you’ve tried. Alternatively, have you ever changed your wardrobe and found it changed your ability to make a sale?
Would you be willing to wear all-black for a week or a month and see if it makes any difference? Add a comment below and let me know. It could be the simplest way to increase your sales you’ve ever tried.
Tags: selling
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January 7th, 2013 at 9:14 am
Hi JD. I had a wedding coordinator tell me that my team should wear uniforms and name tags at weddings. I am on the fence about it! Of course I want to fit in at a wedding and look professional, but is it weird to all show up in matching uniforms? And, of course, the only “uniform” that I can come up with is a black dress or black on black. Why is that? I mean we are at a wedding, not a funeral? Anyway, not sure what the answer is…Thanks for the post.
January 7th, 2013 at 1:22 pm
I don’t like the idea of “uniforms” either if they mean dressing like the wait-staff. But she has a point. All-black clothing means you’re dressing to blend into the background and not being noticed, which is perfect to get a great candid shot. It’s also an easy way to insure your team all shows up looking appropriate no matter what their income level. It will make you look more professional.
As to name tags – no one should care what your name is except the bride and groom. If someone asks your name, give them your business card