Are you someone who likes to mingle with celebrities? Do you like to take their photographs as well? If the above is true then fashion photography can be your career path. As a fashion photographer, you will be taking pictures of models and celebrities and portraits. To be successful in this kind of photography, you need to have a keen sense of marketing. You should be able to sell a pose, a face and even a feeling. We are talking about a very competitive world where it is not going to be easy to get noticed because most of the magazines and agencies prefer working with photographers with reputation or who can deliver the best shot.
This doesn’t mean that you should not aspire to be a fashion photographer. It means that you will have to work harder to get your work published, recognized and accepted. It is always a good idea to start by getting some exposure through working in small agencies and work with lesser known models and then slowly create a portfolio that can always be enhanced. You will have to create a reputation of being a professional and creative shooter and this is one of the key factors. As a fashion photographer, you should know about studio lighting, design setting and shooting in a controlled environment. You may have to get involved in direction and work with your crew to help them with lights, make-up and backgrounds. This needs you to be aware as a person and knowledgeable as a photographer.
Working with models can be quite a challenging job and the most important part lies in setting the mood for your models. You can overcome this obstacle through effective communication and patience. So in a nutshell, fashion photography is not just about photography but also requires you to be able to interact and communicate with people.
The basic skills of photography are all the same. You need to have knowledge and should be able to understand camera operation, composition, lighting, darkroom procedures, and the properties of different types of camera films. As a photographer, you will have to use different combinations of cameras, films, lenses, filters, and lighting to produce an effect, and a final picture. Different types of photography like nature, wildlife, wedding, portrait and fashion have their specific requirements and understanding of the subject.
In fashion photography, the subject usually is a model. The position of the camera is important for shooting a good picture. If you are planning to shoot a full body photo of any model, then the shot needs to be taken from a relatively low camera height, which should not exceed the photographer’s hips. The ever popular head shot or head and shoulders portrait has to be taken from slightly above the eye level of the model. This height will bring out well defined facial features but if you don’t maintain the right level then your photograph will have a distorted view. But the best pictures can be taken if you shoot from below eye level and that is how most world leaders are photographed. This level will make your subject look taller and dominant.