I get asked all the time, "How do you make a fashion shoot so fun and get beautiful images for your client?" Below are my top secrets!
From planning for a fashion shoot to learning how to pick your top images to knowing what to do with the images, here is 25+years of experience.
As a fashion and portrait photographer I have seen fads come and go. But there are four basic types of fashion photography that will stand the test of time. Before diving into the world of fashion shoots you should know the different styles there are and really what type of fashion you’re looking to go into.
*Catalog Photography
*High Fashion Photography. ...
*Street Fashion Photography. ...
*Editorial Fashion Photography.
When you are just starting off it can be tricky to know the type of fashion photography you are looking for. Catalog photography is similar to product photography but with a model. For example a clothing brand.
High fashion is a bit more dramatic, you'll often see it on the cover of your favorite fashion magazines. High fashion is all about the vision, concept, high end clothing, hair, make up, more elaborate set ups which usually means bigger budgets. I would not recommend trying that for a beginner.
Street fashion is very much what you might see on fashion feeds on instagram, it’s all about real life and what style people are wearing. Lastly editorial fashion is one of my favorites, you choose a topic (color, message, feeling) and work around that by creating and telling a story. Many times they are used to be published in a magazine or blog. They are not so scripted so you can collaborate with the model and really create something that is fresh and different. Something a bit more daring!
Once you know the style of Fashion shoot, what’s next? As a professional photographer here would be my top 10 tips on how to prepare for your next fashion shoot.
1.Super simple: Sleep well the night before, no drinking or drugs. The more well rested and fresh you look and feel in the morning is what will set the pace for the rest of the day.
2. Eat a good meal before the photoshoot (Note. keep it clean and simple). Most professional shoots offer food and snacks. You will be surprised just how much energy it takes when the camera is on.
3. Research and actually talk to the photographer before booking. It is the worst feeling not feeling comfortable with your photographer. This especially goes out to young women. What I like to do is add my wife (business partner) to our text conversations During photoshoots she comes and helps out. How comfortable you are with your photographer will come through the images captured.
4. Take the time to really pick the theme, outfits (Incorporate layers and clothes with some texture, choose clothes that show movement in photographs, manicured nails) set up a mood board.
5. Be a professional: The photographs will be vital for your career, so it makes sense to spend the money on professional makeup and hair. Besides being able to get several looks for your shoot, a professional makeup artist can help you get diverse styles that stand out. On set they can be a pair of second eyes and can provide touch-ups between shoots, and deal with flyaway hair. By taking care of hair and makeup throughout the shoot, it will allow you to relax more and focus on modeling.
6. Location - indoor or outdoor? It really depends on the theme, I love being able to give my clients a variety of styles and love doing both indoor and outdoor options for my fashion shoots. The pros about shooting in a studio is that I can control everything…temperature, backdrops, lighting, props etc. The pros about shooting outside is that you have an infinite amount of backdrops, natural light gives more texture, color (I absolutely love sunrise or sunset shoots because of its softness and ability to create gorgeous shots), the model many times relaxes and is more comfortable moving around. The main thing is to find a photographer that is skilled in both environments and ideally can give you both options.
7. How important is it to look at the images while shooting? I collaborate with my clients and welcome ideas. It’s very important for my clients to see the first shots we take while on a shoot. It helps us direct the photoshoot and make sure we are moving in the direction the client wants. We can see what’s working, what needs a bit more and ultimately guarantees the vision being executed and absolutely amazing images that really communicate the vision.
8. Posing: One of the questions I always get is about posing and it really depends. With new models we might start with candid poses to get the model comfortable and we’ll look at the images to review what's working. It will ultimately make them feel more confident with the photoshoot. Some of my favorites that are also pretty comfortable are these:
*Leaning against a wall. It’s a very casual pose and does not take much effort. You can do several poses and styles against a wall in a limited time.
*Full length shots are key but we need to make sure the outfit falls perfectly on the entire body as it is very difficult to fix in post production.
*Hands near the face can create a bit of a more dramatic and different feel.
9. Once you have the images what do you do? One of the key components to success as a model is sending out your images to many modeling agencies. Now a days most are contacted via email (you can reach out to our office and can get a free easy to download list after your photoshoot.)
10. Have fun! You are creating art, it’s a vision, creative, outside the box job!
Why do I love fashion photography, simple………I can help my client communicate a range of feelings, emotions, styles and ultimately help them achieve their artistic and professional goals. A career that is well planned out, executed and followed through and is achieved is amazing and very rewarding and I just like doing my part to help someone make their dreams a reality.
