Fashion photography focuses on displaying clothing and accessories rather than photographing people. A theme should be chosen to inspire choices of clothing, makeup, lighting and location. Movement can be shown through motion blur using a slower shutter speed or flash. Props can enhance photos but should be kept simple and relevant to the theme. Angles, crops, lighting and avoidance of cliches are important for good fashion images.

1. HELEN HANN
INTRODUCTION TO FASHION
PHOTOGRAPHY

2. WHAT IS FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY?
“FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY IS A GENRE OF
PHOTOGRAPHY DEVOTED TO DISPLAYING
CLOTHING OR OTHER FASHION ITEMS” WIKIPEDIA
IT IS NOT ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHING
PEOPLE
IT IS NOT ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHING
PEOPLE
IT IS NOT ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHING
PEOPLE

3. CHOOSING A MODEL (OR NOT)
• Don’t use a friend (unless your friend is a model)
• Don’t choose someone because you fancy them
• Choose someone that meets the looks needed for the theme
behind your shoot
• Remember - sometimes really gorgeous looking people
photograph really badly or look a bit ‘chocolate box’ pretty to be
fashionably edgy
• You don’t always need to use a model - think about other ways of
displaying fashion items

4. CONSIDERATIONS FOR MAKING
GOOD FASHION IMAGES
• Theme/Story
• Model
• Location
• Lighting
• Shapes
• Colours
• Movement/Dynamism
• Props and accessories
• Angles and crops
• Avoidance of the cheesy cliché

5. SHOOTING WITH A THEME
• It is essential to have a theme as it will give your shoot a
sense of continuity.
• Your theme will inspire the choice of clothing, make-up,
hair styling, lighting, location/sets and model choice.
• You can use a single word to build your theme - coffee,
circus, red, vintage, tea party, desert, ocean - anything
that evokes imagery you can work towards.
• The idea is that your pictures will collectively tell a story!

6. PHOTOGRAPHY BY
ELAINE CONSTANTINE

7. PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID LACHAPPELLE

8. PHOTOGRAPHY BY
…..????????

9. CHOOSING A LOCATION
• Don’t choose a location because it’s nearby or ‘easy’ - your
back garden is nearly ALWAYS a bad choice - unless you
happen to live somewhere pretty amazing…… or really grim.
• Don’t choose a location that doesn't support (or directly
contradict) your theme
• Remember the images are about the fashion/the clothes - it is
not a piece of travel/architectural photography!
• Think about the time of day you will be shooting - what will
the light be like at your chosen location?

11. COLOUR - OR NOT…..
• Be aware of colour - not just of the clothes but within
your location, props etc.
• Learn to really SEE what it is your looking at and
become more aware of the colours we surround
ourselves with.
• Black and white is good… Richard Avedon says so.

14. MOVEMENT/DYNAMISM
• Showing movement in photographs is best achieved using motion blur -
this is achieved by using a SLOWER shutter speed
• Slowing the shutter speed lets more light on to the camera sensor - try
using the ‘shutter priority mode’ (Tv Mode) which will automatically make
adjustments to prevent over exposure
• Don’t try and hand hold a camera if the shutter speed goes below 1/60
sec - use a TRIPOD
• Try using a flash - this will create a crisp subject while everything else
blurs
• Need help with this? - ask me - I’m a specialist in long exposure images!

21. PROPS & ACCESSORIES
• Props can make a good shoot great
• Keep props and accessories simple
• Props can be food, beverages, vehicles, bicycles, street furniture,
animals, furniture, telephones, luggage, umbrellas, toys, flowers,
mirrors (careful - photographing with mirrors opens up a whole host of
new issues!), tools, other people, balloons, electrical appliances - just
about anything - just keep it relevant (or irrelevant!)
• Avoid cigarettes, crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia!
• Firearms are also a bit taboo - although in the correct context even
drugs and guns can work….maybe

24. LIGHTING
• Lighting is your best friend
• Lighting is your worst enemy
• Keep it simple
• Avoid fluorescent lighting (if will give you an unpleasant colour cast)
• Keep it simple
• Avoid mixed lighting situations - be aware of colour temperature!
• Keep it simple

26. BAD PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE CORRECTION OF
GOOD IMAGES
• You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear (as my
Grandma always told me!) - if it’s a crap picture no
amount of manipulation is EVER going to make it a
good picture
• Even the best images may need SUBTLE retouches
• If you can see the ‘correction’ or retouch, it’s no good

29. ANGLES AND CROPS
• Sometimes cropping extraneous ‘nonsense’ out of your
shots can make for a much more interesting image.
• Images shot at a quirky angle can be interesting too -
however, BE BOLD. images that are just off being
straight just look like rubbish shots - be deliberate!
• If you are shooting with a straight horizon, make sure it is
straighter than a really straight thing! AND remember
water doesn’t run up hill (except in Pirates of the
Caribbean - On Stranger Tides)

33. AVOIDANCE OF THE CHEESY CLICHÉ (AND OTHER
HORRORS)
• Dropped hips
• Hands on hip
• Duck-faced pouts
• Bad lighting and poor focus
• Objects growing out of the top of heads
• Leaning on things and looking wistful - looks dreadful every time
• Remember - your model can't see the shapes their body is making - YOU
need to guide them by TELLING them what you want them to do - even if
they are a professional model