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New Year, New Hobbies: How to Get Started with Fashion Photography

The Paris Fashion Week for F/W collections, held on January 17 to 22, is just the start of what looks like a great year for fashion. The season for fashion weeks is coming in hot and fast, and fashion enthusiasts can look forward to a ton of important events, from the London Fashion Week F/W 2023 in February to the NYFW Bridal April 2023 in April.

New Year, New Hobbies: How to Get Started with Fashion Photography.

FashionDailyMag Lifestyle Editor #brigitteseguracurator.

Photography hobbyists can equally anticipate these gatherings. This season is the perfect time to build some skills in fashion photography. That’s because you can take advantage of professional models and the diversity of outfits and styles. Who knows? You may find yourself with a new hobby or specialty by the end.

Unsure where to start? Keep reading for our beginner’s guide to fashion photography.


Getting acquainted with the tools of the trade
Both DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have advantages that will boil down to the owner’s preference. It is, therefore, best to look at the camera’s individual features that make it perfect for fashion photography.

For example, a Canon 5D Mark II has great sensor quality, which can produce the best raw files and color in order to accurately capture skin tones. Many may thus claim that Canon gear is the best for fashion photography. However, we can take a look at their entry-level DSLRs and note how they lack a center pin, therefore rendering all third-party flashes null. For that reason, you may be better off with Nikon or Sony for their affordable yet better off-camera flash performance.

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More than the camera itself, your lenses of choice are important for fashion photography. There are different types of camera lenses you can buy that fashionphotographers reguarly use, but portrait lenses tend to be favored in the field. That’s because their wider aperture allows for more light gathering and depth of field than the original body of the camera itself would permit. The 85mm lens, in particular, can effectively isolate the subject from their backdrop using velvety-smooth bokeh to capture both striking close-ups and full-length photos.

On the other hand, the 35mm lens allows photographers to capture sharp details and convey a sense of narrative. This helps bring a fashion story to life and create an emotional connection with the audience.
Finding inspiration
Without a good fashion story, an image is simply flat and shallow. That is why it is important to create a fascinating narrative when shooting an editorial fashion project. You can find inspiration from anywhere — from music like the romantic and old-school tones of jazz to even past fashion weeks’ photos. Maybe you’d like to recreate and add your own flair to Joey Gollish’s Sex & Politics Collection after finding inspiration from his use of androgynous models. Once you have a few keywords in mind, you can start creating the summary of your story. Highlight precise words and capture the emotions you hope to convey through your photos, such as “vintage” or “glistening.” From there, you can start to plan your subject, mood, and even hair and makeup.

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Framing the right shot
The typical rules of framing mostly apply to fashion photography composition. This means learning the rule of thirds and also how to use a counterbalance to correct your composition.

However, you can sometimes completely ignore the rule of thirds and put your subject right in the center. This is perfect for runway shots, as seen in the collection of photos from the Paris Fashion Week for S/S in 2022, which allowed photographers to showcase Rochas’ choice of dark lips alongside their hyper-graphic couture. In the end, the photographer’s prerogative is to shoot what they believe will best highlight the model and their fashion.

It takes practice to become well-versed in fashion photography, so make an early start this 2023. With patience, you can discover a new passion to last a lifetime.

New Year, New Hobbies: How to Get Started with Fashion Photography.

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