Fashion Photography Tips For Success

We see them all over the place; in television advertisements, in magazines, and on the runway. They are the beautiful men and women who strut their stuff while showing off the latest styles from the hottest fashion designers. These are the fashion models of today and tomorrow, and the subject of high fashion photography. It is through photography that these models and fashionable clothing are brought to the public. Therefore, these photographs must be taken with a certain level of precision and a special attention to color, style, and lighting composition. Learning a few key fashion photography tips will help to make this possible.

High fashion photographers such as Mario Testino and Eva Mueller may not be as famous as the models they shoot, but they are actually sought out more than their model counterparts by fashion magazines and designers. While the dream of huge paychecks and hobnobbing with the rich and famous might appeal to the aspiring fashion photographer, it is not easy to become successful in fashion and model photography. For every one talented young photographer who makes it big, there are hundreds are left dreaming about the moment their photo will be chosen.

Here are a few fashion photography tips for anyone interested in getting started in the field of fashion photography. The first thing you must do is study your subject. As with any field, you can never learn enough. Read as many fashion magazines you can possibly get your hands on. There are a number of fantastic books on the subjects of fashion and model photography available. They can be purchased cheaply online at sites like Amazon.com or even cheaper if you get them used on eBay. You will also need a good camera, a tripod, and a lighting system. One of the more often overlooked fashion photography tips, is to ensure that you always have plenty of film and extra batteries available.

One of the most important fashion photography tips to focus on is having a portfolio. You need to start assembling a portfolio of your work and you need to keep this portfolio handy at all times. You never know when you will have the opportunity to show your work off to someone in the fashion world. Sharp, vibrant images on a 4 x 5" transparency will best show off your work, so focus on them when putting your fashion photography portfolio together. If any of your work has already been published regardless of whether it was a local magazine, newspaper or contest, add a tear sheet (literally a sheet you torn out of the magazine) is a great addition to a portfolio. You should have a minimum of 20 photographs in your portfolio and showcasing different styles.

In this day of the internet, it is wise to display your fashion photography talent online as well. Setup a simple website displaying your work and submit your digital photos to online contests. Also, submit them to online fashion gallery websites. This will help tremendously with getting your work seen and showcasing your talent around the world. Probably the most important of all the fashion photography tips is to get your photographs seen by as many people as possible. There is no better way of doing this than by putting them online.

Remember that most fashion magazine editors are looking for your personality in the photographs that you take. Each fashion photographer will captures the essence of a fashion design and model differently. Most importantly, if this is your dream, do not give up, ever! Keep learning the latest high fashion photography tips and keep working to get your photographs on the cover of my next hot fashion magazine.

Charlotte Plante is an avid photographer who runs a successful photography website dedicated to the fields of fashion photography, wedding photography, and more. For great digital photography tips, discount offers, and more, visit Charlotte's website at http://digitalphotographyarticles.com

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Christine Szeredy: Fashion Photographer Interview

Blue Ridge Parkway close to Boone, NC. Canon 5d Mark II 1/500 at f 8.0 ISO 100 with Fill Flash and Reflector Lens 70-200mm

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Szeredy, a professional photographer who specializes in capturing portrait and fashion photos for editorial and advertising. Her unique style has attracted a lot of attention on the photography network.

My favorite thing is to work in various locations, with the goal of creating a connection between the model and the surroundings. I tend to switch between dramatic and being over the top to simplicity depending on location, clothing and intent of the picture.

I had an interesting start from studying engineering and architecture to suddenly changing my focus to fashion photography. I never really planned it out, it just sort of happened. I think the reason I ended up in fashion is that I love every aspect of it from the clothing to modeling and makeup.

I think the biggest challenge is finding the perfect team and building a name for yourself. The team for a fashion photographer usually involves a hair and makeup artist and a stylist. There has to be absolute harmony in this group in order to benefit from each others’ creativity. The better the team works together the better the outcome.

Having a solid portfolio is an ongoing process, as your skills improve you end up constantly updating your marketing materials.

My inspiration stems from my daily life, movies and friends.

Blue Ridge Parkway close to Boone, NC. Canon 5d mark II 1/1000 at f 8.0 ISO 100 with Fill Flash and Reflector Lens 24-105mm

I like to use Profoto – it is a very reliable light source that has given me very good results. Luckily they have a great student program that makes it affordable. I also use some alien bees. My camera of choice is a Canon 5D Mark ll. My favorite lens is the 70-200mm and a 100mm. A Rosco Color Effects Kit that has had the most imported filters and a ColorChecker Classic by x-rite photo. I also carry a emergency back with gaffer tape, flash light, Dust off, a 100 feet extension cord, latex gloves, user manuals for all the equipment I am using, bobby pins, safety needles, rubber bands, stockings, and so on.

Hmm…difficult question, there are a couple of things I would like to have. I am currently looking into buying some light enhancer products from Sunbounce, they work very well and are easy to use on location – would make my life much easier.

I am actually currently enrolled in the Academy of Art University for a Masters in Fine Art – Photography.

Captured in Studio: Canon 5d 1/200 at f 8.0 ISO 140 with Profoto Strobe and Silver Umbrella, Lens 70-200mm

I like to use Adobe Lightroom to organizing my files and Adobe Photoshop for retouching. Occasionally, I use some software from Canon that seems to give me better results with my raw files.

My favorite location was inside an old mill close to Boone, NC, mainly because it involved one off my favorite models and one of my best friends – Jennifer Kenner. It was a perfect shoot and we have a ton of fun memories from that day. Jen is partly native American (mainly Cherokee), which gives her a very unique look. For the shoot, I used a quantum flash and a 6 foot reflector, my Canon 5D and a 24-105mm lens.

Right now I am working on a couple things. One is a blog I started for fashion photographers that has interviews with stylist etc. The goal of the blog is to help other photographers get started or find information about people in this business. I just finished an interview with Selina Maitreya a photography consultant about how to be success in commercial photography.

The other big project I am working on has nothing to do with fashion it is a personal Project in conjunction with Helping Portraits.

The best advice a photographer gave me was this: If you think you are the best you will start becoming worse because art is a constant development. He also told me to Shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot as much you possibly can. The more you shoot, the more experienced you become. If you don’t have a job or assignment – create one! I am always experimenting with light – trying to refine my techniques and find new ways of using light creatively. It keeps your mind fresh. Collect pictures and look for techniques you like and dislike. It helped me to improve and find my own style.

Canon 5d Mark II 1/200 at f 8.0 ISO 200 with Profoto Strobe and Silver Umbrella, Lens 24-105mm

Blue Ridge Parkway close to Boone, NC. Canon 5d Mark II 1/600 at f 8.0 ISO 100 with Fill Flash and Reflector

To see more of Christine’s work, visit her profile or photo gallery.

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