Getting Great Fashion Show Photos

If you have a chance to attend a fashion show the last thing you want to see is the back of a photographer taking photos of the show. As a photographer you need to remember that the people in the audience paid to be close to the front so they can see all the show and not the back of your head. When you get hired to photograph a runway fashion show try to make sure you have a place to stand that will not block the view of the guest. This will usually be at the end of the runway but it may me just off the side which in my opinion is a better spot. A slight angle usually looks better than head on shots.

What You May Need

• Continous Light
• White Balance
• Wide Lens
• On Camera Flash
• Tripod or Monopod

Most well financed runway fashion shows have quite a bit of light on the runway and you can usually do a good job without any additional light. The continous light used for the runway will usually provide a lot of contrast and atmosphere. If you custom White Balance to neutralize the warm color of the stage light you may take away a lot of the feeling of the show. Try to capture the look of both the models and the lighting when taking your photos. Correct balance of light colors may not be what is wanted in your photos.

Lower budget shows may be short of lighting. If this is the case I would use a on camera flash but not pointed directly at the models. You still want the look of runway lighting and use your light as fill and to stop the movement for a clean in focus photo. Many of the models will be wearing palladium and platinum rings provided by a designer. You want to be sure and get a close up of any jewelry being shown. It would not hurt to ask ahead of time about designer fashion to watch for. You will be seeing a lot more jewelry pieces made from palladium since it is the new metal being used this year.

If you have to use on camera flash and have an assistant it would be a good idea to place an second flash unit off the the side. I would not leave it alone on a stand because with soo many guest it may be knocked over. This will add depth to the photo and have it as a main light and leave your on camera flash as fill. You want to make sure to have enough light to show off the fashions but not overpower the ambiant light. You just want to add to it. A good balance will keep the look of the fashion show that the clients wanted while showing off the clothing, jewelry and model at the same time.

I would prefer to be even with the height of the stage. I would also use a longer lens so I can capture both the entrance of the model and her pose at the end of the runway. Usually a 70-200mm will work well in both spots. If you are in a very small room then a 24-70mm may be needed to capture the end of runway shots. It is a good idea to plan ahead or at least bring a selection of back-up equipment so you have what you need if things change just before the show. Of course a back-up camera is a must for any paide event. I include at least one camera body, lens and flash as well as batteries and CF cards as part of my back-up equipment.

I is also a good idea to know the final size of prints the client may want. If you shoot close and crop in camera you may find printing a 8×10 to be a bit tricky. A 8×12 will be the standard size of many digital cameras but no one ever wants a hard to frame size. If you need 8×10 crop ratios then you need to shoot with a little extra room to allow for final edits.