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How to take continuity photos for film and TV

Continuity photos let hair, makeup and wardrobe teams recreate a look exactly, even when scenes are shot weeks apart and out of order. This guide covers when to take them, which angles to capture and how to keep them easy to find.

Why continuity photos matter

Films and series are rarely shot in story order. A scene that plays in one continuous minute may be filmed across several days, and a character can appear in the same look in episodes shot months apart. A reliable photo of exactly how a look was worn is the only way to match it, and viewers do spot a collar, parting or wound that changes between shots.

When to take continuity photos

• When the look is camera-ready, before the first take of the scene.
• After anything changes: a touch-up, a jacket coming off, rain, sweat, blood or dirt being added.
• At the end of a scene that continues on another day, so the next setup starts from the final state.
• For every performer who wears the look, including stunt doubles and photo doubles.

Which angles to capture

• Hair: front, back, left and right, plus detail shots of partings, pins, braids and accessories.
• Makeup: close-ups of eyes, lips, brows and skin, plus tattoos, scars, wounds and special effects.
• Wardrobe and costume: front, back and a full-body shot that includes shoes, plus close-ups of jewellery, buttons and how things are tied or tucked.

How to get consistent photos

• Shoot from the same distance and height each time, with the camera at roughly chest or eye level.
• Keep the whole look in frame. A cropped hem or the top of a hairstyle is the detail you’ll need later.
• Use even light where you can and avoid filters, beauty modes and portrait blur, which change colour and texture.
• When you’re re-creating a look, line up the new photo with the old one so differences are obvious.

Details that are easy to miss

• Which side the hair is parted on, and which hand or wrist jewellery is on.
• Rolled sleeves, open buttons, tucked or untucked shirts and how a scarf is tied.
• The level of sweat, dirt, blood or bruising, which often progresses through a sequence.
• Glasses, hats, bags and props that belong to the look.

Label everything

A photo is only useful if you can find it. Record the character, the look, the episode, the scene and the day for every photo, at the time you take it. Keep each department’s photos in one shared place, and back them up off the device at the end of each day.

How Continuity Lookbook helps

Continuity Lookbook is built around this workflow. Each character has a set of looks with the right angles for your department, every photo can be tagged with episode, scene and day, and the camera overlay helps you match an earlier photo. Crew iPhones send their photos to a hub iPad over local Wi‑Fi, or by AirDrop when there’s no Wi‑Fi, so the department works from one complete lookbook without uploading anything to the cloud.

Department guides: hair · makeup · wardrobe and costume · FAQ