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Take modern fashion shots

No area of portraiture changes its styles as fast as fashion photography. As quickly as a type of fashion comes and goes, the approach used to capture the clothes on camera changes radically too. Staying in touch with what’s in and what’s out is very important if you want to be considered a contemporary photographer. The trend in fashion photography recently has been one of understatement, where the fashion product is only subtly alluded to and the portrait is much more about creating a mood or feeling, perhaps conveying how the model feels about the item of clothing or how it reflects a certain kind of lifestyle. It becomes almost a challenge to decode the picture: were it not for a brand name or advertising copy, it would not be clear what it is promoting. This is a subtle approach to advertising, but the fashion world is filled with these types of images. It is worth giving it a try, as carrying it out successfully is quite a challenge.

NELL AND SHOES

What is this image trying to sell? At first glance, it’s not obvious, but gradually the purpose becomes clearer – it’s the shoes. The photographer skilfully draws your eyes towards them. The model is looking away to purposely de-emphasize her face. Pulling the skirt away to reveal her leg draws in your eye, which is in turn led by the leg towards the feet. And should your eyes fall on the backdrop, the stairs lead down to a natural end at the feet. The left leg is purposely the brightest area of the frame, which makes it the main focal point, while the position of the left shoe ensures it is clearly in view. It is all very subtle and subliminal, but very effective. Welcome to modern fashion photography …

Canon EOS-1DS, 28–70mm lens at 60mm, 1/60 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400.