We have been working on one of our final photography projects. For this quarter, I am doing fashion photography—the photographs I take focus on the clothing, environment, accessories, and makeup. The photoshoots have a conceptual story element to them. I took pictures in public spaces that were interesting to photograph. This includes a park, an antique store, a bookstore, and my school.
The locations help me decide how the makeup and clothes should look, but I also add a dramatic flair. For example, a room in an antique store has many dolls. So, I told my model I wanted her to look like a creepy doll. I chose the clothes and makeup she should be wearing and came up with poses that would fit the concept’s aesthetic. I also had to figure out how these poses would convince viewers to want the clothes.
During the shoots, I had to learn to tell the models what to do. I do not usually talk when I take photographs and like the process to be quiet. It was hard to tell them how to pose and assume they would know. I went on Pinterest to look for inspiration until I could find something that would fit the themes.
Something I had to adjust during the photoshoots was working with the lighting and objects that would be in the picture. When the lighting wasn’t how I wanted it to be, I played around with the settings or moved to a different angle. When there were distracting objects, I would move them out of frame or make a reminder to edit them out in Photoshop. Some of the photographs didn’t come out how I intended them to. This was due to the lighting or lack of props. A problem I also encountered was that I would take more portrait pictures than pictures meant for selling clothes. In these pictures, the focal point would be the model rather than what they wear.
Below are examples of what did work and what did not:
What worked:
I took this picture at my school on the 21st of February. This picture worked because it shows off the outfit and is also interesting to look at.
What didn’t work:
This picture did not work because I took it by accident, and it would not have shown off the outfit.
