What Fashion Photography Is and Isn’t

An e-commerce or catalog fashion shot meant for a website or printed catalog. The image is often conveyed in bright, flat lighting to give the viewer a clear picture of the various aspects of the garment.

As fashion creators know, a fashion brand represents far more than apparel, distinguished from other fashion brands by its look, material and manufacturing techniques. Fashion goes beyond the utilitarian aspects and becomes a form of art and expression, conveying emotion and telling a story.

Connecting potential clients to your brand demands creating imagery that visually depicts what the brand means, something that can defy words and transcend traditional photography.

High fashion with a strong point of view requires a more creative, dramatic and artistic approach. The results are far more dramatic, simultaneously conveying strength and beauty.

This can be challenging with simple e-commerce shots, like that to the left, which is meant for e-commerce or a printed catalog. In this example, the fashion is simple and conservative and the imagery reflects that, conveying professional wear that can be worn stylishly at the office or at after-work engagements. Avoiding light that is completely flat and robs the image of artistry and drama, the image includes subtle use of angular light to create shadow and highlights.

At the other end of the spectrum, high fashion with a strong point of view requires a more creative, dramatic and artistic approach. In our example to the right, unique fashions by Warrior Within Designs in Los Angeles — designed especially with the theme of empowerment for women — requires a much different approach, using much different use of light (combining natural and artificial), makeup and posing. The results are far more dramatic, simultaneously conveying strength and beauty.

In the end, fashion photography is not simply the photography of apparel. Rather, it employs creativity and artistry to convey a message or story and helps define the brand. Achieving it is difficult, but when successful, the results immediately resonate with the viewer, and it is ultimately the viewer’s emotional response that will draw them toward your brand. True, professional fashion photography is an essential tool toward that end.

Portrait Photographer - Horizontal Flourish