The Pro’s of fashion photography.

There are several pro’s to becoming a fashion photographer.

Let’s start with creativity. When you look at a finished image in a magazine the majority of credit goes to 1 of 2 people. The model and the photographer. If your interested in becoming a fashion model I will talk about that more in my other blog, “How to become a successful fashion model.” For the moment we’re talking about photography. The photographer gets most of the credit. Now, i don’t wan’t it to sound like the photographer did it all by himself or should feel special and walk around patting himself on the back and let his ego get out of check. Let’s face it, there are a lot of photographers who do that and you know who you are. The pro that i am talking about here is the fact that you are given a lot of power by advertisers, fashion designers, fashion models, model agencies, makeup artists, fashion agents and all of the other key players in the industry. You are given the power to be creative. And if you are a person like me who likes to work in a creative field then fashion photography might be the field for you.

Travel: I travel all the time. In the last year i have been in Jamaica, England, Australia, Greece, Italy, France and probably a couple other places. No, you don’t have to travel but if you like to travel fashion photography can afford and give reason to see the world.

People: I meet interesting types all the time. Models, agents, managers, celebrities, taxi drivers, stylists, designers, executives and people from all walks of life who have an interest in what i do and want to hear about my successes and failures. I have made friends from all over the world. Some of my very best friends live in Australia, Germany, France, England, Italy and other exotic locales. I met most of these people through photography.

Money: There is a lot of money to be made as a fashion photographer. The question is, “How do i get my share?” We’ll venture there in a little while. For the moment I can tell you that i know personally photographers that make six figures a month. I know photographers who are millionaires. I also know fashion photographers who are working their way up the ladder to success. Some will fail. Some will succeed. The important part to know and respect is that photography is a process. We are all in different stages of the game but we are all in the same process. If your a photographer who just purchased his or her first camera, excellent! I was there too. That is a wonderful place to be. If your an advanced photographer who has been working at the craft for many years, great! We will talk about how both types of photographers can earn his or her share of the money that is available in the marketplace.

Longevity: Some fashion magazine covers and portraits are considered works of art. I was in a library browsing fashion magazines from the twenties and thirties and marveled at how well preserved some of these were. You also have the opportunity to develop and create art books through photography! This is my passion. There may not be a lot of money in them but there is a chance to immortalize your work with the right pictures and publisher.

Before I continue let me say this. Photography is not an easy way to make money. It is not a “sure thing.” I am not certain I know what a “sure thing” is these days. Your probably much more likely to make a lot of money if you invest in real estate. I am not saying fashion photography is for everyone. If your faint of heart you may want to leave now. But, if your determined to succeed then I have a lot more information for you. Read on!

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How to work with fashion models.

Working with models can be very fun and meeting new and interesting people is definitely a perk of the job. However, it is very important for a fashion photographer to make sure that his shoot is a professional and safe environment. Daily, I hear horror stories of fashion photographers abusing their craft and not treating models with the respect they deserve. Remember, your reputation spreads like wildfire. Behave professionally and you will be considered a professional in this industry. Behave poorly and you will be viewed as an amateur or labelled by the modeling agencies as a photographer that is to be avoided.

When a model steps onto your set she can be in a position of vulnerability. Sometimes the clothes may be revealing or the photos ask for an emotional response the model may feel uncomfortable sharing. It is your job to make her feel at ease.

I have heard of many photographers yelling at models, telling them that they don’t know how to move properly or not giving them any sort of direction. I get it. You think your cool because you are a fashion photographer and people love your images. Get overyourself. It is highly unlikely that you are going to make models respect you by yelling at them or making them feel inferior.

Be nice. People will find out that you are nice and fun to work with. And let’s face it. People want to work with people they like. Besides if you make models feel uncomfortable it will show in your fashion photography. Help models to feel at ease.

Beauty photography image

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Magazine and editorial photography

There are fashion magazines and fashion photographers all over the world. I am sure there are local ones even in the town you live in. Whether you live in New York City or Austin, Texas there is fashion photography work for you. In smaller markets sometimes the work is in a regional magazine or even local newspaper. Most major publications and even minor ones have a section that features fashion. The magazines are constantly looking for photographers and work to populate their pages. It is up to you to identify the magazines whose work yours would fit seamlessly into and then to contact them and let them know you are ready to shoot! And if you haven’t noticed, a lot of magazines have a table of contents and they list their photo editors or magazine contact info there. Get in touch!

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Fashion Photography Helmut Newton – Mein Leben [My Life] part 4 (Video)

Fashion Photography Helmut Newton – Mein Leben [My Life] part 4 (Video)

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Andre Kertesz Part 4 (Video)

Andre Kertesz Part 4 (Video)

Master Photographers (1983) BBC series

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Fashion Photography Blog: Bill Brandt Part 5 (Video)

Fashion Photography Blog: Bill Brandt Part 5 (Video)

Bill Brandt Master Photographers (1983)BBC series

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Fashion Photography Blog: Andre Kertesz Part 3 (Video)

Fashion Photography Blog: Andre Kertesz Part 3 (Video)

BBC series Master Photographers (1983)

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Fashion Photography Blog: JH Lartigue Part 3 (Video)

French, 1894-1986 Jacques Henri Lartigue (June 13, 1894 – September 12, 1986) was a French photographer and painter. Born in Courbevoie (a city outside of Paris), he is most famous for his stunning photos of automobile races, planes and fashionable Parisian women from the turn of the century. He started taking photos when he was 6, his subject matter being primarily his own life and the people and activities in it. So, as a child he photographed his friends and family at play running and jumping, racing wheeled soap boxes, building kites, gliders and aeroplanes, climbing the Eiffel Tower and so on. He also photographed many famous sporting events, including automobile races such as the Coupe Coupe Gordon Bennett and the French Grand Prix, early flights by aviation pioneers including Gabriel Voisin, Louis Blériot, and Roland Garros, and tennis players such as Suzanne Lenglen at the French Open tennis championships. Although little seen in that format, many of his earliest and most famous photographs were originally taken in stereo, but he also produced vast numbers of images in all formats and media including glass plates in various sizes, some of the earliest autochromes, and of course film in 2 1/4 square and 35mm. His greatest achievement was his set of around 120 huge photograph albums, which compose the finest visual autobiography ever produced.

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Fashion Photography Blog: Bill Brandt Part 3 (Video)

Fashion Photography Blog: Bill Brandt Part 3 (Video)

Bill Brandt Master Photographers 1983 BBC series

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Fashion Photography Blog: Bill Brandt Photography Part 2 (Video)

Fashion Photography Blog: Bill Brandt Photography Part 2 (Video)

Master Photographers (1983)

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