How to Become a Fashion Photographer?

I'm a fashion & portrait photographer based in Toronto & Montreal and I want to teach you how to become successful in the fashion photography industry.

Fashion photographers are rarely thought of as business people or marketers. But if you want to work as a fashion photographer, there's no avoiding it. While the saturated market is an obstacle you don't want to ignore there are many other obstacles that can make it difficult to get your foot in the door. You need to know how to promote yourself and get clients, or your business will never grow. In this post I outline basic rules that I've learned over the years that help you build a successful career as a Fashion Photographer.

Shot on Canon 1300D

How do you get started as a fashion photographer?
The first step is to just take photos. You don’t need to be great at it, but you do need to start somewhere. The best way to get started is with a camera phone, or even your point-and-shoot. Take pictures of the things that interest you; friends, family and even strangers on the street. This will help you learn how to frame a shot, how light affects the way your images look and what makes people look good in front of the camera. Check out some of my tips on how to make your photographs engaging here.

These images may inspire some ideas for future shoots or even help you decide what kind of equipment or accessories are necessary for certain types of shoots.

What are the first steps?
The best way to learn is by looking at other people's work and noticing what they do differently than you would have done something similar. Try taking notes on each photo so that you can remember what works and what doesn't work in different photos later on down the road when you're trying to figure out how other photographers have made their images successful.

What photography equipment do I need to start?
All you really need is a camera. Any camera, as long as it has a lens attached and takes photos.

So if you don't have a DSLR yet, don't worry! I'll cover some basic DSLR recommendations for beginners in a bit, but first let's go over some other types of cameras that might be better suited for your needs if you're just starting out on your journey into photography:

Here's a list of beginner cameras I updated recently in my blog article.

You don't need an expensive camera to start, in fact until last year I was still using my Canon 1300D to shoot most of my paid photoshoots. Remember, it is not the camera that matters in terms of the quality, but you.

Shot on Canon 1300D

Do I need a website?
Yes, you do. But it is not as simple as it sounds. What you need is a professional website that will help you to attract more clients and sell your work. You don’t have to be an expert in web design or programming to create a great website. There are many tools available on the Internet that allow you to create an impressive web presence at no big cost, including Squarespace, WIX, WordPress lightspeed, Shopify etc. The most important thing is that your website should be responsive and compatible with all devices including mobile phones and tablets.

A good website should make it easy for potential clients to contact you, learn about your services, see samples of your work and purchase prints or stock images directly from the site without any hassle. You should also be able to add new content on a regular basis so that your visitors keep coming back for more!
Some some extra tips on making your website more efficient, check this article out.

How do you become a successful fashion photographer?

Know how to work with people. This is especially important if you want to shoot models or celebrities because they can be difficult to work with at times. You need patience and understanding as well as a lot of experience working with people in general so that they feel comfortable around you when they are being photographed by you. This is really important, but still your quality of work matters more than the social skills, of-course.

How to stand out as an amateur fashion photographer?
Color grading your photos can help you achieve this goal. Color grading will help you as a photographer, especially as a fashion photographer.

So what is color grading? It's basically the process of changing the look and feel of your photos by applying different colors, contrast and saturation levels. You can use either software like Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom, DxO Photolab and CaptureOne Pro, or specialized plugins like Color Finale for Final Cut Pro X or Magic Bullet Looks for Premiere Pro CC (not free).

Where are some good places to get work experience?

Try out different jobs in the industry. As a fashion photographer you will have to wear many different hats. You need to be able to do everything from shooting models, styling shoots, retouching images and editing videos. You can start off by working as an assistant for other photographers or stylists until you gain enough experience and confidence.

How to get paid jobs as a fashion photographer?

Pretty much all my free shoots in the beginning lead to me being hired (and paid real money!) by those very brands later.(and many more). 

Shooting for free when I was starting out allowed me to prove myself to brands I was shooting for, but also to others. It helped me in the process of discovering my style as well. It gave me the opportunity to build my portfolio, and show them what I could do. I got to add work to my portfolio, be associated with larger companies, and get paid in the long term. 

I'm not suggesting that you all go out and spend years upon years creating free imagery for brands and feeling exploited. You have to be careful about not damaging your market value by shooting a ton of free content too. So, it's about doing something strategic. Read the full article here how to strategize your free shoots, as shooting free can also damage your brand in the long run.

Advice on building up a portfolio and marketing your work.
Fashion photography is one of the most competitive fields in photography, and it can be a challenge to find work. But with some patience and hard work, you can build up your portfolio and start getting paid shoots.

Here are some tips for building up a fashion portfolio:

1. Shoot as much as possible, don't just focus on photographing models. Shoot everything!

2. Build relationships with other photographers, connect with other photographers in your area and attend local events where you can meet like-minded people who share your passion for photography.

3. Your fashion photography portfolio should have only one goal: showing off your skills as an image-maker. Don’t waste time posting unedited photos that are poorly lit or awkwardly cropped.

4. Shoot professionally styled models in studio settings. Create high-quality images with natural light or studio lighting.

When building up your portfolio and marketing yourself, remember that it takes time for people to notice and appreciate your work. You should probably expect six months to an year before anyone pays attention or contacts you about working together with the intention of paying you.

And when there are brands that want to pay you, communication of your rate is really important. It can make or break the agreement. To fully understand, and learn the technique of how I pitch my rate to my clients, you can check it out in my recently written article here.