Fashion photography is a constantly evolving industry, and new fashion photography ideas and practices keep getting introduced. These trends are important for fashion magazines that explain these trends to everyone. You can create your own trends and ideas but need experience, techniques, and an innovative mindset. You should be open to learning and trying new things. Here we will discuss the fashion photoshoot ideas that will help you in these endeavors.
We will also talk about how to begin your carrier in fashion photography, how to keep evolving your style, creative ideas, and tips to enhance your skills.
Fashion Photography Ideas and Tips
This is a broad topic, so let’s look into the major parts of this topic one by one.
Fashion Photography Techniques
Let’s talk about four techniques of fashion photography that are important to all photographers and for the development of fashion photography ideas.
1. Rule of thirds
This is a rule of dividing the composition of an image into nine parts by drawing two vertical and two horizontal lines on the frame. Then you can put objects at the intersection of the lines. This helps in getting a much more balanced image of apparel with accessories.
2. Overuse of lights
This is a rookie mistake made by new photographers, which can damage not only the apparel’s authenticity but also the image’s appeal. It also limits the number of poses a model can provide you. A simple and flexible lighting setup is best as it gives more room to photographers for creative freedom.
3. Story telling
Fashion photography is also about telling stories about apparel, and its accessories. An appealing image that can portray a message or story without words can bring a lot of views and publicity for the apparel.
4. Fashion photography is different from portrait photography
It is important that the garments are the star of your image. The model of the image will come in the image, but it is important that the beauty of the apparel and its accessories are highlighted instead of the model.
Fashion Photography Portfolio Ideas
You will need a portfolio in order to build a presence in the industry. This same portfolio will be used by recruiters or collaborators when they need your services. In that case, making an appealing portfolio becomes necessary. Sometimes a good portfolio will increase the value of your services in the market, as it can be a testament to your professionalism. Here are some examples:
Fashion Photography Theme Ideas
If you are going to take images of fashion products and try to tell a story of the apparel in the image, then you will need a good theme for the apparel, which can increase the appeal and tastefully complement the apparel. Here are some examples:
There are also some great Model Fashion Photography ideas (clothes must complement the model, and the theme should bring both of them into focus).
How to Get into Fashion Photography
Let’s go into the steps in order to begin fashion photography:
1. Practice photography with friends
It is difficult to interact with professionals if you do not have any experience in the field. So before you start contacting any professional designers, hairstylists, or models for your photographs, it is better to ask the help of your friends. Your friends might even give you their time for free, and you can experiment with fashion photography ideas that you might take from Instagram or magazines as inspiration.
2. Collaboration with other artists
Now that you have a few images to show, other artists will be much more willing to cooperate and collaborate with you. If you don’t know any, then websites such as Model Mayhem and One Model Place might be a good place to start. You can make a portfolio of your own, and this will help you in building an online presence where other people in this industry will be able to contact you.
3. Editing the images
You may need to do fashion photo editing in order to achieve perfection. But this is a task easier said than done. This task alone can take up a lot of time, and you will also need time to practice with your camera. It is best to automate this process and save both time and effort. You can use the services of Spyne for this time-consuming process.
Spyne’s AI is trained in more than twenty-five million images, and this same AI can take care of nearly all the images you might want to edit. The system can perform various editing tasks through automation, including:
- Background replacement
- Adjust the lighting and Angles of the camera are adjusted
- Watermark removal
- Color correction
- Centrally align the apparel
- Process images to improve resolution and DPI
- Add margins to the image
You can try all these features for yourself via Spyne Darkroom, available on our website.
4. Find a style
Your signature look is important as it can publicize your skills even if the image does not contain your name. You can develop your own style by following a few not-so-easy steps,
- Find an image that looks inspiring to you
- Think and choose between your appeal for glamour or street photography
- Study the past and current trends and try to think of something different
5. A solid portfolio
The day you might think that taking images of your friends or family is not enough is the day you will cease to be a beginner photographer, and you can get started on real models. In order to reach out to them, it is important to build a portfolio to establish yourself as a credible photographer. You can also use this same portfolio to reach out to others in the industry and ask for their review of the images.
Many might criticize your images, but it is important to take their criticism in a positive way and change your photography style if you agree with their point of view.
6. Social media gives more exposure
Create an account on social media like Instagram or a Facebook page for your images. This will give your images a wider audience, and it will expose you to a diverse range of feedback on your work. You can get publicity for your images, and many influencers on those social media platforms also might reach out to you. This will, in return, translate to more opportunities and more value for your services.
7. Network in the industry
Now that you have a substantial amount of credibility and standing online, it is time to reach out to professionals. If your work is exemplary, then they might need your services, or they can refer you to their own connections and friends. If you become an assistant to a professional fashion photographer, then you will get a mentor to learn from.
The key to success will be to stay connected with everyone you meet and keep your doors open, as you might never know from where an opportunity might come knocking.
Fashion Photography Tips that Never go Out of Style
It is important to emphasize more things than just the patterns and textures of an image if the aim is to click an image that might alter the trend in the industry. It is important to convey a feeling to the viewer about the garment and how it would suit the viewer.
The way you touch the soul of the viewer through your image is what being a good fashion photographer means to be. Here are five tips for you to bring your image to soul touching experience:
1. Use of lenses
Usually, fashion photographers use long lenses, that are either 85mm or 105mm. They are ideal because of their perfect compression effect, and the ability to blur the background. Blurring of the background is an important effect as the attention can be brought to the subject in case there are distractions in the background. Iconic and glamorous headshots of the model can also be created if you want to click jewelry or glasses.
2. Focus on lighting
Every photographer, no matter where or clicking what kind of image, will tell you one thing, lighting is key to photography. If you are just starting out, then play with natural light and think about which time of the day will give you the best light for your photography. When you get experience, then you can set up a studio and control what kind of light you want and exactly do you want.
The more in control, you are of the lighting on the model and clothes, the more you will get an image you are imagining. There is also a lot of equipment that can absorb light; this equipment will give you even more control over lighting.
3. Experimenting with camera angles
You can change the perspective of a garment by clicking that apparel from different angles. Whatever is closest to the camera will appear larger. This fact alone can help you in photography if you decide to use props in your images. You can also try to get over the subject and shoot it down. This can give the apparel a new look based on its fit in the model.
This can also build trust with the viewer as they can inspect the garment more clearly and from different perspectives.
4. Explore posing
By the time you start working with professional models, you should have credible experience with your friends. That must have given you some ideas about what suits and compliments the garment you want to display. Communicate what you expect from the images, and make sure to tell the model how they can help in that. If different poses for fashion photography from the model will better highlight the garment, then communicate the same to the model.
5. Flattering wardrobe
Make sure that you understand the clothes you want to shoot. You can work best if the clothes that you want to click are presentable by you. You can lay with lights, model poses for fashion photography, and even use different lenses, but the image must tell a convincing story to the viewer.
Creative Fashion Photography Ideas for Your Next Photoshoot
Creative ways keep on adding to the additional trends which are already present in the industry. We would however like to get you started on the journey to fashion photography. Once you start with this, you will be able to run your mind in creative ways, and fashion shoot ideas and your next photo shoot will display new thinking and trends.
Essential steps for planning your very first fashion photo shoot
Let’s look at the steps that will help in your first photoshoot,
Step 1: Find images you want to take inspiration from
Step 2: Run your own creative ideas
Step 3: Develop a concept for the shoot
Step 4: Try to find Models, Stylists, etc., to assist you
Step 5: Create the timetable for the photoshoot
Step 6: Find a location or Set up a studio
Step 7: Prepare a call sheet
Step 8: Keep the details in mind
Step 9: Have a backup plan ready
Step 10: Shoot as many images as you can
These steps shall ensure that your first photo shoot goes swiftly and now you are ready to join this difficult but rewarding industry.
Tips to Enhance your Outdoor Fashion Photography
Broadly, there are seven tips that you can incorporate into your style of photography to make the outdoor environment as comfortable as a studio. These tips include:
- Do some checks on the physical location
- Make sure that you choose the correct time of day
- Make sure that background compliments the garments
- Ambient light and flash can be used together, but the mix should be appealing
- Keep complimenting the model to boost their confidence
- Field exposure to the garments should be right
- RAW shoots can be good and might make the image more authentic
These tips shall help in building a perfect pool of outdoor fashion images, and these will help the viewers understand the garment much better. Furthermore, you can implement new and innovative ideas to make the garments in the image even more appealing.
Final Words
Fashion Photography is and always will be an industry built on trends, and those who innovate and bring new ideas to the table will remain relevant and successful in this industry. With effort and time dedicated to fashion photography, new ideas start to pop up in your mind, and there are also moments when ideas hit you on the spot during photography. Hence, in this industry, it is relevant to have an open mind and learn from mistakes which will only help in the development of skills.
