When selecting a location

When selecting a location, always look at the way you can prepare that location

within a frame. If the scene is flat overall (as an interesting uneven wall),

it will affect the way you shoot, prepare your image, and pose your client.

Ideally, you would look for environments with leading lines and depth.

Leading lines serve as a way to lead viewers’ eyes to the center of interest in a

photo. The most prevalent example of a leading line would be a stream in a landscape,

guiding viewers’ eyes throughout the scene. Leading lines are important

compositional elements in fashion photography as well. Although these are not

typical leading lines, the two stone walls converge to do something as visual leading lines

in Figure 2. 5.

Chapter 2 ■ Shoot on Location 25

Figure 2. 5

Leading lines are a powerful

visual tool that can draw

viewers’ eyes to the subject.

If you are enjoying a video image, you may think about a background with video

patterns, bright colors, or little depth. This allows you to focus primarily on

arrangement and color theory.

If you are trying to tell a tale, you may want to choose a place with

depth. To have depth, you are looking for a foreground, middle ground, and

background. By adding depth, you add reality to the scene and invite the person

to feel as if she is living in the world of this environment, not just an

element in front of a background.

you won’t have your symbol or wedding client

you won’t have your symbol or wedding client

in a truly peculiar environment or telling some extravagant story. Instead, the

interest in the image’s content enables the viewer’s mind to explore the

likelihood of the story within the image.

The images in Figure 1. 7 involve storytelling at the most basic level. I took

a series of portraits of this woman at a local farm. In one shot she held a

pitchfork to show her as a working farm girl. Another shot showed her reading

a book in a haystack. The story in the images depicts a beautiful farm girl

expected to help run the household farm. She works close by the farm,

handling tasks, but her heart is not necessarily in it. What she truly enjoys is

getting out of into the haystacks, hiding from her duties, and diving deep into a

book. Here she can escape and pass the hot summer days in her thoughts,

thinking of far-off places or a different time in history.

This reading into the images may be a bit high, but that’s the idea of

storytelling. You invite the reader to finish the story you have initiated in his mind

and engage him with your images. These two basic images set out to paint a

detailed story.

Movies are a great source of inspiration

Movies are a great source of inspiration because every part of the scene is

planned. The speech, the blocking, and the props are carefully selected. Check

out the clothing and lighting for inspiration. You can get good quality ideas,

especially by watching movies occur another period.

Songs, Poetry, and Books

When you close your eyes and listen to a song, looks may one thinks of.

You may try to envision what you would do if you were asked to create the

music video for that song. Or perhaps there is a favorite lyric in a song or a

poetry that speaks to you. How would you put those words into a single image?

If you are struggling for inspiration, choose a song and try to imagine which type

of symbol or fashion image would best illustrate what that song conveys or

how you feel when listening to it.

Fashion Professional photographers Who Invigorate

I’ve always found other photographers’ work a great place for inspiration. Note

that we don’t copy their work. What’s the purpose of making an image that’s already

been made before? Plus, it’s not right ethically.

Yet using the work of truly great professional photographers for inspiration has helped me

achieve fantastic lighting, positions, and more.

This is by no means an extensive list of fashion professional photographers, but if

you are new to fashion photography, this is a good place to start looking for

inspiration.

These grab sheets are invaluable

These grab sheets are invaluable. Not only can i use them for inspiration, I can

use them to communicate my concept to others. If there is a hairstyle I need

for a shoot, I recently retrieve a photograph. That’s so much easier than explaining it to

a stylist! Or perhaps I have a particular concept in mind; instead of struggling

to go into detail it to my client, I show her a sample image to illustrate the direction

I want to take the shoot.

Keep and organize grab sheets. They can save you time and invigorate you.

Locations

Sometimes a particular location will invigorate me for a shoot. A spot may

encourage a certain arrangement, or it might have a particular time in history

that it reminds me of. For example, if there is a 1950’s customer in your area, you

Chapter 1 ■ Prepare to Sparkle 7

might be inspired to do a couple’s proposal session with a 1950’s theme.

Or perhaps a rich, green forest will invigorate you to execute a wedding planning image with the

pure white dress contrary to the bright green tones.

If a location drives you to manufacture a certain image, all you need to do is wait for

the right client to come around who fits that environment.

I had seen the falls in Figure 1. 2 in my hometown and photographed them as

landscape photography. I knew that this would make a striking scene for a fashion

image, and once I found a bride happy to pose near them, I could catch this

image.

The fashion sparkle approach turns a symbol

The fashion sparkle approach turns a symbol from a chore into a great experience.

People no longer just show up at a studio room in plain clothing, smile, and pose.

Instead, they prepare clothing, maybe get their hair and makeup done, and

show up at an exciting location. The shoot becomes their own. You make the

shoot an experience to remember and the images something to brag about.

My clients know that with me as their shooter, they can express something

about themselves. Whether it’s in their clothing or in their location, we work

together to manufacture a piece of art. People don’t want to hang a boring picture of

themselves on the wall. But when a photo becomes a piece of art that the client

is incorporated into, it becomes something to be like to show off. This book will show

you how to do this.

Introduction xv

Your business and Fashion Sparkle

Each shooter has a different style of shooting and desired appearance, but

no true shooter wants to be boring or typical. The purpose of photography

is to have a unique vision, which can lead to your symbol and wedding

photography.

People can go to Wal-Mart to get boring headshots. But if they want unique

quality images, they need to go to a professional shooter. If they want

images with a fashion twist, they need to come to you.