The fashion business is the most glamorous of all and so are photographs in fashion. To make a simple fashion shoot more interesting and lively, we have created a few steps which can make your job easier and help you keep things in perspective.
Expertise Rule of Thirds: There are no rules in the art to bound your creativity and you are free to break them. But the rule of thirds is more like a guideline to make your composition on point. So, how do you apply it? To achieve a balance in your composition, put your subject at an intersection point of the grid.
If you practice it further and further, your composition will improve significantly. You will be so used to it, you won't even need the grid-lines on your camera, it will come to you naturally.
Place your subject in the center: Remember we told you there are no rules in art, you can keep the rule of thirds aside and put your subject right in the center. If you think the composition looks good, you’ll realize that this style works perfectly for fashion portraits.
However, just remember that placing your subject in the center can sometimes make the image look static and less interesting. Keep your senses open on whether the central position looks good on your photograph or not.
Create a counterbalance: As you can tell by now, the key to making a good composition is achieving balance. However, sometimes you’re forced to place your subjects in different places.
Counterbalance involves using other components such as furniture in the frame to balance your image.
Storytelling: One of the mistakes that emerging fashion photographers usually make is not including a visual voice in their shoot.
Although they don’t necessarily have words describing the image, they often leave clues about what’s going on. These types of images catch the viewer's attention. They force the viewer to focus on the narrative they’re trying to tell.
An appropriate background is important: Always be careful while choosing the background for shooting because it plays an important role in your composition.
Don’t just think about where to place the model. Try to capture a composition where the elements in the background balance with your image.
An outfit might have complicated patterns, look for a background that’s neutral and blendable with the outfit. If it’s plain, feel free to look for an elaborate backdrop that can create a drama for the plain outfit.
Use Props: Props help in creating more coordinating themes in fashion photography. If things are going too plain and static, you can always use some props to make it look more interesting.
They not only work well in providing the context clues to your images but will also add layers to your composition.
Interact with surrounding: To make your image more lively, don’t just let your model sit around and give poses like old times. Let them be playful and interact with the environment.
It will not only make posing more comfortable for them but interacting with the environment can also create an interesting and more candid composition for you.
Experiment with angels: Never restrict yourself to eye-level angles while shooting. Explore the surroundings and consider all the possible places from which you can click the picture.
You can take pictures from above, below, or even by tilting your camera slightly. You can find new degrees through which you can get unimaginable results. Experimenting with angels will help you get good results.
Highlight the fashion: What makes fashion photographers different from regular portrait photographers is that they know how to highlight the costumes or anything they are shooting for in their images. So no matter what you do, always prioritize how you want to emphasize the outfit. When you pose your model, make sure not to hinder the details of the outfit.
Flaunt your outfit: Since pictures cannot move, it can sometimes be difficult to show the texture of the outfit. A simple static picture can make any outfit look stiff even if it isn’t.
Create movement whenever possible. Let your subject run around, jump, or spin. Let the outfit flow in the air and capture the motion with your camera. When the skirt or the dress is floating in the air, it often forms a triangle, which in turn creates a balanced composition.
You can easily apply many many skills you already know as a photographer when you enter into the world of fashion photography.
Try hard and practice these fashion photography tips every time you shoot, you’ll see your images look better and better by each shoot.