Fashion · 5 min
Ghost mannequin: what to shoot so the neck joint works
May 18, 2026
Ghost mannequin fails in post when it failed on set. The editor can hide a stand. The editor cannot invent the inside of a collar that was never photographed.
Shoot the garment on a form or mannequin, camera locked, same lens, same distance. Then — without moving the camera — pull the garment and shoot the interior / label plate as flat and square as you can. That plate is the neck joint.
Keep the lighting even. Hard side light looks dramatic on a model and makes a hollow neck look like a cave. Soft frontal or slightly high frontal is the catalog default.
If you use a invisible-mannequin kit (foam forms, crotch pieces, extra arms), photograph those helper pieces too. We will use them.
Send us one blessed frame from a previous season if you have one. Matching last year’s hollow is faster than inventing this year’s taste.