Fashion photography can be really fun specifically for those of us that want to practice taking our own fashion shots for our fashion blogs.
But where to start? We’ll not all be like most sought after fashion photographers like Mario Testino, Terry Richardson, Craig McDean and Mert & Marcus. For some of us it will take a little bit of practice and a little bit of following these tips from our WTF fashion editors.
(Photo above: Italian Fashion Photographer Mario Testino Shooting Michael Kors Collection New York City, JPGmag.com)
Photography Tip 1: Have help
First of all it is easier to plan and create a fashion photo if you have someone’s help. It is not impossible to have a fashion photography shoot without the help of a friend, but it certainly helps you when adjusting the elements of the image.
If anything, having someone there to help can alleviate you having to carry all your necessary tools when taking the photo.
Photography Tip 2: Be Organised
Before you take the shot, make sure that plan a little and organise what you want to see in some of the frames and what you intend to gain from each frame.
Some times a model will need a little bit of direction at the beginning of the shoot to feel comfortable and loosen up, so it is best to plan and have flexible ideas of what you want to achieve with the shoot.
Photography Tip 3: Clothing
This is a fashion photography shoot so go crazy with the clothing! Fashion photography is all about clothing that is not meant to be work on the street, but looks great on film so play with colours and layers.
Remember that ultimately your shoot is to capture the clothing, so have fun with the clothes and don’t worry about things clashing…just call it couture!
Photography Tip 4: Makeup
Besides the fashion, runways are known for their innovative make up techniques. Play around with make up! Experiment with natural looks or go practice with vibrant colours and heavy eyes. A good technique to use in eye make up is using a highlight shadow in the tear duct area of the eye to brighten up one of the heaviest shadows on the face, thus brightening up the entire face.
Remember that when applying make up for the photo shoot, more is better because the make up will be dulled a little from the light and camera.
(Photo via Favim.com)
Photography Tip 5: Location Matters
Where you take the shot is just as important as who and what is in the shot, so plan your outfit(s) first then decide if they are better shot in an indoor studio or in an outside venure.
Indoor studios are easier to maintain consistent lighting and power supply for longer shoots.
Shooting outdoors can provide you with good background and a variety of colours, but it is a little more difficult to maintain the ideal lighting so adjustments will need to be made during the shoot.
Photography Tip 6: Props
Involving props into your image can easily provide a bit of whimsy into an image. The best advice is to simply try adding a prop, such as accessories or products, to see if your image benefits from the addition at all.
If the prop does not convey what you had intended for the image, then simply remove the prop and let the model be the focal point of your image.
Photography Tip 7: Lighting
Lighting is a key part of an image in that it can easily produce emotion with little change. Images with low key images are generally more moody or convey a darker tone, while high key images with lots of light are generally happier and energetic.
Which ever lighting you decide, keep in mind that the angles of your lighting pieces because they will ultimately cast heavy shadows on the opposing side, so it is best to have light sources from both sides.
Photography Tip 8: Poses
An important note to have your model remember is they will need to have a variety of poses throughout the frames. Ensure that your model uses their space by having poses that accent their natural form and use high, medium and low levels of their location.
Don’t be afraid to direct your model to use a “weird” looking pose, like arching their back or stretching their hands to the sky, it just might end up being your favorite image.
Photography Tip 9: Convey Emotions
A model must always be able to convey emotion when creating an image; otherwise the image will not be as effective.
A key way to ensure that your model is putting out the type of emotion that you are aiming to achieve is by giving words or phrases to help them out like “happy,” or “you just got gum on your shoe.” While this technique may seem a little bit like leading your model by the hand, it will help you in the beginning of your shoot and hopefully by the end of the shoot you will no longer need to give these instructions.
Photography Tip 10: Angles
As a photographer, it is always beneficial to play with angles no matter what type of image you are taking. Fashion photography is particularly known for their angles because they tend to have more extreme points of view of the fashion pieces.
Taking Great Photos
Check out the tips Photo Tips and Techniques To Impress Your Friends, particularly the tip about the weakest point of the image is the middle. So change your frame to create an artistic and effective image.
These fashion photography tips are a good start for you to begin your own digital fashion photography shoots, and the worst thing that will happen will be that you will spent few hours with your friends and your entire wardrobe.
So pull out your camera and begin shooting, because there are always things to capture to keep your fashion blog fresh and show off your individual fashion sense and style!