Category Archives: Fashion Photography

Learn Digital Photography…Your Future In Fashion Photography

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/3715866480_1a00b4e8be_m.jpgEverywhere we look we see images of beautiful women wearing the latest fashion, dressed from head to toe in the hottest looks from the catwalks of the world. These are the fashion models of today and tomorrow. These slick images surround us, but who creates these lasting impressions of cool? Who takes the time to study the art of capturing style and depth to produce a completely unique look with every image? Who else, but the fashion photographer.

In the fashion world names like David LaChapelle and Jill Greenberg are just as in-demand as the top fashion models that dominate the visual media. Fashion photographers are a subtle brand of celebrity, walking a delicate line between artist and industry professional.

The glamorous lifestyle may be the outsider’s perception of fashion photography, but reaching success is a truly testing process. This profession is ruthless, and without the focus of strength to persist, the competition will throw you to the side. With every famous photographer there are thousands of others earning nothing from their trade.

You have to study your subject every day. Read, learn and think about everything you encounter. Everything you experience will contribute to how you perceive the world and consequently your art. Read fashion magazines whenever you can and invest in some quality fashion photography books. You can get some off Amazon.com easily. If you’re serious about fashion photography then you need to have at least one professional-grade camera, some basic lighting equipment and a tripod. Look into the different types of camera as they will affect the photos you take.

Your portfolio is your most important asset when you are establishing yourself in the business. It represents what you can do, so spend time making sure it represents you perfectly. Fashion editors are going to want to see examples of your work before they hire you so spend time on that portfolio. It should have at least 20 photos to give sufficient space to show the different styles you can do. 4×5″ format is recommended, but 8×10″ will do if you’re in a rush. Any publications featuring your work can be part of your portfolio too. Make sure to vary the style in your photographs, capturing figures from different perspectives.

When you apply for a job, you can expect to leave your portfolio there for a few weeks, so make sure you make copies of your portfolio so you don’t have to be idle while hearing back from employers. For a different look try taking partial body shots, for instance photographing watches on wrists. They make a great contrast to the rest of your work.

Today it is becoming necessary to upload your work online. Make sure you website has a great look- you are an artist after all and presentation is everything. You can promote you work for free by entering it into online contests. The internet is a great place to network for professionals, so make sure you use it.

Fashion Photography,

http://www.fizzphoto.com/images/fashion-v1.jpgUnderstanding fashion photography:

Fashion photography is best displayed in fashion magazines like Vanity Fair, Vogue and Allure. It is dedicated to displaying fashion trends in fabric and otherwise, on the beautiful fashion models. Fashion photography has its own aesthetic, celebrating fashion enhanced by exotic locations and themes. The earliest show of fashion photography on record is the portfolio of a noble woman, Virginia Oldoini, the Countess de Castiglione in 1856. The first fashion model was photographed by Adolphe Braun, making him the first fashion photographer! The development of halftone printing enabled fashion photography to add color and spark to magazines. The French magazines Les mode and La mode practique were the first to capitalize on fashion photography.

The fashion photography hot shots:

In fashion photography, special emphasis was initially on ‘staging’ the shots, in natural poses at natural environments. This procedure or practice was first adopted and developed by Baron Adolf de Meyer. Fashion magazines Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar were leaders in the field of fashion photography in the earlier half of the 20th century. The fashion photography industry bigwigs still salute and pay tribute to the contributions made by George Hoyningen Huene, Cecil Beaton and Edward Steichen and Yva. They literally transformed this photography genre into an art form that thrived in Europe. In the United States of America, the contributions to the world of fashion photography post World War II came from Martin Munkacsi, Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. In a way, these hot shots shaped the contemporary look of fashion photography.

The evolution of fashion photography:

Many of the earlier artists willingly abandoned their adopted forms, most of which were very rigid, for a more natural and independent style. It was in the year 1936 that fashion photographer Martin Munkacsi first photographed models in various poses at the beach. Fashion photography became very popular and became a dream for every young man who loved the widely marketed cameras after the Second World War and every young woman who had the vital statistics! Fashion photography has a huge audience and involves great pay packets today. Models are now enjoying international celebrity status and a very glamorous lifestyle. In fact, it would not be wrong to state that fashion photography is among one of the world’s most sought-after professions!

The avenues for display:

There are a number of avenues where fashion photography can be flaunted. The niche fashion advertising arena, art photography and celebrity portraiture are very paying and well appreciated. Today industry bigwigs like photo editor Clio McNicholl and agent Gloria Cappelletti agree that the industry is witnessing a new avatar! There is whole tried and tested approach and application to setting up a portfolio, effectively submitting the same to editors, the choice of the photo agency and eventually a display. In fashion photography, the most important tool is the portfolio. It helps establish a reputation in the fashion world.

Fashion photography for beginners:

There are a number of unsolicited portfolios received by the photo editors of various magazines, regularly. It is understandable for beginners to want to have their work noticed almost immediately. The promotional material may or may not be accompanied by recommendations and the assessment of the portfolios begins from the time they arrive. Amateur fashion photographers can access online resources or websites that enable them to effectively showcase a large quantity of images. Another successful method is computer editing, to keep retouching and printing costs as low as possible.

Famous Fashion Photographers

http://bludomain70.com/~robe//site_images/galleries/gallery34/famous_fashion_photographer_voltaire_dot_com.jpgFamous Fashion Photographers:

Donald McPherson:
This high profile fashion photographer is known for his fine sense in fashion and the ability of capturing the same on camera. Donald McPherson began his career as an assistant with several other photographers. He worked with some of the most renowned names in the fashion industry and soon carved a niche for himself in fashion photography. Donald McPherson is known as one of the most famous fashion photographers in Europe. He was also known for shooting one of the most expensive shoots ever known till date. Donald McPherson added more feathers to his cap when he worked with big time celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Keira Knightly, New Order and Gwen Stefani to name a few. His talent also landed him with some top-notch assignments with leading fashion magazines such as The Russian Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar and V. New York Times Magazine.

Nigel Barker:
This is one famous fashion photographer who is also one of the hottest celebrities around! Nigel Barker studied medicine but perhaps it was due to his mother, he ended up in a model hunt program, which launched Nigel on a modeling career. He continued in the world of modeling for the next ten years. This brought Nigel really close to the fashion world, and he found himself drawn in the world of fashion. It also made him realize that fashion photography is his ultimate goal and this saw his career turn towards fashion photography. Nigel Barker began his own studio for photography and his photographs were used for some of the top names in the fashion world. Currently, Nigel remains to be a popular judge for beauty contests as well as reality shows.

Albert Watson:
Born in Edinburgh, Albert Watson is a famous fashion photographer who began his career with some of the leading names in the fashion world. He is found associated with names of leading magazines such as Vogue, The Face, Newsweek and Rolling Stone. Albert Watson’s creative work in fashion is also used for some of the leading brand names such as Revlon, Levi’s and even Chanel. This creative steak in him saw him overcome all odds despite suffering from blindness in one eye. Along with his creative works in fashion photography, Albert Watson also continues to write on photography as well.

Bruce Weber:
This famous American fashion photographer had his first tryst with the fashion world in the year 1070 (GQ magazine). He first received rave reviews for his photographs used by the designer name – Calvin Klien. These images captured for Calvin Klien saw him scale new heights in fashion photography. Bruce Weber soon captured images for many other leading names in the business. The trademark of Bruce Weber’s photography has been his use of black and white tones. He also had a long association with Abercrombie & Fitch. Apart from launching the career of famous models, he is also known for his fashionable works for brands such as Ralph Lauren and GQ magazine.

Helmut Newton:
This German Australian fashion photographer had a deep interest in photography from an early age. He began his career by working with a German photographer and had a brief stint as a photographer with the Straits Times. After dabbling in other professions along the way, he began work as a fashion photographer in the very fashionable Paris. It was just a matter of time and Helmut Newton’s works appeared on the covers of most fashion magazines including the cover of the French Vogue. Helmut Newton was known particularly for shooting nudes. Currently, his works are on display at the Museum of Photography, which is close to the Berlin Zoo railway station.

Glamor Photography

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/4/9/3/highres_5626227.jpegPhotography is an art of translating the visual before us and giving it a whole new meaning. Photography as a profession has scaled new heights. With new techniques being introduced, photographers have more options today to try out various experiments and create new styles in photography.

Photography itself is an art and it completely depends upon the thinking of the photographer and how he uses his skills to translate the scene before him in the best way possible. A talented photographer would know how he could best frame the subject in many ways.

Who can deny the importance of photography in the world of advertising today! The beautiful compositions created by the talented photographers have taken fashion to such great heights. Photography has definitely come a long way from the darkroom techniques to the digitalized version. Even then, there are many photographers who still prefer the age-old technique of developing pictures on bromide paper in the darkroom. The joy of the picture developing and the effect of the hazy forms finally taking shape cannot be replaced by new techniques for some photographers!

Glamor photography is one of the many offshoots of photography that has completely revolutionized photography as a profession. Glamor photography has reached new levels with the advancement of techniques and of course, the use of software such as Photoshop. This type of photography requires many more factors to be able to obtain a good photograph apart from being an excellent photographer. Glamor photography is often thought to be on similar lines with fashion photography; glamor being the common factor. Even then, both genres are different in their own way.

Fashion photography is used mainly to highlight clothing and other such items connected with fashion. This type of photography is mainly used in the field of advertising to promote fashion-related products, ranging from cosmetics to clothing and snazzy accessories. Fashion photography is also used for creating amazing visuals splashed on the covers of the leading fashion magazines. Glamor photography on the other hand is less about clothing and more about the person/people being portrayed on film. Glamor photography highlights the model that remains to be the main subject. Scantily clad ladies on the covers of the magazine ‘Playboy’ can be the best example of glamor photography. Nudism is an integral part of glamor photography. This would also depend upon the subject and the concept being used to click the particular photograph. Concepts are developed as per the requirement of the client, sometimes; the concepts depend entirely upon the creative imagination of the photographer.

Fashion Photography Tips

http://www.digital-photography-advisor.com/image-files/fashion-photography-tips.jpgFashion Photography

In our daily lives, we read newspapers and go through many magazines, which have models flaunting their products. But have you ever thought what makes the photos so vibrant and attractive to look at. It is the contribution of the fashion photographers who capture the pictures. These photographers are professionals in their field; and have a good knowledge of photography and a sense of the color, style, lighting, etc. They use all their expertise to come up with such great and adorable pictures of the advertising models.

Tips to Become a Fashion Photographer

If you want to enter into the fashion world as a photographer, you most importantly need to have the right equipment and have to self-practice a lot to get the basics right. The first step is to invest in a good piece of digital SLR, which is known for capturing and producing quality photos. You also need to understand every bit of the functions and features of your photography tool by referring to the user manual. Learn and understand the fundamentals of fashion photography by looking at the pictures in fashion magazines and tabloids. Get to know various poses, color suitability and lighting conditions. Read different books and guides which have useful fashion photography tips from famous fashion photographers. Ask your friends, brothers, or sisters to pose and click their photos. Practice as much as possible, and prepare your portfolio, which is very important for getting into this industry. The portfolio should at least consist of 20 quality photos.

Tips for Fashion Photography with Models

While working with models from the industry, you need to keep three things in mind, such as the precision, the color effect and the lighting conditions. Fashion photography is kind of similar to portrait photography. The only difference is that you have to focus and capture the complete model, instead of only the face, as in case of portrait photography. You also need to know how to make adjustments to your camera settings to produce the optimum results in the available conditions.

One of the most important outdoor fashion photography tips is that you should use natural light at its best to come up with bright, colorful and clear photos. The best time for outdoor photo-shooting is the afternoon, when the sun in right over the head, so you can make optimum use of its light. The best direction for a model to stand in while photo-shooting is when the light falls on the face from the side.

While photo-shooting with models, you necessarily need to know how to position them. You should make sure that they are comfortable in wearing the fashion clothing. Do not put much pressure on the models regarding the poses, as it will only make them feel nervous, which may have an adverse effect on the end result. Try to take photographs in many different angles, and then determine which one is best to be selected.