Summer, as we all know, means different things to different people. It represents freedom, sunshine, warmth, adventure, parties, beaches, romance, and so much more. Whatever it means to you, one thing is certain: we all want to preserve the beautiful memories that the season brings.
You’re about to find out how to perfectly capture all of your gorgeous summer looks and moments from the right angles if you’ve ever wondered how.
We spoke with Elizabeth Usen, a fashion model and creative writer, who shared some of her favourite things about summer and gave us insider tips on how to take perfect pictures this season. Here’s what she had to say;
Moda Culture: Hello, Elizabeth. Tell us more about who you are as a person, and as a creative?
E: My name is Elizabeth Usen. I’m from Akwa Ibom, I live in Lagos, Nigeria. I’m a model, and creative writer and I love writing, but I studied Intelligence and Security. I won’t say I’m an outgoing person. I am very friendly, but more of an introvert.
Moda Culture: What are some of the milestones you’ve achieved in the modelling industry thus far?
E: Recently, I did an Andrea Iyamah show. Walking her show last year was really big for me because I love Andrea Iyamah.
Moda Culture: What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear summer?
E: The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear summer is sunshine; along with beaches, sundresses, bikinis, and water. Yeah, that’s it for me.
Moda Culture: What do you love most about the summer?
E: What I love about summer is the freedom to be able to do everything you want to do outdoors. Go to the beach, chill with some friends, yunno, picnic, without having to worry about anything concerning the weather; because when it’s raining, especially in Lagos, you cannot step outside, you cannot do anything.
I love summer. I personally love the summer, if not for whatever reason, but because I can wear anything I want to wear. I don’t like too many clothes on me. I’m excited about going on crop tops, sundresses, flowy dresses, yunno, anything that just makes my body free and makes it possible for air to come into my body, without worrying about the cold. So I definitely love summer.
Moda Culture: We love the summer too, especially for the warmth it brings. What are some of your go-to summer outfits?
My go-to outfits for the summer…Currently, I am trying to explore other ways to wear beach fits without just narrowing it down to just a bikini bra and pants. Now, you can wear your sheer dresses, you can wear your skirts and crop tops, you can wear oversized t-shirts and shorts. There are a million other ways that we can explore summer outfits.
E: But for me, my go-to for this period is just going to be, honestly, skirts and bra tops. Definitely skirts, yes. I mean, long skirts are coming back, which for me, I really really love; because I’m tired of wearing pants and trousers, and all that. Just put on a nice long skirt and whatever top that goes with it, preferably a crop or bra top or bikini top. Yeah!
Moda Culture: We’ll be sure to try out those suggestions. We went through your Instagram page and were wowed by your aesthetic. Pray tell, how do you achieve such perfect angles in your pictures?
E: First of all, I am very particular about getting good pictures, so I already know my angles. Study your angles—that’s what I’ll say. You’ll not always be lucky to have somebody that knows about angles take your picture. So most times, when I have people take my picture, I always tell them where to take it from. Or sometimes I just do a test run where I make them take it and then I look at it and say “okay yeah, this works, that doesn’t work, or this angle works, that angle doesn’t work.”
So, I always make sure that I approve of something before I give it a go. For summer pictures, honestly don’t go under too much sun. People always think that it has to be like the scorching sun; no. I love the 6pm sunset in Lagos. Usually between 5:30PM – 6:30PM, that sunset is usually the best sunset for taking pictures. I always aim to take pictures around that time, especially beach pictures, because you have the yellow effect of the sun.
Yeah! It’s actually really the best for me.
Moda Culture: That was enlightening.
So to recap, tips for getting perfect summer pictures are to, one, study your angles and know what works best for you. Two, pay attention to your lighting. Natural light is better for optimum results but the hotness of the sun does not translate to your glow in the Jpegs. Finally, make sure your photographer is trustworthy and capable. Is that right?
E: Yes, it is!
