INTRODUCTION TO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

HELEN HANN

“FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY IS A GENRE OF PHOTOGRAPHY DEVOTED TO DISPLAYING CLOTHING OR OTHER FASHION ITEMS” - WIKIPEDIA

IT IS NOT ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHING PEOPLE

WHAT IS FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY?

CHOOSING A MODEL (OR NOT)

• Don’t use a friend (unless your friend is a model)

• Don’t choose someone because you fancy them

• Choose someone that meets the looks needed for the theme behind your shoot

• Remember - sometimes really gorgeous looking people photograph really badly or look a bit ‘chocolate box’ pretty to be fashionably edgy

• You don’t always need to use a model - think about other ways of displaying fashion items

CONSIDERATIONS FOR MAKING GOOD FASHION IMAGES

• Theme/Story

• Model

• Location

• Lighting

• Shapes

• Colours

• Movement/Dynamism

• Props and accessories

• Angles and crops

• Avoidance of the cheesy cliché

SHOOTING WITH A THEME

• It is essential to have a theme as it will give your shoot a sense of continuity.

• Your theme will inspire the choice of clothing, make-up, hair styling, lighting, location/sets and model choice.

• You can use a single word to build your theme - coffee, circus, red, vintage, tea party, desert, ocean - anything that evokes imagery you can work towards.

• The idea is that your pictures will collectively tell a story!

PHOTOGRAPHY BYELAINE CONSTANTINE

PHOTOGRAPHY BYDAVID LACHAPPELLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY…..????????

CHOOSING A LOCATION

• Don’t choose a location because it’s nearby or ‘easy’ - your back garden is nearly ALWAYS a bad choice - unless you happen to live somewhere pretty amazing…… or really grim.

• Don’t choose a location that doesn't support (or directly contradict) your theme

• Remember the images are about the fashion/the clothes - it is not a piece of travel/architectural photography!

• Think about the time of day you will be shooting - what will the light be like at your chosen location?

COLOUR - OR NOT…..

• Be aware of colour - not just of the clothes but within your location, props etc.

• Learn to really SEE what it is your looking at and become more aware of the colours we surround ourselves with.

• Black and white is good… Richard Avedon says so.

MOVEMENT/DYNAMISM

• Showing movement in photographs is best achieved using motion blur - this is achieved by using a SLOWER shutter speed

• Slowing the shutter speed lets more light on to the camera sensor - try using the ‘shutter priority mode’ (Tv Mode) which will automatically make adjustments to prevent over exposure

• Don’t try and hand hold a camera if the shutter speed goes below 1/60 sec - use a TRIPOD

• Try using a flash - this will create a crisp subject while everything else blurs

• Need help with this? - ask me - I’m a specialist in long exposure images!

PROPS & ACCESSORIES

• Props can make a good shoot great

• Keep props and accessories simple

• Props can be food, beverages, vehicles, bicycles, street furniture, animals, furniture, telephones, luggage, umbrellas, toys, flowers, mirrors (careful - photographing with mirrors opens up a whole host of new issues!), tools, other people, balloons, electrical appliances - just about anything - just keep it relevant (or irrelevant!)

• Avoid cigarettes, crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia!

• Firearms are also a bit taboo - although in the correct context even drugs and guns can work….maybe

LIGHTING

• Lighting is your best friend

• Lighting is your worst enemy

• Keep it simple

• Avoid fluorescent lighting (if will give you an unpleasant colour cast)

• Keep it simple

• Avoid mixed lighting situations - be aware of colour temperature!

• Keep it simple

BAD PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE CORRECTION OF GOOD IMAGES

• You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear (as my Grandma always told me!) - if it’s a crap picture no amount of manipulation is EVER going to make it a good picture

• Even the best images may need SUBTLE retouches

• If you can see the ‘correction’ or retouch, it’s no good

ANGLES AND CROPS

• Sometimes cropping extraneous ‘nonsense’ out of your shots can make for a much more interesting image.

• Images shot at a quirky angle can be interesting too - however, BE BOLD. images that are just off being straight just look like rubbish shots - be deliberate!

• If you are shooting with a straight horizon, make sure it is straighter than a really straight thing! AND remember water doesn’t run up hill (except in Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides)

AVOIDANCE OF THE CHEESY CLICHÉ (AND OTHER HORRORS)

• Dropped hips

• Hands on hip

• Duck-faced pouts

• Bad lighting and poor focus

• Objects growing out of the top of heads

• Leaning on things and looking wistful - looks dreadful every time

• Remember - your model can't see the shapes their body is making - YOU need to guide them by TELLING them what you want them to do - even if they are a professional model