Fashion Photography

Joined: 05 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

Id really like to get into fashion photography, does anyone have any tips or hints. Or suggestions on what gear i should invest in?

And what makes a good fashion photographer

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:55 pm

I cannot really give you any good tips but if you are looking to get a feel for fashion photography some of the magazines out these days give good tips monthly....using GOOGLE is a very powerful tool. just ask packard. try different variations of words and you wouldnt beleive how much you can learn from what it gives you....

what equipment are you using? do you want to shoot indoor or outdoor or both fashion photography....

Joined: 02 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

Forget gear.

Use whatever camera that you have, photograph photogenic friends and family as much as you can. Learn to discriminate, and try to pre-visualise what the shot will look like rather than end up with happy accidents. Get a few EXCELLENT shots together in a book. Start talking to your friends in the industry. Haven't got any friends in the industry? Read on:

Fashion is also a lot about who you know. If I had my time over again I START OUT hitting every party in the fashion district (ie London Soho) and networking with people in advertising, medai, TV, music etc. If you are a shy retiring wallflower then fashion is going to be a tough gig.

Going to a good art college wouldn't hurt. I never went, and have mixed feelings about the quality of practical learning in college, but just imagine if your room-mate becomes an art director for a major ad agency...... foot in the door time.

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 3:40 pm

Oh lord, fashion photography is one of the most expensive and competitive of the specialties. Very long and pricey fast lenses, medium format digital backs, very odd-looking flash brackets, teams of people with reflectors, ring lights and flashes... lots of assistants.... very big studios (there are some in NY that you can probably tour)

I agree with what was said above, start small and work your way up! But lighting is the main thing, I think you need a good flash setup as a bare minimum. I would think that starting out in still portraiture would be a good way to start. Obviously, people can and do climb the ladder, and when you see the fihished product in magazines, it isnt like they are photographic geniuses or something, it's just that people expect the photographer to make a burlap sack look good.

Why not find some fahsuion work that really appeals to you, find out who did it, and how they started. Also maybe take a look at the mamiya website, they have some little bio-bits on photographers like Jerry Avenaim and Mark Seliger and cohorts of Annie Leibovitz that can be very illuminating. The camera companies that have ruled fashion for years are Hasselblad and Mamiya. Thanks to digital, some other companies are making inroads but at the end of the day, many of the big dogs still use cameras from these two companies, and for magazine work, shooting with $30k+ gear isn't unusual. Nikons and Canons are far more common in sports and wildlife, though I understand that the full frame Canon 5D and the 1dsMk2 and N have some following in fashion circles.

:) keithwms

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 5:01 pm

Where do you live? Move to Manhattan and get a job as an assistant to a fashion photographer. At the end of the shoot they will often let you shoot a few frames for your portfolio.

You get to see how to handle the models and how to set the lights.

You make little or no money though.

If you are good, in a few years you should be able to get some work shooting.

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 5:02 pm

Hi Keith
Hi Nikon D50

Don't scare the enterprising beginners away, Keith! Yes, fashion is about light, but a good model is at least as important... Fashion photography is quite diverse. If you want to attend the big fashion shows, you have to invest into expensive equipment. BUT that's after a couple of years of fighting for a good place in the venue, because as a newcomer you will be barred behind fifty rows of other photographers.

Studio is also a complicated thing, but rental studios come quite cheap these days. But you need to know all about light and how to use it.

Many smaller fashion companies prefer outdoor settings (have a look at the fashion catalogues from: Toast, NoahNoah, Jackpot and Cottonfield, to name a few of the more interesting ones), which makes things a bit cheaper. But nevertheless you need to know exactly how to use reflectors or flash and you need to get the colours spot on.

So the path to follow is, to actually look through the many different publications, which print fashion photography (catalogues, magazines etc.) and try to emulate some of those shots with friends as modells. Depending on your location you may also find an arts college not to far away and you could certainly win some students over not only for posing, but also for providing their own designer clothes.

If you have a set of decent shots, which could stand-up agaist 90 % of the mmainstream images, you grab those and go for a well-reputed fashion studio and try to talk yourself into an assistent position. here you can learn over two or three years all the technical and management skills you absolutely need to know. This will also improve your social and team-work skills, which are indispensable (much more so than for a dedicated landscape photographer).

Besides the assistant job you should follow your own ideas and try to produce some projects independently.

Fashion photography is certainly a hard route to go, but if you are good and persistent, it can be interesting and bring in some decent cash.

regards
René

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 8:35 pm

Oh, René, I wouldn't intend to scare anybody away, I just think it is important to be very realistic and know what reaching your goal will entail. And I know that you agree with me on that ;) It is a serious commitment... years... and you'll be touring a lot of different kinds of equipment. You can do it, and it will be fun. Education is fun! Just be aware of what lies ahead and be aware that it takes a big investment in education. Invest in yourself and don't sell yourself short by thinking that your current level of proficiency is as good as it gets. There is always room for learning and growth into new areas.

An internship / assistantship would be an excellent, excellent first goal.

:) keithwms

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 8:56 pm

I've only met two successful fashion photographers and both started as interns in NY.

Atlanta also has a thriving fashion district I believe.

Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:31 am

keithwms wrote:

Oh, René, I wouldn't intend to scare anybody away, I just think it is important to be very realistic and know what reaching your goal will entail. And I know that you agree with me on that ;) It is a serious commitment... years... and you'll be touring a lot of different kinds of equipment. You can do it, and it will be fun. Education is fun! Just be aware of what lies ahead and be aware that it takes a big investment in education. Invest in yourself and don't sell yourself short by thinking that your current level of proficiency is as good as it gets. There is always room for learning and growth into new areas.

An internship / assistantship would be an excellent, excellent first goal.

:) keithwms

I know aren't the "apiring fashion photographer scarer"- was just kidding. I really think - as you and packard also emphasized: There is no way around an assistent job. I know quite a couple of fashion photographers who are not famous - but do earn very good money and make a very decent living - besides all the awe-inspiring travel.

But even if one arrives at that level of the business, it is really hard work. Nothing for people prefering an 9-5 job or looking for a quiet evening with their family... It's more for people who sit at the hotel bar late at night and exchange reminiscent feelings about distant kids and divorced wives.

And on top success depends to a large amount on self-marketing, just one more skill which one needs to acquire.

regards
René

Joined: 18 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

Hi!

I saw your messages on the forum, seems like you can help me out a little bit. I am in the industry since 6 years now, but I've never worked in the big markets as a photographer nor as an assistant, only as a model a few years ago. I switched back to photography 2 years ago, doing tests and practice ever since. Now I am looking for possibilty in London to work as an assistant, so I can learn how is it look like from the photographers side.
altough I have quite good contacts, I am not sure how to start and get in. and don't want to burn if I try it in a stupid way.
could you give me some info how shoul I do that?

thank you

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:51 pm

Hi Volume

It's always good to have some experience, before applying for an assistant job - so, your chances are not bad. I would just walk into the next studio (or the one you like after doing some research and ask for the boss and try to convince him, that you are so keen to work for him, that you would go on hunger strike if he desn't take you...

Okay: First step is, decide which kind of photography you prefer: Studio set-ups for advertising, fashion/modell shots, portraiture? Or do want something more versatile, taking on different jobs, when they come along? The possibilities are infinite. You may find photographers who do only architecture, others are into aerial photography, other do only trees or butterflies. So research the pictures and try to find a photographer or studio who do something you feel good about.

Then really go there and talk to the proprietor or manager. Have several things prepared:
- CV
- a small (!) portfolio of the best shots you would want to show
- know what you want to say
The single most important point is: You must be able to explain, why you want to work for them (and not for the neighbour's shop). So combine your love for photography and hunger for learning with the desire for this special studio (That's why you need the research beforehand).

Be prepared to work long hours for low money.

What you do not need, is your own extensive equipment and such things. Don't talk too much about your own experience or your beloved cameras. Talk about your desire to learn.

Choosing an assistant is - from the photographer's point of view - a very personal decision. So symphathy is probably the most important factor. Try to be easy going, listen and get them talking - then you are halfway through it.

There are no "hard" facts I can tell you on top of that, but feel free to ask.

regards - and good luck (and let us know, how things work out)

René