Tis’ the season to embrace and celebrate fashion. With Singapore’s Audi Fashion Festival right around the corner, have you been inspired to explore fashion photography on your own? Be it having your very own fun fashion shoot, shooting for your blogshop or snapping some gorgeous shots at from the runway, here are seven quick and easy tips from Edwin Teoh, Canon Singapore's Assistant Director for Consumer Business Marketing, to consider in for your venture into fashion photography.
1. Give some thought to avoid “I forgot”
If you’re doing a fashion shoot or “editorial” ie. an artistic series of shots that show off garments like those in the pages of a fashion magazine; planning your shoot is key to a successful and fruitful session. Ask yourself questions like “Will I want to conduct the shoot indoors or outdoors?” “What tools will I need?” and “Which specific locations can I consider for each specific outfit?” Yes, it can be a tedious process but with detailed plans and ideas on what look and feel you want to achieve with each shot, everything will fall into place.
2. Use a telephoto lens
A telephoto lens – a lens with a focal length larger than 50mm or 75mm depending on what DSLR camera you’re using – makes for pictures that are more flattering on the face and figure. Any other lens, particularly a wide-angle lens, tends to make features closer to the lens, like your nose and chin, appear larger, which is a definite no-no in fashion photography.
3. Keep your f-stop between 2.8 to 5.6
Love the “bokeh” effect? Good news – this effect is great for fashion photography as it creates an intense look by bringing your model into sharp focus while blurring out the background. You can easily create this effect on your DSLR camera by adjusting your aperture or f-stop to between 2.8 to 5.6. To adjust the aperture settings, set the DSLR camera to manual or aperture mode.
4. Go crazy with the angles
The most beautiful shots are rarely discovered through shooting from just one angle, so mix it up by exploring your subject from various angles. Besides exploring creative perspectives for your fashion photo, part of this process is also about discovering which angle your model looks best from. Try out all the different angles with different poses while you’re at it.
5. Lights before camera and action
Just by using different types and angles of lighting, you can create a great range of effects in your photos so do spend some time playing around with lighting. If you’re indoors and have the luxury of studio lights, try out shots with a different number of lights. Depending on the angle from which you’re shooting, sometimes even just one head-on light will do the trick. The general idea is to make sure that there’s enough light on your model without creating too many unflattering shadows. If you’re shooting outdoors, bring along a reflector. Reflectors help to bounce sunlight onto the shadows created by the natural light. Don’t have one? No worries. A large piece of thin Styrofoam from a stationery or art shop will do the trick.
6. Hocus Focus
To create shots that are nothing short of magical, it’s important to know what should be the focus of shot. Is your focus on the model, the gorgeous hairdo, the make-up, or her jewellery? If you’re looking to capture the hairdo, it’s best to use light make-up and simple jewellery in a way that complements the hairdo, but not draw the attention away from it.
7. Make Magic Happen with Creative Filters
Filters aren’t just for smartphone apps anymore – some cameras, such as the Canon G1 X Mark II, come with cool creative filters that you can instantly apply to your shots. Going for the vintage look? Hit the ‘Retro’ category of filters and the camera will automatically select and apply the best vintage filter for you.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of fashion photography, don’t be afraid to experiment with different kinds of lens, lighting and settings. You’ll find that sometimes not everything needs to be lit just so or be perfectly flattering so go ahead and try bending the rules.
Read more photography tips from Canon Singapore and more on EOS DSLR photography courses here.