Fashion Photography, The Complete Guide

Are you a beginner setting their foot into the world of fashion photography?

Fashion photography is incredibly diverse and popular and can be overwhelming for beginners. However, fashion photography can be broken down in a simple manner.

This article aims to do exactly that, and help you have a better understanding of this genre.

Table of Contents show

What is Fashion Photography

As the name suggests, fashion photography is a genre that is focused on clothing, shoes, and other fashion accessories. It is a huge industry on its own and can be seen everywhere around us.

This can be anything from billboards of fashion brands, images of men and women in clothing catalogs, to even television advertisements. Fashion photography also plays a vital role in the success of most of the world’s biggest fashion houses and magazines.

Fashion Photography Equipment

As with other genres of photography, equipment is very important.

Camera Sensor: the bigger the sensor, the better the quality of photographs in low light. Hence, larger sensors are preferable for fashion photography, since high-quality images are crucial. Full frame and APS-C sensors are ideal since they offer better sharpness and color accuracy thanks to an extended dynamic range.

Lens Availability: As a fashion photographer, you will be shooting in a wide variety of scenarios. This means that you will need to use various lenses based on the purpose. Having a camera that has a wide range of lenses available means that you have wider choices of lenses.

Lens: A 35mm lens is perfect for fashion photographers. This is primarily because of the great working distance that it offers. You can use it for shots inside a studio, as well as outdoors. The next point to consider is if you must use a prime or a zoom lens. The answer to this isn’t simple. Zoom lenses are versatile, but typically don’t have a large aperture. Prime lenses offer superior quality but have very specific uses. Having both lenses in your arsenal is ideal.

Best Lighting for Fashion Photography

Lighting is all about preparation and practice. In certain situations, you may have the flexibility of using artificial lights. At other times, you need to be able to use natural light.

Creating the appropriate setup for good lighting requires preparation and planning. To start off, you can use powerful artificial lighting units such as strobes. However, they can be quite difficult to carry around. Smaller and more portable versions called Speedlites are great alternatives.

You can make use of diffusers and backlights for portrait fashion photography. Understanding spill light, loop lighting, and lighting patterns can go a long way in helping you shoot incredible photographs!

Over time, you will have a better understanding of how you can use light to get better results.

Get the 7-Day
FREE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE:
The Path to Photography Expert

Camera Settings

There are no fixed camera settings that work for all types of fashion photography. There are, however, a few pointers that are sure to help immensely.

RAW: Always shoot in RAW mode. this gives you much more flexibility while post-processing. The quality of your photograph is also better after all the edits have been reflected.

White Balance: Set the white balance correctly depending on the location of your shoot. Having the right white balance will save you a lot of effort while post-processing.

Single Shots: Burst Moe is something you should avoid, although it may seem counterproductive. Reframing is incredibly important, and burst mode does not allow you to do it optimally. Additionally, if you shoot in RAW, you can quickly take up a lot of memory space.

Different Types of Fashion Photography

Editorial Fashion Photography: This style of photography is what is usually featured in magazines and posters. Stories and articles are combined with visual content and are published together.

Street Fashion Photography: This is a more casual and laid back style. It usually shows the type of clothes that most people wear, and highlights how casual wear can make a fashion statement.

Catalog Photography: This type of photography is primarily sued by print media companies. Usually, the shoots are done inside a studio or similar locations. The backgrounds are grey or white to highlight the clothing very clearly.

High Fashion Photography: Some of the biggest fashion labels make use of high fashion photography. It is characterized by celebrity models, over-the-top styling, and avant-garde clothing. The main goal here is to showcase creativity of the designer.