The second half of day two of my seminars addresses the business side of fashion photography. I jump in by reminding my students that one of the biggest mistakes photographers make is forgetting that fashion photography is a business, like any other business, and the purpose of being in business is to obviously make money. That’s kind of a no-brainer, right? We are all aware that we need to generate revenue in order to survive. However, after reminding my students of the importance of remembering that this is a business, I then ask them WHY they are interested in pursuing fashion photography. I mean, why aren’t they interested in say, food photography or portraiture, weddings or cars? Aside from teaching at my seminars, I also answer a huge amount of emails. And again, I ask the people emailing me with questions about how they can make it as a fashion photographer, why are they interested in fashion photography as oppose to other avenues of photography. What baffles me is not very many people can answer that question. What IS fashion photography? I mean, the answer is right there: FASHION photography is about the fashion. It’s the business of photographing the fashion for either editorial or advertising purposes. It’s about selling the clothes! The CLOTHES!!!!
Coco Chanel
I always ask some pretty easy questions, like: do they know what Chanel was famous for in establishing her brand? Not only do most not know what she was famous for, some don’t even know Chanel was a “she” and they don’t know her first name! I asked them to describe the difference between an empire waist and a drop waist. No, they can’t answer that. Next? Describe what a bolero jacket looks like. No, they don’t know that either. Okay, then, tell me the difference between viscose and rayon? Nope.
Look, here’s a fact: you must understand fashion design. You are going to have to communicate with editors, stylists, art directors and designers in this career. If a fashion editor has hired you to shoot 8 pages for their next spring issue and tells you that the mood for that particular issue is a “Paris 1920’s, heavily influenced by a “Brassai” feel,” you better know what she’s talking about! Do you know what political influences were going on during that era that revolutionized the way women approached fashion? Do you know what designer’s were coming into the forefront of that revolution? (I just named one of them so that was an easy give away…..). Which hair style was vey popular, what were the women wearing in Paris during the ‘20’s and by the way, who is BRASSAI????
Brassai
I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news here, but seriously, if you think that fashion photography is all about shooting half-naked chicks with hot bodies then perhaps you need to change direction and look into glamour photography. They are two vastly different industries. Does Maxim do it for you? Or does Numero? I haven’t looked at a Maxim in God knows how long. I’m not interested in the work. I’m not saying you can’t make money shooting that style of photography but it isn’t fashion. I shoot fashion photography. My blog is about fashion photography. I teach fashion photography at my seminars. And the one thing I will constantly insist on is the importance of understanding fashion design.
Brassai
To make things a little easier for you I’ve compiled a list of some good books to get. You should read them inside out. Buy them so you can bookmark them, underline them, make notes and use these books like textbooks. You will refer back to them constantly over the course of your career. And the next time you tell me how “passionate you are about fashion photography” you better be able to tell me WHY! You know, my husband asked me this recently, “Do you really think Steven Meisel or David Sims love fashion and understand fashion design?” My answer is…yes. I really think you HAVE to love it and understand it in order to shoot it well and be successful at it. So educate thy Self and get ye to a bookstore or Amazon or I don’t care where or how but gain some strong knowledge on the subject and you’ll start to love it even more than you do now!
Fashion A to Z: An Illustrated Dictionary by Alex Newman and Zakee Shariff. – A great comprehensive guide to fashion.It’s an alphabetized guide where you can look up things like Empire Waist under E and find the definition.
100 Years of Menswear by Cally Blackman
Figure Drawing for Fashion Design (Pepin Press Design Books)
The Fashion Book by Phaidon Press
Fashion: The Twentieth Century by Francois Baudot
Icons of Fashion: The 20th Century Gerda Buxbaum (editor)
Costume and Fashion: A Concise History by Amy De La Haye
Fashion by Taschen Books
Vogue Fashion: Over 100 years of style by Decade and Designer by Linda Watson
Brilliant post Melissa, and SO true. It kills me when people forget fashion photography is ALL ABOUT SELLING CLOTHES! I’m going to definitely check up on the books I don’t have yet, and re-read the ones I do have. Thanks for the reminder, and lovely insight! xoxo
I agree 100%. You nailed it and sometimes with your honesty you scare me. Perhaps is this because I hear from you what I am often trying to avoid to hear.
Certainly a bit guilty on this one. And it’s not that I don’t love fashion. I’m just not as knowledgeable as I should be. But the books are in the mail.
I’m glad to say I have some of them already. Still I’m only a fledgling at this.
brilliant, per usual… I think we often lose sight of what “fashion” truly is..
Thank you, once again, for a great, insightful blog…
G
Oooohh, wonderful post Melissa!. Without a doubt, this is a milestone post. Can’t say anything more than THANK YOU.
As someone who has little background in fashion, I’ve found that watching shows like Project Runway, Launch My Line, and Make Me a Supermodel are very educational. Now, when I’m working with clients or models, I can throw out a fashion term now and again and make those folks think I actually understand what I’m shooting.
For realz yo. Ask any fashion photographer if they know who invented the A-line skirt. haha.
Melissa, very well said. I’ve felt you touch on this point from time to time but I feel your frustration with why photographers that read you don’t pick up on this ESSENTIAL fact. I’ve experienced this response 9 out of 10 times (deer-in-the-headlights-look) after asking why someone is interested in the fashion industry. I’ve gotten it with not only photographers but models and stylists. I try to gauge the realism of a potential team member or partner.
The fashion business LOOKS glam to outsiders and attracts many who want glam dust sprinkled all over them accompanied by celeb invites to the hottest. No disrespect to the other disciplines but fashion photography is some of the most ball busting work in the photography industry. It’s hard and anything but glam(until someone see the end product). I like to ask folks “If I need you be at shoot @ 3 or 4 AM to carry a bunch of sh** how much do you still want to be a fashion photographer?”, and see how much the face drops. Most will go Gaga and give you the poker face though.
I’m not the most gifted but I’ve loved fashion before my grandfather put that Canon AE-1 in my hand at 11.
Well said Melissa, keep harping on the necessary love for fashion and selling it.
Todd Stewart Willis
Great, great article; I appreciate your time and writing. Keep up the outstanding work.
Thank You So Much Melissa~ As Always a Great Article.. I Got some more Knowlege of the importance of understanding fashion design………. Educate thy Self and get ye to a bookstore or Amazon….And Learn More…And More Like u Said Knowlege is Power : )
Wow, once again you are sooooo right ! Thanx for the book recommendations. You ROCK !
This was an excellent post!
Aren’t viscose and rayon the same thing?
This may be slightly off-topic, but whether one pursues fashion photography or some other branch, to really do it well, it has to be your passion. You consistently make that point in your posts. You and I shoot completely different types of images but I find so much value in what you say as a photographer. Thanks for sharing.
Here’s a new favorite of mine:
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/fashion/all/44917/facts.100_contemporary_fashion_designers.htm
It’s a gorgeous two volume set. If you have a Half Price Books near you, you can get it for a steal.
Costume history books are also useful…you can see from where a lot of modern fashion elements stem.
Well said and as usual shot from the hip – that needs to be done. I’ll probably get toasted for this but your point seems to head towards the fact that female photographers make better fashion photographers than male ones do. If so, I agree and my female tog friends do it so much better than I ever could (as you know). The female psyche seems to produce an altogether more romantic and accessible image base which we guys sometimes find hard to replicate.
The fireworks start here.
Great list of books! I’ve devoured a couple previously, but judging by my reaction and those above, it’s going to be a banner day at Amazon!
This is interesting, and should be obvious, but I’d wager that a lot of aspiring Fashion photographers don’t know much about fashion design. I’d say they focus more on the photography side than fashion side. But then I’d bet that is true of almost all types of photographers. I bet the question you are first asked by most people is, “What gear do you use?” rather than something like “Have you ever met Anna Wintour?”
At one point my daughter thought she’d like to be a fashion designer so I bought her a few books on fashion design. I’m not sure if she ever read any of them, but I know she has “Vogue Fashion” since I’m reading it at the moment. (I rescued it from the trash when she was cleaning her room.) I thought it would be interesting to learn a little something way out of my area of experience.
I agree with you on mostly everything you said. I think that about 90% of the younger photographers starting in the fashion world ignore all the basic principals of fashion.
Another amazing post!!.
Ben! You pretty much got it and you’re the only one that caught it or spoke up about it, at least. It’s normally called “viscose rayon”. You all can read it here: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_viscose_and_rayon
And here’s a good link too to learn more about fabrics: http://www.fibersource.com/f-tutor/rayon.htm
There’s a ton of them on the internet. Just google away…..
Another great post Melissa, just what a noob like me needs. That birthday gift certificate from Amazon is going to get used this weekend.
Great post. Thanks for the resources!
Great post and to the point, great to be reminded of the path we choose to tread.
so true, by studying, reading and buying regularly fashion magazines my photography got so much better! love this post!
here here to all of the info you have written.
Well said!
I’ve in fashion enough to know exactly what you are talking about… and to realize I’ve got a lot to learn it I plan to pursue it. Sure I can take some good fashion style photos but I’m clueless about the terms, clothes, etc.
Another great read, Melissa!
great article…
I think it’s fly that you’re doing your photography and being very transparent with who you are and what you do! It’s definitely keeping me going
great post…
I always eat up your posts as bible knowledge. I agree with what your saying and I found myself feeling silly wanting to send you a message to see if you had seen the Sundance Channel’s The Day Before… if you haven’t it’s because you are too busy and not a tv person. But FABULOUS!!! I watch every movement and every season and try to find any live feeds I can to get into the fashion shows virtually. I even recently considered one model over the other for the candid picture she had with a ton of fashion magazine ads pinned up on her wall. Loves fashion, A MUST!!!
Hi, there!
I just discovered yout blog today and i fell in love with it! I´m a photographer and live in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. I have a studio with my boyfriend.
Hope someday I´ll be able to really photograph fashion. Until now, I have photographed models and some lookbook for brazilian brands. If you want to see my website: http://www.barkstudio.net
I´ll be comming back all the time! Kiss!
Brilliant and absorbing stuff.
Hi Melissa, an absolutely amazing post and of course thanks for the great list. You rock girl.
Fabulous photos, what camera do you use? I recently got a Nikon D3S and love it. It has great HD video.
classically fabulous! great!!!!
As a trained photographer and a practicing psychologist I both strongly agree and slightly disagree with your stance regarding photographers knowing why they are drawn to fashion photography.
Melissa, I challenge you to list all the concrete reasons you wanted to date and then marry your current husband. My guess is that you were drawn to this man and even considering marriage before you could tell your closest friend exactly why you loved him. That still may be a challenge. In the same way I believe we are drawn to things we like on a more subtle level before we can make a list of why we like it. We typically like something as an experience long before we build a belief system around it explaining why we like it.
I bring this up to point out that although you are making an important point about being clear why someone wants to be a fashion photographer, but maybe it’s a bit unfair to use it as a “make wrong”. It may be that even you were attracted to fashion photography before you understood Exactly what drew you to it. I agree it is important to know if a man is drawn toward pretty women or the advertising medium of fashion photography.
Having said all that I too really appreciate your blog. Had I known the business end of commercial photography better after finishing school (Not Art Center) I may have been in New York looking for an assisting job.
Your blog is a very important contribution to the rest of us. I thank you for that.
Thanks
Great post! very insightful!
Wow, I came back to read further through your posts (after the `Ditty Bag abduction kit’ comment
) and I can say I’m very glad I did. Very informed and informative, and it’s important for people like me to keep a good eye on what really matters in this industry. Subscribing to your RSS, Thank you.
Danny
I feel you make good points here. I’ve been trying out different types of photography to see where i should focus on and it’s been a learning experience to say the least. Kind of pleasantly surprised i still knew the terms you used, even though it’s been almost two decades since i went to school for costume design. I still prefer the more theatrical, historical and the over the top designs than general fashion though. I wish more teachers would push the “why are you interested in it” question though, seen too many people shrug and say “don’t know”.
Theoretically it’s about the clothes…but as of the last year or so I see a high percentage of ‘fashion’ shoots with very little or no clothes actually involved. I’d say 30% or more of all published shoots in the more edgy magazines have some degree of nudity and some shoots that are totally nude..not that I mind, I like it……so it’s become less about the clothes.
Is this trend going to continue?
http://www.fashionising.com/pictures/b–Nudity-and-fashion-who-needs-clothes-1473.html
Brilliant…and yes people don’t always remember that the point of fashion photography IS TO SELL THE CLOTHES/ FASHION/ TREND etc.
this is the most amazing article.
im 16 and im trying to one day become a world renounce fashion photographer
and by people like you that can guide and teach me its juts great.
i love your blog. and and you’re just awesome.
I’m a bit late chiming in – I’m researching for a college essay that I plan to write on this very subject.
Thank you for writing this! I’ve been saying this for years but most of the models I get in front of the lens want nudes for their portfolios. That’s all fine and good if they want to be known as fine art models or porn stars but Puhleeeease don’t call it fashion!
Please, can you PM me and tell me few more thinks about this, I am really fan of your blog…
I totally agree. Great time reading it.