Fashion photography today has a very few limits. Boundaries have been and are being pushed back. This can be easily seen from a fashion magazine from 5 or more years ago and of today. If you are an aspiring fashion photographer some quick tips can help you to start your journey of fashion photography. Take a look.
Your Essential Objectives
You need to have a good idea about what your essential objectives are, which may be the following:
- To display the clothes of the models
- To attract the attention of and evoke a reaction among the viewers
- To create images that editors would want to publish
All your further actions will depend upon your objective and you will have to work that way.
Confidence
While photographing model/s, you should work with confidence. If you show stress, anxiety or lack of direction, the models will lose confidence in you and give bad performance. Make them comfortable and get them involved in the whole affair. To be absolutely sure about a smooth session, make a shot list and plan techniques and composition for each of them ahead in your mind. Ensure that clothes and props are arranged neatly, and discuss the shots with models.
Posing
Study fashion magazines and observe which photos are taken nicely. You can get an idea about how your models should pose ideally so that their clothes and accessories can grab the attention of viewers to evoke a wish of buying them. For example, “broken down” poses or poses involving angular body shapes evoke more interest in viewers’ mind than a plain standing or sitting pose.
Shooting in a Studio
For a fashion shoot, a studio is always a perfect place, because you have a control on lighting and other conditions in a studio. If you are shooting in a studio, meter all areas to keep unwanted shadows away. Using a separate light meter instead of the one in your camera will give you a more exact reading.
Home is the Best Bet
If you are not in a position to rent a professional studio and the costly equipment, home is your best bet. Empty a room which is well-lighted with big windows, and hang a fabric, net or sheet across the window to ensure even light.
Low Light or the Sun
If you are working in low light or in the sun you may need an additional light source. If you have only a flash, then instead of shooting straight on, set it in such a way as to reflect from a nearby reflector, ceiling or wall. Experiment with various angles to create a range of effects and find out what works best for you, and the scene you want to shoot.
Mirror – A Best Prop
Props are wonderful to create a story within a fashion shoot, but a mirror is perhaps the best among props. A mirror can act as a narrative and also as an effective device to allow you to display the front and back of your model. Take care of positioning yourself, lighting devices and anything else not required in the shot out of the reflection.
Rope in a Friend
You can do fashion photography alone, but if you rope in an assistant, you can step it up a gear. It can be a friend, a family member or a student of fashion photography. The extra pair of hands can be of a lot of use to position reflectors, tweak the positioning of clothes, clean the scene, and angle and reset lighting equipment.
If you adopt these basic tips during the initial days of your career as a fashion photographer, you can be more and more organized in future, and will soon learn to take excellent shots in whichever condition you face.