Fashion Photography – We have all heard about this at some point in our lives. So what is Fashion Photography? Can Fashion Photography make a lucrative career? What are the essentials or skills required to pursue Fashion Photography and make a lucrative career out of it? What are the different styles of Fashion Photography?
This article will guide you, and hopefully, at the end of this article, you’ll know better if this career is the one for you!
1. Catalog Fashion Photography
One of the four styles of Fashion Photography is Catalog photography. Catalog Photography is probably one of the simplest of the four fashion photography forms. It serves the purpose of selling clothes, and the main concentration is on the fit. It is usually seen as the right place to start in the field of fashion photography before you progress to some of the other styles, such as – Editorial, Street Style, or High Fashion.
Catalog photography is a form of product photography. The only actual difference between catalog photography & product photography is that there is a model in the former. Even so, the photography’s center of attention remains on the clothes.
The backdrop of the photos is often plain–white and grey colors. There are the least possible accessories and minimal props. Conventionally, the models stand up straight to manifest the outfit. However, they may strike various poses to display details of the outfit, such as – pockets.
Generally, the one huge issue the photographer faces with this form of fashion photography is the lighting. A photographer would want to use lighting that captures the features of the clothing unaccompanied by washing out of the colors. To do this, it’s best not to use indoor lights or shoot at night.
A subsidiary of catalog photography is known as Lookbook. It requires a blend of catalog photography & lifestyle photography and includes shooting models wearing the clothes in original, real, actual locations and quotidian situations.
Here’s an example of a Catalog Shoot :
2. High Fashion Photography
The other style of Fashion Photography is High fashion. High Fashion is something folks regularly see on the cover of their favorite magazines. However, from the photographer’s standpoint, the long way is when well-known supermodels strike exaggerated poses, in occasionally non-realistic wardrobe, and all elements are comprising hairstyles and locations combined to create a perfect image.
But, getting that perfect, excellent, masterly image can be extremely challenging. You’re consistently confronted with tough decisions concerning lighting, location, models, hairstyle, makeup, wardrobe, and much more. Even if most of that is decided for you, you still have to put in a lot of effort to make sure that it looks alluring and elegant.
One of the very first things you should do is attentively contemplate the sort of mood you wish to construct with the shoot. You don’t have to be extremely discrete, and you don’t have to stick with the same feeling of inspiration necessarily leads you elsewhere, but it’s the aptest place to start.
You also require the right model for your shoot. You want someone who is experienced, but also someone willing to cooperate with you to create that mood you desire. Besides the model, you will also want and need a good team.
You’ll want folks who are reliable, accountable as well as competent. You will wish to skillful and experienced professionals for wardrobe, makeup, and styling of hair. It will also assist you better if they share your perception of the shoot and the art of photography in general.
If you have a specific choice of location, you’ll want to ponder over again the mood you’re trying to form. There are also other sensible and constructive considerations, such as whether you need to take some sort of permission for the location where you wish to shoot. If the shoot is an indoor one, you might most definitely need permission.
Last but not least, then there’s the apparatus. You’re going to require a lighting apparatus as well as a professional camera. You’ll want a lightweight camera with long-lasting battery life and attributes that assist with low light conditions. You will also want a selection of lenses for assorted types of images.
Here are a few instances of High Fashion Photography –
3. Street Fashion Photography
One of the most common styles of fashion photography is street fashion or urban fashion. Street fashion, famously known as urban fashion, is usually considered to be the opposite of high-end fashion. A derivative of street fashion is an alternative fashion–grunge or hip-hop that later became regular urban fashion styles.
Street fashion looks way more rugged when compared to high fashion. It comprises the kinds of clothes people wear on a day-to-day basis such as – shirts, skirts, jeans, and hoodies. It also involves dresses that look graceful and beautiful but are equally comfortable to be worn every day.
Photographers who wish to expertise in this style of fashion photography are generally shooting regular people seen on the street rather than experienced models. But, you’ve got to be careful concerning getting permission to photograph the folks on the road. The rules aren’t always transparent, as various street fashion photographers will tell you.
The majority of the time with street fashion, it is not just about what the person is wearing; it’s also about the light, how comfortable they are, they’re expressions, and how what they’re wearing as a fit compliments their personality.
To shoot street fashion shots, most photographers tend to use a longer lens because that way, they can get photos even from a considerable distance without making folks feel self-conscious about the shoot. Street fashion just tries to exhibit the fact that some of the most fascinating yet comfortable fashion styles are around you everywhere!
Here are a few instances of Street Fashion Photography –
4. Editorial Fashion Photography
Fashion photography has another style – Editorial. This style of fashion photography that narrates a story. You can find editorial fashion photography in publications such as newspapers and magazines. The images are generally accompanied by text, which can be from diverse fields.
Editorial fashion photographs can also narrate the story themselves, or they may recommend an exciting backstory. More often than not, you’ll find editorial fashion images that are a branch of a theme or a concept or an idea, or they may relate to a specific model or designer.
The goal here is to construct a very particular mood that narrates the story. These images might include one brand or various brands and various forms of photographs, from long-distance shots to close-ups.
That means there are likely to be different forms of shots needing different apparatus as well as different hairstyles, makeup, wardrobe on the models. There are also expected to be a lot of varied props.
Irrespective of the challenging factors, editorial photography can be one of the most gratifying, rewarding, and advantageous fashion photography styles because of the creativity it permits.
Here are a few instances of Editorial Fashion Photography –
If you’re contemplating fashion photography as a genre, these four styles can give you an idea of the various outcomes in the field. Of course, you’ll need to get the proper apparatus as you would with any other genre, but once you have that, there are several forms from which you can choose and experiment. It’s about deciding which style fits your particular vision and wants.
Fashion Photography can be a lucrative career if you’re super passionate and creative. Recently, with thousands of content creators and bloggers emerging on social media, fashion photography has become all the more famous because famous fashion bloggers and video creators require fashion photographers to assist them in their shoots and come up with new concepts and ideas for their blog.
There are various technical skills that a person contemplating fashion photography as a career is required to have. These skills involve knowledge concerning different styles, awareness of different fashion trends, lighting, and various forms of composition and sharpness. Fashion photographers must have excellent social skills as it’s required of them to interact with a vast number of people during their work tenure.
They must also be able to pronounce what they envision into their work, i.e., photographs. Fashion photographers must also be willing to experiment with various techniques and put in a lot of sincere efforts to make them known and accessible. Another skill set that fashion photographers are required to have is creativity to make their photographs stand out. Fashion photographers must also have the capability to be organized while having an artistic sensibility.
Fashion photographers should be capable of dealing with pressure.
So how EXACTLY do you become a fashion photographer? Here are a few steps –
a. Learn How To Use A Professional Camera
Study some basic courses in photography so you can comprehend the functions and features of a professional camera.
b. Practice With Amateur Models
Go out there and shoot photographs of models. There are several websites out there that have models who are willing to shoot with you and who also reside in your area. Begin with an internet search to explore model sites.
c. Research, Research, Research.
Go through the magazines that you wish to be in and examine their styles. Over time you’ll be able to shoot as excellently as the photographers working for those magazines.
When you’re ready, email/hand in your portfolio to the photo editors of those magazines which you want to work with.
Socialize and maintain healthy relationships with folks in the industry. Social networking sites are the best way to do this, as the most celebrated fashion designers make up artists, magazines, fashion photographers, and photo editors can be found on social media. It may take some time and a lot of proper research but social networks have a ton of resources to assist you and guide you!
d. Have An Original Style
Initially, when you start shooting, it is very enticing to fall into the trap of copying other famous artists and trying to pull as per their style and vision. This is not a bad thing, per se. For decades, painters and sculptors have swarmed to the Louvre in Paris to emulate the Mona Lisa and other renowned works of art.
But after you’ve practiced enough, however, it’s essential to move on and let go of the idea of imitating the great photographers. Instead, imitate your style, have your style. Art imitates life. Work on constructing your style, work on converting your vision into photographs, and you’ll be rewarded generously for it.
e. Keep Hustling, Don’t Give Up.
The journey of becoming a renowned fashion photographer can be a long and tedious one. Don’t give up yet. At the start, shoot as a hobby in all of your free time. Create as often as you can, as much as you can. The experience is invaluable for a beginner. Sincere efforts never go waster.
f. Hire an Agent
An agent can play a pivotal role in promoting your photography career by improving your work. When you have your portfolio full of pictures, you can start reaching out to them. It will not be easy to get them to notice you, but it will be well worth the effort.
Some well – known Fashion Photographers are –
a. Mario Testino
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b. Mert and Marcus
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c. Ellen Von Unwerth
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d. Jeff Bark
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e. Lara Jade
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If you’re a sucker for Fashion, here is something you might be interested in reading. Click here.
This may sound counterintuitive, but fashion photography is as much about story as it is about clothing. The clothing will speak for itself, especially with a well-directed model. But, in order for people to connect with the images, you’ll need to emphasize the human element. This means always keeping your attention on your model’s face and body, the message they’re conveying, and how their presentation of the clothing changes the tone of your images. Some of your best work may even be from those in-between moments, changing from one pose to another or being distracted by an off-camera event. Take advantage of these opportunities.