Let’s be clear that we must take photographs for the fashion editorials and focus on the image style we want to have. This will depend on the garments we have and the image that the company seeks for its brand.
In fashion photography, brands want to convey a lifestyle through their clothing and image. In this type of photography, many tools are needed, because the objective is a striking photo. That is why you have seen that many fashion magazines tend to play with glamor and drama in their images. Most of the models are made up with thick eyeliner and pretty dramatic shadows. On the other hand, you will also see in this type of photos that different ranges of lights and lighting accessories are used.
Let’s see what are the steps you should know, to immerse yourself in this type of advertising photography.
Understanding Concepts: What is a Fashion Publisher?
Fashion photography is more than showing the new market trends in an image. Therefore, it is important that a fashion photographer knows what the concepts are in this area of ​​photography. In addition, you must know how to capture the essence of the brand and transmit it in your photos. That is why you should know what is a fashion editorial?
A fashion publisher aims to tell the client a story through an image. This is basic, since although the trends may be the same. The way in which each photographer interprets them will be what makes the difference.
There are different aspects that you should take into account when creating a good fashion editorial. You must be aware of trends and what is new in the market. Outdated content won’t do you any good.
The photographs we take for fashion editorials are productions made for fashion magazines or catalogs. This has led to the creation of its own aesthetic, where accessories, garments and locations are the protagonists.
Factors and Keys to Take into Account to Know How to Do A Fashion Editorial
Before entering the world of fashion, you must take into account some factors and keys to know how to do a fashion editorial, one of them is to follow the parameters that generally appear in all magazines. Each of these steps will help us not to be rejected from the beginning.
One of those key aspects is knowing the format in which the magazines are published. These use a vertical format, so your photos will have to be adapted. Also, you must take into account the colors and pixels.
Also, it is important to understand the difference of CMYK and RGB color profiles. The RGB format is mostly used in online publications. Unlike CMYK used in printed publications. On the other hand, it is important that you take into account the pixels per inch. On the web it is always considered 72 dpi and in printed publications 300 dpi is used. Now let’s see what are the key steps to achieve the expected result.
Next, we will see what are the steps or phases that we must follow. Keep in mind that you must know how the work of the company you want to work is like. In addition, you must know the message you want to convey with your image, what you want to tell. Choosing a trustworthy team will make your job easier.
Phase 1: Pre-Production
The goal of the fashion photographer is to capture an idea in the best way. When it comes to editorial photography, the idea will depend on the brand you work for. The best way to prepare an editorial is to know what is the line followed by the magazine you plan to work with. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze all possible material. This part of pre-production is essential. Thus, our work will be aligned with that of the magazine.
After collecting information, you should study what the session you will carry out requires and define the concept you want to capture. Knowing what you want to capture will help you manage the resources you will need to obtain a good final result.
Phase 2: Production
Once you’ve done the pre-production work, focus on the next phase. Now is the time to take the photos. Consider measuring the light and playing with it. You may have noticed that many of the best jobs use good lighting.
Lighting is an important aspect when giving personality to our works, it adds soul to the images.
Phase 3: Post-Production
This phase will help you achieve better results. Digital post-production is essential in this type of work. Currently, there are different programs that will help you perfect your images. The objective with this last phase is to obtain the best possible result. However, it is important that you get good photos in your sessions. This way, you will avoid making too many changes.
Choose A Style That Defines You in Editorial Fashion Photography
If you want your images to be accepted, you must make sure that they are consistent with what you want to convey. Many fashion photographers, when they are just starting out, make this mistake, and for this reason many magazines reject them. You must make sure that with your images you process the style that defines you in fashion editorial photography.
Find out everything you can about the brand. It is useless for you to have excellent quality photos, if they do not adapt to the style of the magazine where you want to apply. To achieve this, you will have to identify what your style is, and then adapt it depending on the brand with which you are going to work.
Remember that your photographs can be very good, but in the same way they will be rejected if they do not convey the message that the company seeks.
Keep in Your Portfolio Exclusively with Photos for Fashion Editorials
This step will give you more options to be chosen. You should keep in mind that Art Directors will see your portfolio, and have around 20 photos for fashion editorials. This is because you will give the Art Director more choice, making him have the best five or seven of your photos with him.
Review Publications from The Publisher of The Fashion Magazine You Want to Work With
One of the things you can do is evaluate and study the editorial of the fashion magazine of the brands you want to work with, you can also subscribe to a newsletter to keep up with market trends. This will allow you to align with the style of the company.
Try to study each of the publications you see, until you feel that you have internalized the style that the company has. In this way, the creation and selection process will be easier for you. This will give your portfolio a bonus.
Collaborate with Creatives Who Have Worked on Previous Fashion Editorial Photography Productions
When you are just starting to create your portfolio, you should find a way to start with what you have. That is why collaborating with creatives will be of great help. It will give you experience and you will be able to test how to work in the world of fashion editorial photography.
You can work with people who have already participated in this type of production. Identify creative people, some of these can be makeup artists, stylists or even models that have appeared in certain publications. Thus, you will learn more about what are the steps you should follow.
You may also like to read: Ideas for An Artistic Photoshoot.
Conclusion
Remember that the term fashion editorial is used to refer to photographic productions in which you want to tell a story. Do not forget that there are different elements that intervene in the result, these can be the clothes and accessories. Those in charge of telling the story are the models and the environment in which the session takes place. Also, keep in mind the style in which the brand works. This type of advertising photography is increasingly common and growing rapidly.
