Fashion Photography Basics

Fashion Photography-

Fashion photography is an ever evolving industry and is highly competitive. It revolves around fashion and brands creating images of their clothes and accessories for advertising and/or marketing purposes. It is a very profitable genre of photography. Fashion photography mainly focuses on lighting, model, location, clothing, branding and posing.

Basics of fashion photography-

Lighting-

Lighting in fashion photography can make or break the image. It is a very important factor and plays a major role in fashion photography. Beginners should not try and use too many flashes and complicated lighting systems. One doesn’t have to use too many lights and reflectors. Basic equipment will also do. They can start with one light and one reflector. Reflectors are cheap and easy to use. They add more light to the image.

Story-

One should try and tell a story with your photographs. Specially if they are being published in a magazine and have a particular theme. The images need to tell a story. Even if it a single image, it should portray the magic of the scene.

Location-

The location also plays an important role in fashion photography. The location could be outdoors or indoors in a studio space. One should go location scouting before finalising the location for the shoot. The location can be decided upon by keeping certain things in mind such as, the theme and look of the shoot, the brand and clothing, weather conditions etc.

Background-

One should take time and care to choose the appropriate background. How it is affecting the image? How it is affecting the clothes? It should not cause any distractions and should maintain a balance. One should not use a background which has similar patterns or is of the same colour as the clothing. It would not form a clear image of the product. It will not directly lead the viewer to the subject and cause distractions.

Equipment-

One can shoot with a full frame or medium format camera according to the use and purpose of the images. Whether they need to be printed big for billboards or other advertising purposes. They can also shoot and experiment with analogue or APS-C cameras. One should experiment with different kinds of lenses – prime lenses and zoom lenses will both give you different outcomes. One should always shoot in RAW because it captures more information and data, making post processing much easier.

Composition-

Composition is key. The subject can be placed in the centre of the frame or one could follow the rule of thirds. Where one can divide the frame into nine squares then place the subject on any of the points of intersection. However, every photographer has their own style and aesthetic and the rules of composition do not always have to be followed.

Angles-

There are different kinds of angles you can shoot in like eye level shots, high angle shots and also low angle. Each of them provide a different perspective and look to the outcome. Experimenting with various angles is always a learning experience. Experimenting with angles is an important part of the basics of fashion photography.

Models-

Fashion photography is different from shooting headshots or portraits as the photographer has to work with models. Depending on the budget, there could be experienced models or models who are new to the industry. Experienced models will know their job, making the work easier. Whereas, working with newcomers, one has to make sure they are briefed and guided well by the photography team. Do the research and use mood boards for inspiration which will also help you guide the model and bring out the best. This is an important factor in the basics of fashion photography.

White balance-

Setting the white balance is one of the first things to do. One should always remember to change the white balance when there is a change in location. The photographer could use a grey card to achieve the correct white balance, using the custom white balance setting on the camera.

Props-

You can use props in your fashion shoot if your background is very plain and you feel that you need to add more elements to the image. Props can always help your image by giving it a dimension. They can also be arranged around the model to make the image look more interesting.

Conclusion-

Fashion photographs are trendy and vibrant. They focus on clothing and are mainly for marketing purposes. We feel that it is better to shoot under exposed than over exposed images. The photographer should work with the model and guide them on how to pose and brief them on the theme, look and purpose of the photoshoot.

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