First of all, I am glad to tell you that all the incubation finally paid off, where I've managed to submit the first draft of my thesis for a review by my supervisors! (so proud of myself) Now that that's out of the way, in this entry, I'd like to talk about my experience doing fashion photography for the first time.
Last week, I attended my best friend's sister's graduate fashion show, a show where the graduating class of her university get to showcase their designs. I was very happy to be invited to attend the show, although I didn't get to stick around for too long. Here's some photos from the show:
My best friend's sister, Nabihah (center) and her fellow designer friends
"LA GAIETÉ" by Anis Sofhea Widuri
"LIKE A SORE THUMB" by Nabihah Ridzuan
It was really cool to attend a fashion show for the first time. I'm not much of a fashionable person myself (in fact, not fashionable at all), but I'm really intrigued by the fashion industry. Aside from all the superficial things people associate with fashion, there really is a lot of work put into it. From the mood boards to the sketches to the fabric/material picking to the fitting to the actual show; and whatever that comes before, after and in between. It takes a lot of work to get things right and it takes a lot of teamwork, too. Fashion is a bold personal statement, and can only be brought forth with the right avenue and the right mediums. This is where fashion and photography come hand in hand.
Fashion photography is a huge deal, and the works by well-known photographers can be recognized by almost anyone in both the fashion and photography industry. Their style, personality and vision are visualized by stunning lighting, art direction, and overall picturesque quality. I believe it's one of the hardest and most complicated fields of photography to pursue as it requires so much research, updates on current trends and also uniqueness in style.
To be frank, I don't know a lot about fashion in general, nor do I know fashion photography, but as I said, I really am interested in it. I did do some editorials for some stuff before, but they are more towards street-style shoots and portraits, none of that high-fashion studio stuff.
Gordy's Camera Straps editorial shoot
Adidas Tubular X x Penny Skateboards editorial shoot
Faiz's graduation portraiture
So, when Nabihah asked me if I could shoot her final collection for her look book, I was excited! It was going to be a great challenge and my first time shooting real fashion photography.
I, being the professional that I am, started to do my preparations for the shoot. In this entry, I'll break it down into before, during, and after the photoshoot, so if you or anyone out there want to try your hand at fashion photography, you might be able to take something away. Otherwise, please enjoy the pretty pictures.
BEFORE
As it was my first time, I sought out advice from one of my favorite fashion bloggers: Zanita Whittington. Zanita is a successful fashion blogger who has collaborated with international brands, done editorials on so many fashion pieces, attends Fashion Week in New York, London etc and was one of the bloggers featured on the Fashion Bloggers TV show on E!. I really like her style and more importantly her openness to aspiring photographers, fashion designers, and bloggers. She and I had a few short exchanges on Twitter before, so I tried my luck in asking her for advice. She was very helpful and offered me tips on shooting look books. One thing that stuck with me most was "don't start shooting if the lighting isn't perfect,".
I then went on to YouTube to look at some behind the scenes of photoshoots from portrait photographers that I look up to, such as Joey L. and Nathan Elson. These two photographers are super knowledgeable in terms of lighting, and I really wanted to learn how to control, adjust, and use light to its fullest. Because I'll be working with studio lighting, I watched some videos on strobes and flashes, too.
Of course, a very important thing to do before any shoot is to make sure all camera batteries are fully charged, all camera equipment is present and working, and a rough flow of the shoot is planned out. I was to photograph for two designers for this shoot, so bringing two fully-charged DSLRs with a plethora of lenses was the way to go.
I don't have a photo of what was in my bag but please enjoy this pretty photo of my old setup.
I wasn't nervous or anything even though it would be my first time shooting studio work. I am used to taking photos and I've gotten the hang of using on and off-camera speedlights, so this wasn't going to be too different... I hoped.
DURING
I got to the studio a little late because I couldn't find parking space (SS15 in the middle of the day, what did I expect?). Thankfully, the make-up artist and the models were running a little behind schedule as well, so I had about half an hour to setup my camera and lighting.
One of the lighting setups for a portrait
It's very important to arrive to a shoot early as a photographer because you don't want to come to a shoot and then immediately start firing off some frames. You are a person, your designer is a person, and your model is person (if it's a person). Wouldn't it be hella awkward to come, say hi and then go "Yeah, can you arch your back and kick your right foot to the front for me"? Great practice in professional photography is arriving early to meet with your clients, your models, the make up artist, the studio manager and even the other photographers if they are there. Working with other people means you need to build a rapport with them, make everyone feel comfortable with you and each other, and establish a conducive work environment. It's good to have good vibes surrounding the shoot, which is why I also asked if the model or designers/stylists wanted to put on some music. They put on some Børns, which made everything even better.
Lighting is also extremely important, which is why Zanita was very wise to emphasize on lighting. This is also why I wanted to arrive to the shoot early so I had time to adjust the light to perfection. Client usually have a rough idea of what kind of light they want, and it's your job as the photographer to produce something akin to that idea. What I did was ask the designers to prepare some reference photos so that there was a clear vision of the outcome of the shoot, and it made a lot easier to setup the lighting and mood.
After getting to know the names of the models, having some small talk, and getting the lighting spot on, the shoot then commenced without a hitch.
Sometimes, as a person looking through a viewfinder, it's hard to see the big picture. You're caught with tunnel vision and this makes things seem handy dandy for most of the time. So, good practice is also to shoot a few frames and then take a look at them on the rear screen or better yet, shoot tethered to your laptop.
Shooting tethered to the laptop is always encouraged
Tethered shooting is a great way to avoid mistakes while the shoot is still going on. Not only you, but the designer, stylist, and makeup artist get to review the photos so that they can micro adjustments on the fly. You can only do so much in Photoshop, so minimizing the need for post-production corrections means you spend less time in front of the computer screen. I learned to shoot tethered back when I set up a makeshift studio for Entrepreneurial class. I could review my photos instantly and I could do quick edits to see if the photos worked. Plus, immediate reviews are very important to avoid major mistakes that sometimes require re-shoots.
Fly-away hairs, crooked tops or untied laces are small details that could ruin a photo // Anis & Joanna
The designer/stylist and makeup artist will always be on set for mid-shoot adjustments // Nabihah & Joash
Technical things aside, I always make sure to have fun and keep up the good vibes throughout the whole shoot. It's great to throw in some jokes, or talk to the designer once in a while and ask for their input, take some short breaks to let the model calm down and basically have a good time. Photoshoots can be a stressful job, but it's the little things that make it less of a job and more of a fun time with friends taking pretty pictures.
AFTER
Probably the most exhausting part of a photoshoot for a photographer is post-production. Personally, for every hour of shooting, I have to dedicate 1.5-2 hours of editing; even more if major editing is needed. For fashion shoots, I expected no less. Thankfully, Nabihah and Anis had both prepared some reference photos for me to work on. We had also discussed the editing during the shoot so I already knew what I needed to do in post.
There isn't much to say about photo editing because it's so technical and boring. Sometimes I have free reign of the style and look I want to bring to the photos and other times I follow the clients' wishes. It's great to be able to take the time to look back at the work I produced but there are people that don't appreciate post-production. No matter how much or how many times I try to explain that I need to edit your photos, someone will say "You don't need to edit them, I don't mind.". Well, I mind!
For fashion shoots, post-production is immensely important because the photos need to be literally perfect. There can't be any small specs, sensor dirt, distractions, fly-away hairs, stray lighting, ripped up backdrops and even distracting shadows!
Before (left) and after (right)
Before (left) and after (right)
After it's all said and done, I can't help but feel proud of myself for doing a good job (by my standards, of course). Making photos is creating works of art, and sending them off to clients is to showcase my work. I guess it's the "instant gratification monkey" in me that loves the aftermath of a shoot. That feeling of accomplishment is like a dose of adrenaline, and every time I get it I want more.
Shooting fashion for the first time was an awesome experience. I really wanted to expand this blog into more facets of photography, and fashion is definitely one of them. I tried to do this shoot in collaboration with Leica Malaysia, but they didn't have any cameras available, which was a bummer. I hope that my next shoot features some new gear as well, which allows me to create two kinds of content simultaneously.
I hope you guys liked this entry. Although fashion photography isn't my thing (yet), I hope that you guys could take away a few things on ethics and good practices in general. Also, I might be starting to write long entries (such as this one and the previous one) because I get to flush out my ideas more. But it also depends on my mood, so I guess it's not going to be all long anyway.
I'll leave you guys with some more shots from the shoot with Nabihah and Anis. Big thanks to them for giving me the opportunity to shoot for their final collection look book. Really looking forward to working with them again in the future. You can check out their work here:
Until the next entry, take care.
Model for Nabihah: Joash
Model for Anis: Joanna
Makeup: tgxnrshh
Studio: INTI International University & Colleges, Subang
Comments