DO'S AND DONT'S FOR FASHION/ BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHY?

http://www.seventeen.com/beauty/hair-ideas/artsy-knotted-pigtails



http://www.vogue.co.uk/galleries/3435/2#/image/21



http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/street-chic/2011/09/new-york-fashion-week/new-york-fashion-week-spring/summer-2012



http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/street-chic/2011/09/milan-fashion-week/milan-fashion-week



I would love to be a fashion photographer, and was wondering the reasons why these photos( links above) work, or do not work, why the angles where chosen and the lighting?



ThanksDO'S AND DONT'S FOR FASHION/ BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHY?
You've eyes and have an opinion don't you? Why do you think these images work? The fact that 3 of them feature in Vogue says that they are successful images... Think about composition, how they make you feel, technical qualities... They are good because they sell the fashion.

Back when I was studying at a college I had to produce a portfolio of anti-fashion shots... Just about anything worked, even to the point of poor exposure... By definition, fashion photography follows trends as much as the actual fashion does.DO'S AND DONT'S FOR FASHION/ BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHY?
It amazes me that so many people new to photography (less than ten years experience) seem to want to follow rules or make up check lists for various types of photography.

Except for the "science" of learning how to use the ISO, shutter speed, lens aperture and various focal lengths, there are NO rules. Actually once you get to where picking the right lens for the job becomes intuitive as does picking the "right" exposure, technical techniques become the tools of the photo-artist

One thing you learn right away as a fashion photographer is that all the angles and lighting is usually provided by the art director on the shoot. It is up to the photographer to work within those boundaries and still get unique and compelling images.

The whole point of shooting fashion is to sell clothing. What that means is, the photographer must make sure that 1) all the colours of the fabrics depicted in the photo match the actual colours of the textile and 2) that the garment clings, flows and molds as the model walks down the runway or poses in the studio or location.

If you look at the runway shots, you will see some very different lighting being used. That lighting is set up by the lighting director in cooperation with the art director of the various design houses displaying their new lines during the show. The lighting is basically high above the runway and at certain spots on the runway, when the model stops and strikes their poses, the lighting there is exactly what the lighting director envisioned. It is up to the "fashion photographer" to nail a few shots at each of those parts of the runway and at the same time, hopefully capture a good look from the model.

When shooting runway fashion, the photographer is assigned a specific location along the runway to shoot. It is incumbent upon them to determine which lens then will use and when the best time to take their shot of each piece of clothing being exhibited during the show.

Some of the samples you showed us were shot in the dressing room, where the photographer has NO control over lighting, but has to be aware of how the existing lighting is falling on the models face. Most of the behind the scenes "fashion" shots were more about hair and makeup, not the clothing.

Shooting outdoors has its own set of problems, especially if one of the designers decides they want the model and their creation to get some "quick" shots outside with Milano or Paris streets in the background

What seems to be missing in your samples are the actual fashion shoots that are done in a studio, where the photographer does have control of the lighting and can spend enough time directing and shooting the model to produce brilliant images of both the clothing and the model

Philippe Halsman was known for his work with Vogue, Life and other prestigious magazines as a portrait and fashion photographer.

He encouraged his colleagues "... to produce unusual pieces of work, by following three rules: "the rule of the unusual technique", "the rule of the added unusual feature" and "the rule of the missing feature"."

As you may begin to see, each photographer brings their own style and point of view to each assignment. The key is to be ready to shoot under any and all circumstances.DO'S AND DONT'S FOR FASHION/ BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHY?
The first is not fashion, it's a good photograph

The second is pure plastic, I guess many fashion photographs are like that

The third could be named as fancy, but steady and meaningless

The last one is holding the whole building; seems to be natural but is not