Who doesn’t like to get their photos taken? At any outing, whether it be with our friends or family, we take selfies and photos of us wearing nice outfits. Whether it be our new shoes we are trying to show off or the expensive jacket.
The photographs we take of ourselves allow everyone to read our personality, emotion and environment. This kind of photography is known as portrait photography. It is the most popular genre of photography for a reason. It captures the personality of the subject with the help of the lighting, poses and backdrops.
Fashion Photography on the other hand also has many similarities. The use of the lighting poses allow the audience to feel the carefree attitude of the runway models. Most importantly, it shows the outfits that the models are wearing. Fashion Photography is done for clothing companies. They hire models to wear clothing produced by them. Fashion photographers are hired to make the clothes appealing to their potential customers.
Importance of Fashion and Portrait Photography-
Fashion photography carries major significance in today’s growing online world of internet shopping. There is not a specific reason to why portrait photography is important.
- Historic relevance, personal branding: Portrait photography tells us the story of a person in a different time, it represents us for who we are. Portrait painting of ancient rulers gave us a description of how people would dress and look. Portraits tell our personal stories.
- The channel between fashion brands and the public: Fashion brands release a new collection and host fashion shows periodically. Not everyone is able to go and attend them. Neither can everyone go to their stores to check out the new line of clothing? Photographs allow everyone with an online presence to have a look. Through social media, the public can express their views and opinions. In return, this allows fashion designers to get direct feedback on their work.
- Expanding the fashion community: Through fashion blogs and websites, customers can always remain in touch with the latest fashion trends. Photographs play a big role in these blogs. In the past, the latest could only be seen through the photographs in magazines. Nowadays, with just a click of a button, everyone has access to their favourite designers’ websites.
- Digital fashion shows: Fashion brands can live stream or upload pictures of their fashion shows on social media platforms. It allows viewers to study every outfit carefully. Customers can then choose their next pair of heels or jeans.
The fashion industry is nothing without photography. If people do not know what new apparel looks like, how will they be inclined to purchase them? Whether it be just a casual photographer or a professional taking photographs of models in the latest collection, as long as the pictures are true to their reality, people will be interested in purchasing. It is the most basic form of marketing for brands. To post photographs for the consumers to see.
How is Portrait & Fashion Photography Done?
Portrait & fashion photography are very similar in terms of how they are shot. A good background, lighting and pose has to be ensured. Fashion photography is more focused towards what the subject is wearing, i.e. the outfit. The subject should pose in a manner so that the outfit is clearly visible to the audience. Portrait photography on the other hand mainly focuses on the face of the subject and their emotions. Portraits are deeper as they carry a lot more meaning and substance. They portray the emotions of the subject to the audience. In order to capture the exact emotion, lighting, background and contrast are used. Some general techniques used in both fields of photography are:
- Keeping the focus on the subject: Whether it be portrait or fashion photography, this is the most important factor that comes into play. If the subject is blurry, their important features such as their eyes, will not be visible.
- Right pose: Talk to the subject and come up with poses that will highlight their best complimenting features, with the lighting, background and camera angle kept in consideration. It is always best to try out different poses and angles.
- Choose the right lens: The camera lens is the most vital part of capturing the perfect shot. There is no such thing as the perfect lens when it comes to portrait or fashion photography. It is up to you to decide which lens will complement the outfit and the subject’s best features.
- Perfect location: The perfect location will not only have a significant impact on lighting but as well as the final results of the photograph. Planning according to the weather is always advisable. Shooting in direct sunlight produces shadows that will make your subject squint. Late in the afternoon or evening is the best time to get a warm and natural glow.
- Different angles: It is up to you and your subject to try out different camera angles. Normally, the camera angle at eye-level compliments the subject’s best features. But, if you want to draw attention to their outfit, play with all sorts of unorthodox angles.
A lot of other factors also come into taking the perfect portrait. Photographers also use editing software to achieve the desired outcome with every photo. This software is very much prominent in the fashion industry. Models body shapes are tweaked in order to make them desirable for their target audience.
Importance of Portrait and Fashion Photography for Content Creators and Media Professionals
Content creators are widely popular across social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. They often post portraits of themselves. How attractive they are is their source of attention and income. They get brand deals from various fashion companies. They promote their clothing through their posts on their social media accounts. When it comes to media professionals, they keep people updated on the new fashion trends through the medium of news. This is only possible through photographs. People will only want to purchase clothing if they like how it looks. Both content creators and media professionals have an influence on their audience through visual information on the latest trends.
