Here are our top fashion photoshoot tips for fashion bloggers. We’re ready for our close-up, Mr. DeMille.
1. Avoid Over-Editing Your Photos
Fashion photography, at its core, is a celebration of human beauty, not uncanny perfection. Too much editing may prevent your spirit from breaking through when all is said and done.
There’s nothing wrong with things like spot removal and the like, of course—they’re your photos, after all. When you start to tiptoe into the realm of heavy body modification, unnatural skin correction, and other significant deviations from the original image, you run the risk of ending up with something that looks less than true to life.
In many cases, the real deal is so much more attractive and interesting to behold.
At the risk of sounding overly sentimental and body-posi, every fashion blogger should embrace themselves fully, flaws and all. Simplicity in post-production is key.
2. Stay Organized
Ask any professional production designer, art director, or wardrobe specialist: you can be working with the most beautiful model and the most talented team in the world, but if a pivotal outfit is missing or somebody got coffee all over it, nobody is going to get the shot.
Take a leaf out of their book, even if you only maintain your fashion blog for fun. Start with a plan and make a list of what you need to do.
If possible, you’ll want to use garment bags to protect your wardrobe, hanging each piece up in order to prevent unsightly wrinkling, rips, and snags. Things like props, jewelry, and other delicacies should all be accounted for and kept safe in a dedicated space. Your camera bag, of course, should always be packed and ready to grab when not in use.
Location scouting, equipment rentals, and collaborative coordination may all be a lot to deal with if you’re shooting solo. The more you’re thinking ahead, however, the more production value you’re going to find in each frame.
3. Professional Equipment Is Awesome
Tripods, remotes, lights, and other gear can all help you make every photo one to remember. The basics in your camera kit will also be imperative; your choice of camera, your lenses, your lighting options, and even things like filtration and diffusion should all play into the way that you shoot.
If you’re new to the game, you’ll definitely want to invest in both a 50mm lens and a longer lens, an 85mm or a 100mm, whichever you find to be more useful more often. You might also consider buying an extra battery, as well as a couple of extra SD cards.
Strobe lighting usually comes with a lot of additional required accessories like transmitters and softboxes; if you’re hoping to keep things simple, a cheap, continuous light source like a work light will be more than enough with the right diffusion and placement.
A 7-in-1 reflector kit and a stand with an arm to train it can also be a lifesaver in many different situations. They include specular reflectors in both silver and gold, diffusive material, and even blue and green keying screens if you like to mix things up in post-production.
4. Pose Thyself
Many fashionistas have a natural sense of poise at their command. The rest of us may fall flat when taken off-guard.
Always give your hands and your feet something to do when photographing yourself; this can be a simple fashion pose or a lifestyle pose, one in which you’re pretending to do something in diegesis.
Your arms and legs lead the eye throughout the entire ensemble just as much as the lines, curves, cuts, and patterns of each outfit do. Your pose adds a lot of personality to each shot, and you step into a totally different role with each outfit, shoot, project, or location.
5. Coordinate With Your Environment
Whether you’re shooting in the cutest part of your home studio or taking things out on the town, you’ll want to look the part, no matter where you are. A fully-layered winter outfit at the beach might feel odd and distracting enough to spoil both the scene and what would likely be an awesome outfit at the right time and in the right setting.
We’re not saying that you can’t wear a gala ballgown to a casual picnic shoot—what we are encouraging you to do, however, is to represent your style and sense of lifestyle authentically. Would you be rocking a lingerie set during a staged day at the fair? Probably not, but if that’s you, go for it.
Great models envelop themselves in the world that their art directors drop them into. You can do the same for your own fashion blog photos. Think about where you would like to shoot and what you, honestly, would wear naturally for the occasion. A bold accessory or an unexpected choice in footwear may be all it takes to elevate the look from your everyday style to something très cool.
6. You Don’t Always Need to Include Your Face
Sometimes, you’ll come across something truly iconic. When you do, it’s always best to let the accessory or outfit speak for you instead of showing your face. Not every photo needs to be a full-body glamour shot—a choice pair of diamond studs or a show-stopping pair of stilettos may be substantial enough to warrant their own moment in the limelight.
If you’re shooting on your own, the switch may be as simple as swapping in a longer lens or opening up your aperture for a more intimate, purposeful photo. Cropping a photo in post-production is one way to capitalize on this principle after the fact, but the photo will take an inevitable hit in resolution. It’s always better to strike while the iron is hot during your shoot.
7. Be True to Yourself
When you shoot only what you love, you give your audience unfettered access to who you truly are as both a person and an artist. There are so many people in this world putting themselves out there through a fashion blog. What makes your story one to listen to?
Anybody can wear a cool outfit and make it shine. It takes a unique mind to transform even simple or affordable pieces and create a look that truly feels one-of-a-kind.
Models aren’t just beautiful people who wear beautiful clothes—they’re artists in their own rights, and this truth is never more self-evident than when a talented model is able to create fascinating and dramatic imagery totally on their own.
If you’ve got a vision that you’re passionate about, all that’s left to do is mount the camera on a tripod and grab the clicker. With enough heart, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.
Elevate Your Fashion Blog With These Photography Tips
Creative fashion photography doesn’t have to be overly complicated, designer brand-exclusive, or even in the current mainstream sensibility. These seven fashion photography tips make working under any circumstances easy and a lot of fun.
