What’s all this about fashion?

What is it?

Fashion is a fairly ill defined genre. Assuming that you are not commissioned to shoot a collection for a designer or pictures for a local boutique, then what we are really talking about is faux fashion. It is all about trying to create the type and style of images we might see in magazines, on billboards, or as part of in-store displays.

As this is an enormously broad spectrum of styles and looks ‘fashion’ is what you want it to be. For me it is about trying to create a very modern  look of now that you can see in magazines like Dazed and Confused and 125 magazine. You, of course, might have a completely different idea based on some other source of inspiration.

Why Do it?

Another difficult one this. Once I’d decided that people were what I preferred to shoot there are so many ways that you can depict them. For me I thought about it in terms of flower macros! If you were to set out to take a flower macro, you would carefully select the perfect bloom, arrange it as best you could and light it perfectly… I apply the same process to people.  An artfully-lit, well-styled, fashion shot of someone who gets as close to human perfection and beauty as possible is my version of the best flower macro – but in human form.

How to do it?

This is probably the easy bit. To me a good photographer is a good photographer, whatever they are shooting. So much of what we do can be transfered from one photographic genre to another. With fashion it is possible to become very technical with lighting (either studio or strobist) in the same way the macro enthusiast might get all wrapped up with focus stacking. However you don’t have to.  Shooting with available light and maybe making use of  a reflector can give you just as great images.

The key bit is to know what you are planning to shoot, selecting the correct model and getting the styling right. The photography can really look after it’s self to a great extent.

Top tip?

If I had to give one top tip for someone interested in shooting fashion it would be to do your research well. Don’t just go out and see what happens – a pretty girl, or handsome guy, wearing random clothes in front of a random background will rarely lead to great images. Look at lots of magazines and web sites, work out what you like, work out why you like it, and then plan a shoot round that style.

All images are Phil Winterbourne’s these and his other creations can be sampled on his website.