Mens fashion photoshoot ideas: a by-genre reference

01Tailoring

Bespoke or designer-tailored suit photography. Associated with Esquire, GQ, and The Rake, with bespoke houses (Anderson and Sheppard, Kiton, Brioni, Brunello Cucinelli), and with custom-tailoring marketing. The compositional grammar traces back to mid-century Apparel Arts and to contemporary editors like Nick Sullivan at Esquire.

Wardrobe runs to bespoke or high-end ready-to-wear with cuts (English structured, Italian Neapolitan-soft, French, American sack) showing their visible signatures. Accessories: pocket squares, ties, watches, cufflinks, considered shoes. Layering decisions: with or without overcoat, vest visible or not.

Settings: classic tailor shop, gentleman's club, library, boardroom; outdoor on cobblestone streets and classic-architecture cityscapes (Savile Row, Naples' Via Filangieri, the Burlington Arcade); studio with classic styling. The four working templates: the lapel-roll detail (tight on the chest showing the curve and stitching with the tie knot in frame); the watch-and-cuff forearm crop showing the shirt cuff break; the full-length unbuttoned-jacket walking shot taken at lens level or slightly low; the sit-and-cross-leg study showing how trouser breaks at the shoe and how the jacket sits when seated.

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02Streetwear and athletic-fashion

Streetwear traces through Jamel Shabazz's Brooklyn portraiture (1980s onward), through The Sartorialist's street-style work, and through contemporary editorial at Highsnobiety, Hypebeast, and SSENSE. Brands the genre orbits: Supreme, Stussy, Aime Leon Dore, Fear of God Essentials, Off-White. Wardrobe runs to hoodies, tees, jeans, sneakers, branded pieces, often layered (tee under hoodie under jacket; double-jacket layering). Settings are urban: named neighbourhoods (Brooklyn, Shoreditch, Harajuku, Shibuya, La Brea), industrial locations.

Four working templates: the on-bench candid (subject sitting on a stoop or courtside bench, mid-conversation, the Shabazz template); the shoe-and-trouser-break crop showing sneaker silhouette and cuff styling at sidewalk-level; the waist-up cropped at hips foregrounding graphic-tee logo and cross-body bag; the parking-lot wide showing subject small in frame against a graffitied wall. Kevin Couliau's skate-photography influence shows up in low-angle, wide-lens grammar.

Athletic-fashion (athleisure) is the performance-and-fashion blend. The modern grammar comes out of Lululemon's marketing, Nike's training editorial, and the Adidas-by-Wales-Bonner crossover. Wardrobe: technical fabrics (Lycra, Coolmax, Polartec) from Nike, Adidas, On Running, Tracksmith, or designer crossovers (Y-3, Nike-by-Sacai). Compositions: the gym-doorway shot backlit by interior lighting; the sweat-on-skin post-workout crop with visible sweat at temples and clavicle; the tight-fit fabric structure detail showing seam construction and brand logo; the mid-stride running form shot at 1/1000s or faster on a track.

03Formal, black-tie, and designer-editorial

Formal eveningwear references Slim Aarons' midcentury society work, Patrick Demarchelier's Vanity Fair Oscar portraits, and Mark Seliger's contemporary Vanity Fair Oscar-night setups. Wardrobe: tuxedo or formal suit with peak or shawl lapel, satin facing, correct trouser braid; bow tie or formal tie, patent or polished oxford, cufflinks, pocket square. Settings: ballroom, theatre, formal dinner; Beaux-Arts buildings, opera-house steps. Templates: the single-light dramatic standing portrait with hard key from camera-left and shadow falling across the body; the bow-tie-and-clavicle detail showing silk weave and shirt-stud line; the seated-in-armchair editorial; the companion-in-frame social shot mid-laugh rather than posed straight to camera.

Designer-editorial sits at the avant-garde end. Mario Sorrenti's Yves Saint Laurent and Calvin Klein editorial work anchors the glossy single-light register; Tim Walker's W and Vogue Italia editorials anchor the staged-narrative end. Brands the genre orbits: Rick Owens, Maison Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Loewe under Jonathan Anderson, Bottega Veneta. Wardrobe is stylist-curated, often deconstructed silhouettes, exaggerated proportions, conceptual styling, shot in the four-week window between collection delivery and editorial publication. Templates: the architectural-pose stand (held sculptural posture, often torso-twist, against flat backdrop); the side-light dramatic with hard side-key from a single source and deep shadow falling across half the face shot at f/8 or tighter; the in-gallery context inside an actual gallery, museum, or installation space (Frieze, Hauser and Wirth, Gagosian register); the editor's-letter still with model centred looking straight to lens.

04Vintage, workwear, and heritage

Vintage and thrifted styling lives in publications like Heroine, Inventory, and Free and Easy (Japan), and in shops like What Goes Around Comes Around, James Veloria, and Procell. Wardrobe runs to era pieces (1940s tailoring, 1950s rockabilly, 1960s mod, 1970s wide-lapel) and heritage workwear with fashion styling. Settings are era-appropriate: classic diner for 1950s, Soho or East Village shop interior for present-day vintage-curation. Templates: the bold-pattern shirt full-frame torso crop foregrounding the print (Hawaiian, geometric 70s, paisley, deadstock-rayon); the hand-on-collar adjustment making wear-and-fit legible; the in-the-shop sourcing scene with racks behind; the era-appropriate static portrait styled in full era kit referencing 1940s Hollywood, 1960s Vidal Sassoon, or 1970s Granny Takes a Trip publicity stills.

Workwear and heritage is heritage workwear styled as fashion: Carhartt, Filson, Red Wing, Stan Ray, RRL by Ralph Lauren, Engineered Garments, Visvim. Bruce Weber's Ralph Lauren campaigns and his "Bear Pond" portraits provide the canonical reference set. Wardrobe specifics: 14-ounce raw denim, work jackets, work boots (Red Wing 875 or Iron Ranger), Carhartt double-front pants. Settings: warehouses, garages, workshops; Pacific Northwest forest, Brooklyn industrial waterfront, Montana ranch. Templates: the weathered-leather close-up showing wear, patina, and stitching; the hands-on-tool action gripping a hammer, pipe wrench, or axe handle; the double-front-pant detail showing the carpenter loop and seat wear; the boot-and-floor combo on a wood-shop floor with sawdust underfoot.

05Casual and lifestyle

The everyday-life register. Subject in their actual contemporary wardrobe doing what they actually do, captured with editorial polish but documentary honesty. References: Banana Republic and J.Crew catalogue work of the 2010s, the Mr Porter Journal lifestyle features, contemporary brand work from Buck Mason, Todd Snyder, and Aime Leon Dore.

Wardrobe: chore coats, oxford shirts, chinos, knit polos, sneakers or loafers. Brands: J.Crew, Buck Mason, Todd Snyder, Norse Projects, Drake's casual. Settings: cafe, home interior, neighborhood street, beach. Templates: the cafe-table candid with coffee cup in foreground; the dog-walk natural mid-stride with leash in hand; the morning-coffee at home in the kitchen or by a window with mug in hand; the beach-afternoon laid-back on sand or boardwalk in linen and cotton tee shot at golden hour.

06How working photographers brief sessions

Working photographers ask clients to settle the genre (one of the seven above), the brand or publication context, wardrobe direction or stylist coordination, reference editorials or campaigns, and location preferences. Day rates for top New York and London fashion stylists run $1500 to $5000 per shoot day per Production Paradise industry reporting. The brief takes 30 to 60 minutes at booking. Brand campaigns require photographers to research the brand's existing aesthetic, often starting from the previous campaign's lookbook. Each genre has its own posing and compositional conventions; working photographers direct accordingly.

Sessions that approach mens fashion as an undifferentiated category often produce output that fits no genre well. The seven genres above map most working mens fashion contexts. Photographers who shoot regularly typically have one or two genre specialties: Sorrenti for designer-glossy, Shabazz for documentary-streetwear, Weber for heritage. Booking a working photographer outside their specialty is feasible but slower; the comp set and reference editorials need to be more detailed.

For the related broader mens-portrait context see the mens portrait ideas spoke, for the related personal-brand context see the LinkedIn profile picture and branding photoshoot ideas spokes, and for the related vintage context see the vintage photoshoot ideas spoke.

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