In the world of social media it’s easy to get lost in the “beauty filtered” versions of life. The feelings of inadequacy and being held to unrealistic beauty standards and judged for every action...it’s EXHAUSTING! That’s why we need authentic people like YOU! Here at Letter Shoppe, we want our clothes to be worn and shown off by REAL people of every shape, location, and gender.
If you’re a certified badass and haven’t already joined our Ambassador Program, please do! It’s a great way to interact with the community while making some extra cash from commissions along the way.
That being said, while the goal is to create real and authentic content, it’s also high quality content. So we’ve created an all-inclusive guide on what we’re looking for in photos from our community. When your photos meet our Approval Guidelines below, we WILL pay you for them. No really. We’re serious.
We pay $15 per image taken from your phone’s camera and $30 per photo when you take things up a notch by using a professional DSLR camera.
APPROVAL GUIDELINES TO HELP YOU GET YOUR PHOTOS APPROVED AND PAID FOR FASTER!
1. Good Lighting
Use bright, natural light so we can see the details of your beautiful face AND the design. Cloudy days actually make for really great lighting (weirdly enough) as it filters out some of the harsher daylight if you’re shooting in the middle of the day.
For the best lighting, we recommend shooting between the hours of 7AM and 11AM, or for those aesthetic golden hour photos, look up when the sun sets in your area, and plan for an hour or two beforehand.
If the weather sucks and you are forced to shoot indoors, make sure you turn all your lights on and shoot near a naturally lit window during those peak sun hours. If the photos are too grainy from lack of proper light, we will not be able to approve them.
2. Design as a Focal Point Unedited
Always make sure that the apparel above all else is in focus, blurry art doesn’t sell well. So try to avoid using the “Portrait” feature on iPhone since it tends to blur out the background and sometimes pieces of the shirt.
Try not to cover up any of the hand-lettered graphics in the shirt with hair or outerwear so each phrase is easy to read for everyone.
After you submit photos, of course you are free to do whatever you like with your clothes. But PLEASE do NOT cut or alter the colors of the apparel for product photos. What people see in your photos should be a very accurate representation of what they receive in the mail after they purchase something from our shop.
3. Just The Right Dimensions and Resolution
Portrait images will give you the most bang for your buck as it takes up more of the screen. We only accept photos in the 8:10 ratio (the tall one) if you wanna get paid, so keep this in mind when taking photos.
Please do NOT take photos with a third-party app like SnapChat, BeautyPlus, VSCO, etc. Not only can this lower your resolution, it can heavily distort the color of what you’re wearing.
Photo size matters! The lowest possible resolution we will accept is 1080px, but the more high-def, the better! We recommend using a professional DSLR camera if you have one especially since we pay double for them, but if not, make sure you’re using the highest quality resolution on your phone.
4. Lifestyle vs. Studio Shoots
We prefer lifestyle shots outside and on “sets'' (your bedroom is a great set) vs studio shots against a plain background.
Where would you authentically wear your Letter Shoppe apparel? What comes naturally to you is what we’re looking for. If that’s out on your patio smoking a blunt, go for it! If that’s sitting under a tree at the park? We love it! Just do what feels like YOU.
5. High Contrast Flat Lays
If you don’t want to be IN the picture, that’s cool. We will accept high quality flat lays that show off an outfit you have put together. Even better if you are able to mix and match multiple items of ours.
Make sure there is enough contrast in the background for the apparel to pop. Don’t put a white shirt on a white background. Then take the photo from directly above. Photos taken at an angle won’t be accepted.
6. “Professional” Selfies
Selfies of you holding your phone can cover up the graphic. Instead, use a self-timer, bluetooth remote, or have a friend help you to make your shoot look more professional so we can get all the details in the shot.
Just make sure to have your phone on a steady surface so your images come out clear and you are in the center of the photo as the badass main character that I know you are.
WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO WITH MY HANDS AGAIN?
We all know how awkward it can feel when you have to take a picture. What do you do with your hands? What facial expression should I use? Where do I look? Let’s help make this a little easier for you with an easy Do’s and Don’ts!
DO’S
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Hold a prop! A cup of coffee, a slice of pizza, sunglasses, a blunt, hell, even a cell phone all make great props. When you’re struggling with what to do with your hands, think about how you can use a prop to your advantage. Take what you naturally do with the item and exaggerate it just a touch and you’ve hit the jackpot!
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Make interesting shapes! Triangles create strong lines, good negative space, and help create interesting compositions. Propping your hand on your waist is not only flattering, but helps to add more dimension to the photo. Think about what kinds of shapes you can make with your arms and legs!
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Touch your face, hair, or nails. When doing this, it creates a more casual vibe to your posing, a “candid” feeling if you will. Take what you naturally do and be a little more gentle and intentional about it. If you tuck your hair behind your ear, do it slowly and intentionally!
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Touch the garment naturally. Your hands will naturally draw attention to themselves, so highlighting your clothing with them is a great idea! Bringing a hand to the collar of the shirt, tucking them into your pockets, and looping your thumbs through your belt loops are all great places to start!
DON’TS
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Under commit. A lot of what can make a photo look just a tad bit off is when you go for a pose, but it’s like you weren’t quite ready for the picture yet. Setting your camera to burst can help with getting that one perfect second out of a pose. If you’re going for that angle, make it a STRONG angle. Let the badass in you free and COMMIT BABE.
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Stretch out the clothes. We mentioned touching your clothes as you naturally would, but the 90s boy band “t-shirt prop up” should probably stay in that decade, y’feel? Definitely still make sure the clothing is flat and the text is still easily read before change up each pose.
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Hold your phone. When you hold your phone up in Y2K Myspace fashion to take a selfie, it has a tendency to throw off the total composition of the photo. It’s totally fine to do normally, but it just doesn’t make for good product photography.
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Throw out cheesy hand signs. Alright, we’ve been guilty of loving a good old fashioned middle finger pic, but please don’t hit us with peace signs or finger guns. We love you, we’re guilty of it ourselves, but let’s take things up a notch for these photos.
FACIAL EXPRESSIONS SO YOU LOOK POWERFUL NOT UNCOMFORTABLE
Before we jump into this one, we’d also like to point out that you don’t have to show your face if you don’t want to. These are some tips for those of you who do want to.
DO’S
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Have an attitude. Our emotions have an impact on what our face does with itself. Being sexy and sassy is encouraged! Think badass thoughts. Lift that brow, give us a smirk, tilt that chin down and SLAY.
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Put some life into your eyes. Thinking sassy thoughts will help with this, but another hack is to look at a light source off camera. The light will create a flattering gleam to your pupils. You can also squint just a little bit. Being too wide-eyed can be a little freaky in an un-fun way.
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Look off camera. Looking down and to the side, up and to the side, and just passing the lense are all really great ways to appear more “candid” and natural. If you do look towards the camera, try to do it right as the photo is taken as a photography trick to help you look more natural.
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The trick with posing lies in authenticity. What would you naturally be doing while wearing our apparel? Exaggerate it a touch, and BAM awesome photos! The badass within has been captured on camera!
DON’TS
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Think too much. Thinking too hard about the camera adds a lot of pressure to taking the photo and will have an effect on your face. Just relax and be yourself.
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Think nothing at all. Pretending like the camera isn’t there entirely also isn’t the answer. Gotta find that balance babe! Focus on something that makes your inner goblin cackle to help bring some life into your face.
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Put a light source directly on your face or below it. If you’re using a ring light or box light, having it directly on your face creates a really harsh light that distorts your features. Putting it below your face can be unflattering as well as distortive. Put the lamp just a bit above you or to the side to create the illusion of natural light.
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Smile directly into the camera. We all love a good smile, but when it’s a big toothy grin and you feel like the person in the photo is staring into your soul through the screen, it can be a bit off-putting. If you want to smile, try looking away and laughing instead of a smile that rivals your senior photo.
WHERE SHOULD I GO FOR THE BEST PHOTOS??
When we use the word “set,” we say it lightly. You don’t need to go rent a fully decorated AirBnB or take a road trip to some remote abandoned location to take a good photo. Here are some places we DO recommend using as a “set” for your pics:
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Any room with your house that has a good source of NATURAL light including bedrooms, livingrooms, and kitchens.
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Your porch or patio.
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Your local park.
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Downtown in your local city.
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Out in a magical field of flowers that somehow exist but only TikTok baddies know where.
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Poolside.
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Lakes.
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Beaches.
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In front of that really dope mural you keep passing on your way to work.
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Your car.
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The gas station.
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That really Instagrammable restaurant you’ve always wanted to go to.
That being said, here are some places you should absolutely stay away from:
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Your bathroom. I know. It has the literal BEST lighting in your place. But it’s just NOT the place to take a product shot.
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In front of your garage. It’s a perfectly normal place to take a picture, but it kinda sucks the coolness right out of the pic.
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Inside other apparel shops. A mall would be a cool place to shoot in if you stick to the food court or areas where other stores aren’t really visible, but any photos taken where other apparel can be seen and aren’t Letter Shoppe brand will be rejected.
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In front of a mirror. A well executed mirror selfie in the product photography world can be difficult to achieve. We recommend against it in this sense.
WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOUR PHOTOS AND FEATURE YOU!
Once you’ve got your kick ass photos, send them over to models@lettershoppe.com with “[Instagram Handle] Photo Submission” in the subject line to request approval. We’ll be in touch with you as soon as we can!
Casting calls for new collections will be announced in monthly newsletters, on Twitter, and in our Ambassador exclusive community Discord that’s coming soon. If you haven’t already, please join our Ambassador Program to start earning commissions for all your hard work right now!
Please remember that all paid photos are on a first come, first serve basis. We only accept 12 photos per design, so if you REALLY wanna be featured, check out designs that don’t have as many pictures on the site
