Photography Tips and Tricks

If you aspire to be a runway fashion photographer or if you simply need to photograph a runway show for a friend, there are some simple techniques you can use to make your photos fantastic.

Position Yourself

Your position can mean the difference between a great photo or no photo at all. The best position is at the end of the catwalk. This way, you can get photos of the models as they walk all the way down to the end. Getting this plum position may require you to get to the show early or to push others out of the way.

If you simply can’t get a spot at the runway’s end, position yourself up higher than the crowd. You can do this by standing on a chair at the back of the room. Use your zoom to get close shots and make sure to keep your camera steady.

Adjust for Color

Many fashion shows incorporate colored lighting. For accurate photos of the clothing colors you will need to compensate for the lighting by adjusting the white balance on your camera or by adding filters to your lens.

The Money Shot

The best shots are captured at the right moments. As a model stomps down the runway, she will display the garment she is wearing. This is when the money shots are made. Here are some basic model movements you should look for:

* Taking off a jacket or wrap and throwing it over the shoulder
* The pose and turn at the end of the catwalk
* Unzipping a garment
* Putting hands in pockets
* Flipping the end of a train or skirt

Setting your camera to photo burst mode will help you capture the most movements so that you have a wider selection of photos to choose from for your project.

The best fashion runway photography tip is to stay alert. You never know when a great shot is about to happen.

If you want to sell your photos on stock photography sites, you need to know what the sites are looking for. Here are some tips to getting your photography sold with ease.

Fresh Content

Much of the stock photos that sites get are the same old pictures of flowers and rainbows. Content sites are desperate for fresh content that contains the unusual.

The number one need of most content sites is photos of multicultural (non-white and non-black) children. These photos should be of these types of children doing everyday things such as brushing their teeth, playing outside, and going to school in modern settings.

Pictures of seniors, healthcare, and modern technology is also greatly needed. Studies by Photoshelter.com noted that these were one of the greatest needs in stock photography.

Legalities

If you are shooting people, you always need to get a signed model release. Stock photography companies will not take on your photos unless you have a model release. You can read more about model releases here.

File Size

File size is very important to stock sites because they want high quality images that clients can enlarge. Files should be around 11MB up to 125MB uncompressed (common sizes for a 4-megapixel camera) in JPG, JPEG, TIFF, and TIF formats.

Lighting

Good lighting is very important in stock. To get the best light when shooting outside, avoid the harsh light during the hours between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Indoors, you will need to bounce light to avoid shadows. To learn more about bouncing light see this blog.

Photo Editing

It may be tempting to “fix” your photo by sharpening it, adding contrast, upping the color saturation, etc., but that is a quick way to ruin your photo for stock usage. For example, sharpening is done by the in-house art department of magazines and ad companies because they have different sharpness needs. If the photographer does this before the sale, the image may have the wrong type of sharpness for the company that wants to buy the image. The best stock images are great without having to do anything to them.