Editor’s Note: New article in Iaio with everything you need to know to get into fashion photography. A delicious item. Sit comfortably and enjoy reading.
Photography has been used in the past as a way to inspire and influence people through the message they implicitly convey. That is why, around 1920, the big brands, understanding the impact of photography on people, decided to use it as a means of direct promotion and consumption, through advertising.
- Since then.
- Photographers have been experimenting and specializing in this new branch of photography.
- Which was born in this context and which today.
- Thanks to advances in technology.
- Continues to be a fertile field full of opportunities for you to begin to experiment and show fashion.
- World of what you are made of.
Becoming a recognized fashion photographer is not an easy task, but here is a guide to start walking this winding, but not impossible, road on the right foot.
Fashion photography is not just a model posing in a dazzling dress, but it is a set of elements related to clothing, accessories, jewelry and makeup, with which as a photographer you will have to work to give them identity.
Over time, fashion photography has evolved and developed its own aesthetic, where clothing and accessories, while still being the protagonists, are usually accompanied by stories, places and exotic environments prepared by photographers to carry out that entity.
The main objective of fashion photography is to sell products, so it will be essential to be aware of the latest fashion and business trends, as a professional you must capture the demands of designers, artists and brands in order to be able to capture them in photographs that combine the commercial with the artistic and thus make the desired impact.
In this type of work you have to demonstrate and make the most of: your creativity to prepare the scene and all the technical knowledge about portraits, composition, lighting and retouching, which you have acquired in the blog of the photographer. Don’t worry, you can always reread them to refresh your memory.
As I said before, in fashion photography it is not only about tanned models walking down a catwalk, as this also encompasses disciplines such as:
While it is difficult to enter the world of fashion photography, it is far from being a mission impossible. Today, in the era of the Internet and social networks, more and more opportunities are presented to those who know how to exploit them.
As a product of the impact of social networks on people’s lives and the consumption of information, fashion photography has acquired a leading role for brands looking to position themselves, and almost all companies, regardless of their size, use these networks to promote their products.
Fashion photographers take photographs that are mainly used in advertisements, such as illustrations in magazines, posters and brochures, or on the Internet, and given the growing need for companies to exploit these new communication channels, you’re in an unbeatable position to start with. market and start offering your services.
The following is a short list of leads so you can describe your strategy to meet them:
Keep in mind that a satisfied client will tell an average of 7 acquaintances how good the experience was with you as a photographer, so that they become potential clients. But make sure you do your job well, because if the experience turns out to be negative, you are likely to tell a lot more people about your traumatic experience.
Learn about the industry and the competition
Fashion photography is a very competitive sector, where only the most creative manage to gain recognition, becoming brands. A good way to understand the medium you are about to enter is to search the Internet. ? Fashion in Madrid? ? fashion photography in Valencia?, etc. These can be some of the search strings that you can use to give you an idea of the composition of the industry where you live, who are the references, what stores are there, what events are taking place and, therefore, they take a real dimension of what your clients, models and main competitors can become.
Prior knowledge:
As I mentioned before, fashion photography will test all the knowledge and techniques you have incorporated so far, and will expose those in which you still need to specialize a little more. As I mentioned earlier, there are 4 main areas you should specialize in if you aspire to go far in this industry, with all that they entail:
Don’t despair, you’ll always have time to read and practice, but no matter how much theoretical knowledge you study, if you don’t translate it into practice, you won’t really be able to integrate it. If you have time, you can always enroll in a specific master’s degree or course in that branch of photography.
Minimum equipment
Each type of fashion photography will require a specific high-performance equipment if you want to achieve professional results. But as for now I’m sure you’re starting out in this beautiful discipline, I’ll leave you a minimum list so you can start doing your first trades:
Fashion photography pushes the performance of photographic equipment to the limit, if you are careful, most of the photographers who are dedicated to it, have two cameras on the top, angles, monstrous telephoto lenses, several external flashes, among others. You have to start with the first steps, with patience, dedication and perseverance you can have that and much more.
As with all branches of photography, the best way to learn it is by taking pictures. To do this, you can:
Fashion also influences his photography. There are times when photographs with flatter lighting than the flash are desired, in other periods a more pin-up aesthetic is sought, in black and white, more dynamic, with more or less retouching, more loaded. or more minimalist. Listening to new trends will help you stay ahead.
Creativity can be improved by consuming fashion-related information. Here are some places you can start to get inspired:
Classic:
Contemporary
The competition is great, nowadays more and more photographers are beginning to explore new fields, constant training and the study of new trends is therefore fundamental to succeed in this market. Going to events, building relationships, training your eyesight, being efficient and responsible will be the keys to your success.
At first, you can only succeed in doing certain jobs. But as your reputation grows and you earn new and bigger customers, not only will your revenue increase, but your responsibilities will also increase. In this case, I recommend that you set up a team, in order to best cover all the needs of your customers. Having a team will allow you to focus on what you do best, take pictures.
Teamwork multiplies the chances of offering services, encompassing many more areas that would be impossible for a person, increasing profits and increasing creativity. Not only will you be able to take and deliver the photos, but you can also take care of:
Trying to capture the entire campaign, deliver the finished product, and distribute it like agencies do, will allow you to accept larger campaigns, generate higher profits, and significantly increase your reputation.
“If an image is worth a thousand words, a good photograph can leave us without them.
Thank you for reading this article to the end. If you liked it, feel free to share it on Facebook, Twitter and Google. Thanks in advance.