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self evaluation - key editing terms
key examples - do's and don'ts - spot the editing technique/mistake

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Still life

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Creative use of aperture
Creative use of shutter speed

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help sheet

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Fashion product to advertise (worn on face)

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Fashion product to advertise (worn on face)

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Video tutorials to practice more advanced skills

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Help Sheet

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Winter is the perfect time to improve your photography by taking on some indoor projects-particularly still life and tabletop photography.

Still life photography is the photographic counterpart of still life painting. It emerged as a distinct genre and became a professional specialisation in western painting by the late 16th century.

Common subjects for still life painting and photography include natural items-flowers, food, plants, rocks, etc.-or manmade objects-glasses, shoes, tools, and so on.

Tabletop photography is a branch of still life photography that focuses on capturing items that can be placed on a table. The most common photographic subjects of this genre are food photography and product photography, i.e. photographing a product for commercial purposes.

All of the photos found on e-commerce websites, or in magazine and newspaper advertisements, can be classified as product photographs.

Below, is a typical image you might find on a website to sell a pair of boots. The shoes are well lit, the shadows are soft, there is a seamless white background and the features of the boots are visible on both sides of the boots-providing a clear image to the buyer. Here, I went the extra mile by adding a collier as a prop to make the photo more interesting.

A classic product photograph for women shoes.

If you do want to make your way into the product photography game, most of your clients will expect you to photograph things as they are. For the most part, they are not interested in the artistic vision of the photographer.

Improve with Still Life and Tabletop Photography

Even if you are not interested in commercial photography, you can still learn a lot from still life photography.

If you are interested in portraiture, still life photography can help you improve your lighting technique by taking advantage of a subject that does not get bored of waiting for you to finish experimenting.

If you are a landscape photographer, you can improve your composition skills and creativity by crafting and studying a still life scene without worrying about a change in light or weather. You are able to observe how the different kinds of light will affect the scene. Did you know that sidelight from a low light source (either a flashgun or the Sun) is great to reveal textures?

With still life and tabletop photography, you are totally in control of every single aspect of your photo. From staging the scene, to firing the shutter-it is all your decision.

Despite the "commercial" nature of tabletop photography, you are not limited to shooting in a commercial way-you can always create a nice story-telling image like the one below.

A story-telling still life.

This still is not really advertising the liquor or the flute. It combines the different elements in the scene (the sheet of music, the flute, the used, half empty glass and the opened bottle) to tell a story.

What do you Need to Begin your Still Life Project?

You may think that your gear is not good enough to try still life photography. Maybe you are considering your need for studio equipment-macro lenses, tilt and shift lenses, flashguns, triggers, continuous studio lights and light modifiers. Or perhaps you are concerned that you do not have a studio to house your projects.

Even though a professional may require a suitable set-up and expensive equipment, you can still take amazing photos with fairly basic equipment, directly in a corner of your living room.

Still life photography encourages you to view your subjects artistically.

Keep costs low by getting creative and crafting DIY accessories and solutions to get the shot that you want.

Below, I have provided short lists of materials and equipment that I suggest you have to begin tabletop photography.

Required Equipment:

Any kind of photo camera; a digital photo camera is preferred because it is cheaper to run and you can have an immediate feedback, but nothing prevents you from using your film camera.

Different materials to create the floor and background for your scene.

Small silver and white reflectors to bounce the light back in to the scene. These can be easily built using tinfoil and cardboard.

Props: look around your house or visit a flea market for interesting, cheap props to enhance the scene.

Recommended Equipment:

At least one flashgun. Ideally, it can be used in manual mode and has adjustable power. I use a Metz 48 AF-1 digital. You will also need wireless triggers or a fairly long E-TTL cord-to enable flash off-camera.

A softbox for your flashgun: I use a Lastolite Ezybox Speedlite 22×22 cm, a compact, wonderful and affordable softbox.

One tripod. A second one can be necessary if you want to mount your flashgun instead of using it handheld.

A telephoto lens and a fast normal lens. Ideally, a macro lens is required, but you can get away with a set of close up lenses. Since I do not own a macro lens, I usually work with a +2 and/or +3 close up lens in order to reduce the minimal focus distance of my lenses. Old, manual lenses are good and usually cheap.

I usually use an old, fully manual, Olympus Zuiko OM 50mm f/1.4 and the Sigma ART 30mm and 60mm lenses, both f/2.8: super sharp and cheap. Note that I use those lenses on an m43 camera, with a crop factor for the sensor of 2x, meaning that those lenses are equivalent to a 100mm, 60mm and 120mm lens for full frame cameras.

How to Approach Still Life photography

Keep it simple. Don't get carried away trying to craft scenes that are overwhelmed with many different objects (or food) and materials. Take a minimalistic approach, where the main subject is easily identified and work the scene to make the most of it.

Consider that glassy, shiny and reflective surfaces are the most difficult to work with. Try to avoid them in the beginning.

Keep it clean. Still life is all about perfection (even messy setups should be carefully staged) and nothing should be left unchecked. Be sure to clean your props and all visible surfaces of dust, smudges and finger prints.

Be patient. Tossing objects into the scene will not give great results. Think about your composition, how the objects play together and consider leading lines and angles of view. Experiment with the light-think about what you want to highlight in the scene, the feelings to convey, the textures to reveal and so on.

Write a logbook to note down the camera settings used for each shot. This is particularly useful if you are using manual lenses that do not communicate with the camera body. Also, it is a great way to note how you staged the set and the light setup used, for future reference.

Four Case Studies

If I was to tell you all that there is to know about still life photography, this post would never end. Instead, I want to show you what you can do with fairly cheap and basic equipment in four case studies, from the simplest setup to a slightly more complicated one.

Case Study #1

Camera: iPhone 5S

Light source: natural light

Light modifier: circular reflector

Lighting setup

Setup: High Key

Key light: a window to the left of the scene

Fill light: circular reflector on the right of the scene

Fresh Sushi.
This is the simplest setup you can create and it is most suitable for food photography and small scenes.

As I had no macro lens for my iPhone, I was unable to fill the frame with the sushi. For this bird's eye view, I had to stage a scene with some props. I used a pink bamboo place mat on which I placed a nice cast iron teapot with a cup.

The freshly delivered sushi was displayed using a small plate with some soy sauce and a pair of chopsticks were a nice finishing touch.

Case Study #2

Camera: Olympus OM-D EM-10 micro four thirds camera

Lens: Olympus Zuiko OM 50 f/1.4 (equivalent to a 100mm lens on full frame)

Accessories: tripod and a +2 close up lens

Light source: natural light

Light modifier: circular reflector

White 100x70cm cardboard as background and white 50x70cm cardboard as stage

Lighting setup

Setup: High Key

Key light: a window to the left of the scene

Fill light: circular reflector on the right of the scene

Belgian pralines decorated with orange peel.
This is a classic setup in food photography. I decided to photograph dark chocolate pralines, creating contrast by choosing a nice high key image.

I have used a long and narrow white plate, decorated with orange peel, to display the pralines. And then I focused on the first chocolate.

Case Study #3

Camera: Olympus OM-D EM-10 micro four thirds camera

Lens: Olympus Zuiko OM 50 f/1.4 (equivalent to a 100mm lens on full frame)

Accessories: tripod and a +3 close up lens

Light source: iPhone 5S

Light modifier: circular reflector

Black (matte) 100x70cm cardboard as background and black (glossy) 50x70cm cardboard as stage

Lighting setup

Setup: Low Key

Key light: iPhone 5S running the pro version of the Softbox for iPhone app from above the scene on the right

Fill light: circular reflector on the front right of the scene

Belgian white chocolate decorated with caramel.
In order to stand out, white chocolate pralines call for low key images. A dark grey plate was used to display a single white praline decorated with caramel.

The use of a +3 close up lens allowed me to get really close to my subject. I then decided to crop the image in square format, with the subject off-centre for a better and even tighter composition.

Case Study #4

Camera: Olympus OM-D EM-10 micro four thirds camera

Lens: Sigma ART 30mm f/2.8 DN (equivalent to a 60mm lens on full frame)

Accessories: tripod, light stand (a simple lollipod tripod), 3m long E-TTL cord

Light source: flashgun Metz 48 AF-1 digital in manual mode, output power set to 1/16

Light modifier: circular reflector, softbox

Black (matte) 100x70cm cardboard as background and black (glossy) 50x70cm cardboard as stage

Lighting setup

Setup: Low Key

Key light: flashgun on the right side of the scene, a couple of meters away

Fill light: circular reflector on the left of the scene

Yashica-MAT LM TLR 6X6 medium format camera.
A more complex setup for this low key scene showing my Yashica-MAT LM TLR medium format film camera from 1950 (still in working condition, by the way). The props used to fill the scene were a used roll of 120 film on the right and my favourite hat. I also made sure the Figosa leather strap was clearly visible.

Note that you do not need to be in a pitch black environment to do this kind of low key image: actually, you can even do them in broad daylight, as long as you are ok with using very narrow apertures.

Ideally, take a shot without flash to get a black image of the scene (e.g. using very fast shutter speeds, lowest ISO settings and narrow apertures) and then connect the flash and take the real photo.

The scene will be illuminated by the flash only, regardless of the amount of ambient light. Remember, you can out power the Sun with a flashgun.

This kind of setup is great if you want to reveal textures and make your shot moody, like I did for the used red Camper Peu leather shoes shown in the photo below.
Red Camper Peu lady.
Creativity is the Key

As you have seen, you can do quite a lot with minimal equipment. You can photograph whatever you want, as long as you have the place to stage it and enough light power to light it.

The main limit is your creativity. Until now, I presented you quite classic still life images, but you can go for completely different things.

I love to use setups based on that of the case study #4 to photograph old, battered shoes-in particular, Converse All Stars (let's be honest here: we buy them because we love how they age. Nobody likes them straight out of the box) and leather shoes because of the leather texture.

Plus, the low key images are quite moody.
Some low key images from my Shoes Project.
Rotting food and flowers may seem disgusting at first, but they can provide you with interesting photographs that I love to take.
A flower that has seen better days loses its last bit of beauty, while a now mouldy green orange reveals an amazing texture.
And what about Autumn in a vase or a city sunset made out of staples?
For this I've put some yellow leaves inside a jar, and lit a candle inside. Staples can be used to make a wonderful city skyline in miniature. Here, I've played with light to give the illusion of a sunset still reflecting on the top of the "skyscrapers", while the city is already dark.
Technicalities

Low Key Setup

The image below shows my typical low key setup.
My typical low key setup.
For low key photography, I prefer to work in low light. I build my set with two pieces of black cardboard: the one I use as stage (50×70 cm) has a glossy finish, while the one for the background (100 x 70 cm) is matte.

The flash is off-camera, on its light stand, and I usually place it on the front/side of the set.

This setup is very similar to the one used in the case study #4 and the resulting photo is shown below.
Cast iron teapot with two cups and tea leaves sprinkled on the set floor. Note how clearly visible the texture and drawings in the cast iron teapot are.
High Key Setup
My typical high key setup for tabletop photography.
This is my typical setup for high key photography: two pieces of white cardboard where the one for the floor stage (50×70 cm) is resting on a coffee table and the background (100×70 cm) is placed vertically on a rest foot and leaned against a library. All is placed next to a window to ensure a good amount of natural light to work with.

It is best to avoid windows exposed to direct sunlight because of the harsh light that will land on your set. Also, overcast days are the best, since the sky will act as a huge softbox.

In the photo above, you can see my small, double sided silver/white circular reflector (33cm in diameter) from Lastoline.

I use it to soften the shadows by bouncing back some of the light into the scene. The photo below shows a comparison between a scene photographed with (on the right) and without (on the left) a reflector.

The effect of using a reflector to fill in the shadows.

As you can see, the shadows in the right image are softer when the reflector is used and the scene is more pleasant.

A Few words on Focusing and Focus Stacking

First of all, forget autofocus and go manual: you want to have absolute control on what is in-focus and what is not. If your camera has it, use the live view and turn on any possible manual focus assisting function you have, typically image magnification, focus peaking, or a combination of the two.

For this kind of shot, where you have a narrow depth of field, (DOF) and you need to precisely focus, you should have your camera mounted on a tripod and use a remote shutter or the self timer, to avoid camera shaking.

Be aware of one problem that you may have to face when working with macro or close up lenses; the very narrow DOF. Sometimes, even a small subject cannot be all in focus.

If stepping down your lens, (i.e. selecting a smaller aperture is not desirable) or the resulting DOF is still too narrow, the only solution left is to do focus stacking.

Traditionally focus stacking is done in post processing, but there are now some cameras that allow you to do in-camera focus stacking (e.g. the Olympus OM-D EM-1 with the latest firm update).

In Photoshop, focus stacking is done by selectively merging some photos where each photo is focused on a different part of the scene. This technique involves loading your images in to Photoshop as layers and masking out the unwanted parts of the images before merging the layers together to create the final image.

For example, consider the photo below: a bird's eye view on some of the finest Belgian pralines. To get this final image, I had to focus stack three different photos in order to get all the different elements in focus. The first photo had the wooden board in focus, the second one focused on the coffee beans to the right and for the last one, I focused on the pralines.
A focus stacked bird's eye view of Belgian pralines.
External Links

If you want to learn more about still life photography, here are few interesting ideas that you may want to check out:

Cyrill Harnischmacker's "Tabletop Photography" book, also available for kindle.

Lara Gelroks' great articles on diyphotography.net about commercial photography.

Alex Koloskov's post on Digital School Photography-if you want to see a professional setup for product photography.

Cristina Colli's interview on how she takes amazing still lifes of flowers with her iPhone, published on iphonephotographyschool.com

These are just a few links, but really, a simple query via google will find you plenty of interesting results.

Conclusions

I hope I was able to convince you that you do not need to invest a great deal of money to wet your feet in still life and tabletop photography. Perhaps I have inspired you to give it a try.

A note from Josh, ExpertPhotography's Photographer-In-Chief:

Thank you for reading...

CLICK HERE if you want to capture breathtaking images, without the frustration of a complicated camera.

It's my training video that will walk you how to use your camera's functions in just 10 minutes - for free!

I also offer video courses and ebooks covering the following subjects:

You could be just a few days away from finally understanding how to use your camera to take great photos!

Thanks again for reading our articles!

Andrea Minoia

Andrea Minoia is an enthusiast photographer based in Brussels, Belgium. He is mainly active in portraiture and table top photography, but he does enjoy to get busy with astrophotography and infrared photography. You can follow his work on his regularly updated photo stream on 500px and follow him on google+.You can also get in touch with him via his personal website .

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A Complete Guide to Still Life Photography

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Winter is the perfect time to improve your photography by taking on some indoor projects-particularly still life and tabletop photography. Still life photography is the photographic counterpart of still life painting. It emerged as a distinct genre and became a professional specialisation in western painting by the late 16th century.

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Food photography of chocolate, candies and such

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Fashion photography is everywhere. You will see hundreds of images a day of men and women dressed-up (or down), showcasing clothing, accessories, and footwear.

It is one of the biggest, most profitable areas of photography. Whether it's New York, Paris, or London, the major fashion houses and fashion magazines are looking for fashion photographers.

What is Fashion Photography?

The world of fashion photography is fast-paced. It focuses on portraiture, posing, extensive lighting, and beautiful locations.

This genre is evolving and changing as many photographers find their own aesthetic.

You may have heard of Mario Testino, Jurgen Teller, Nick Knight or Helmut Newton. But there are thousands of other photographers trying to make a name for themselves.

Like most areas, you need time and patience to learn. If you would like to read more about a fashion photographer's life, see our interview with Kitty Gallannaugh here.

If you're interested in learning all about fashion photography, from equipment to poses to post-processing, keep reading this guide.

Camera Equipment

Camera equipment in fashion photography is important. But it all depends on what you are doing with the final images. Are they for editorial purposes?

Will they be blown up and shown on the side of buildings? Or is the sole purpose to be shown on social media for the online world?

All these questions influence your equipment needs.

Like most areas of photography, there is no perfect camera. There might be a perfect camera for you.

And there might be a perfect camera for the kind of fashion photography you would like to do.

In this diverse genre, lighting, clothing and hair and makeup might be more important than the camera itself. Here, we will run through the best picks of DSLR.

There are other types of camera that many professional photographers use, such as medium or large format.

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras can come with a full-frame or crop sensor. Full frame sensors shoot using a 'full' sensor. These are closer in size to the 35mm film equivalent.

The crop sensor in comparison 'crops' into the image. A crop sensor is lower in price but comes with a lower quality image.

The sensor also affects your lenses, which is why the images become 'cropped'. Using an APS-C camera system, a 100mm lens works as a 160mm lens.

This is due to the Canon crop factor magnification of 1.6x (Nikon is 1.5x). A great advantage comes from turning a zoom lens into a telephoto lens. But it comes with a compromise of fine details in the image.

Specific lenses need to be used to keep that same focal length, such as the Canon 24mm f/2.8 STM.

This article will give you more information on these two types of camera, and why they are important.

As this photographer points out, a lot of people feel that they do not have the right equipment. It is easy to forget that at the end of the day, a camera is a camera.

When it comes to fashion photography, the lighting, hair/makeup and post-processing make the image.

Whether you photograph with a $600 or $6000 camera, you still need many other elements.

Photographing with an iPhone nowadays is a go-to option. This will allow you to photograph in a studio or hit the streets.

Some of the latest smartphones have exceptional cameras. Meaning you don't need to buy more unless you want to.

Apart from your camera gear and lenses, there are other things you will need. Chances are you won't only be photographing in the studio, but outside of your own work zone.

Fashion shows would be obvious choices of where else to photograph. This is an area where a monopod becomes very handy. This is great if you don't have space for a tripod (you won't).

Also, using a vertical grip frame, which doubles up as a battery pack, would be a great help. It even holds a Speedlite, or two if you have muscles.

The Best Choice in Lenses

Many people swear by their 50 mm lens. But what about 35 mm? This is still a popular choice for street and fashion photographers alike.

Probably because it gives you a good working distance. It allows you to get close, but not so close that you make the subject anxious.

35 mm means you can also fit into a studio, as most are converted spare rooms. Perfect for small cramped spaces where you can't step back.

The 35 mm lens tends to be a little more expensive than a 50 mm. This is partly due to complex mechanics inside the lens.

Have a look at this article for more information and how the 35 mm gives the 50mm a run for its money.

The age-old argument of prime lenses versus zoom lenses. There is no simple answer. They both offer you something a little bit different.

Comparing an 85 mm prime lens to a 70-100 zoom lens is only similar in the way that they both shoot at an 85 mm focal length.

Yet, the 85 mm prime lens will be sharper and will house a faster, larger f/stop, such as f/1.4.

The zoom, although versatile is less likely to have such a large aperture. The quality when shooting at 85 mm might not be as sharp either.

Have a look at our article to see why we recommend both if you can afford it.

This extensive guide shows you every different lens there is that you can use for fashion photography.

Each lens will give your images a different and unique look. So get out there and experiment.

There are no magic camera settings that will take that perfect picture for you. Luckily, you can set your camera up to meet you at least halfway.

The main thing you should do (and continue to do all the time) is to always shoot in raw. This store's more photographic data in the image and gives you more 'play' in post-processing.

Use the single shot setting, not burst. This seems counterproductive when you have a fast-moving subject which you definitely need to capture.

But, keeping your finger on the button means you can not frame and re-frame as needed. It will also eat up your hard drive space like a champ.

White balance is very important. This is something you need to do before the show has started, not when the show is in full swing.

Be a scout and make sure you are prepared.

Lighting is one of the most important areas to consider in fashion photography.

Whether you are are using a studio space or photographing with natural lighting.

Even using a simple set-up with one Speedlite needs preparation and practice.

There are many different lighting systems available. Big, powerful units like strobes would be used in a studio and plugged into the wall.

Smaller versions, known as Speedlites, are portable and run off AA battery power. This thorough article gives you all the information you need to get started.

If you've had a few sessions of fashion photography and found yourself hooked, a home studio is not a bad idea.

Cheaper than renting out space every time and you can have your own equipment to practice with as and when you can.

The initial cost might be a little steep, but it could pay for itself ten-fold if you start to get a steady flow of clients.

This could even be a portable studio, mobile enough to take and unpack in any location.

This article gives you all the tips and lets you know what you need to consider.

Lighting terms might be thrown around if you are assisting a fashion photographer. Knowing them is key.

This in-depth guide will let you know what a backlight is. It will also tell you the difference between a bounce and catchlight.

Maybe you need to use some gels for color, or you need to diffuse the light.

High key, loop lighting and spill light are all different things too. Check out our article to figure them all out.

This is the fun part of fashion photography, and the most labor and research intensive.

This guide is here to help you understand what lights will have what effect on your subject.

Some photographs are lit very simply. Others can have up to and including 6 different lights to light the background, the hair, the face et al.

They always start with one light and work up to the multiple lighting setups, testing the effect as they go.

This is a very minimal lighting setup where the majority of the image is black. This is relatively easy to do if you have a lot of light.

The purpose is to highlight a specific area of the model where the viewer will place their focus.

The ambient light should be as low as possible. There should be no light other than the flash or 'strobe' unit you are working with.

Read through our article here and go experiment.

Beauty dishes are a standard form of lighting in fashion photography. They are also inexpensive.

They work either wired or wirelessly, depending on the system you prefer. Each beauty dish works in two ways, either with or without the grid.

These can really add dramatic lighting to a scene where a softbox or umbrella spreads the light out more. Read more about the dishes here and how they can benefit your work.

Reflectors are a cheap and easy way to add more light to your portrait photography.

They are cheap, lightweight and easy to use objects. No batteries required, meaning they can go anywhere.

There are many different types you can buy. Most will come with combined styles, such as gold, silver and diffused. They all have a different effect on the added light hitting your subject.

How to Shoot Fashion Photography

Shooting fashion photography is no small feat. There is a lot of research involved in finding the right person to photograph and then posing the model.

You have the lights and what you want to achieve with them. Your camera and your lenses need practice so you know what you are doing and what your limitations are

When the day comes, you need to organize the team (if you have one). Stay in high spirits as you manage the model and their personality.

For hours on end. It is exhausting, mentally and physically tiring. Your confidence needs to be unshakable and able to solve multiple issues at the same time.

Yet, your hard work will pay off and you will be happy with the results.

Show up and shoot. These are the watch-words of this industry. Those who put the effort and time into practice and research will get ahead.

First and foremost, you need to take good photographs. To get there, you need to command this high-pressured work environment.

Meet and discuss ideas with agencies that manage the models. For inspiration, understanding how a fashion shoot works in its entirety, try assisting.

This will teach you more about how everything works than anyone could ever tell you. Try it out and see if you have the energy and personality for it.

Some might see fashion and glamour photography as hard to tell apart. Fashion photography is about selling a lifestyle whereas glamour photography sells the model.

If the images show a half-naked girl looking provocative, then the chances are that they are not fashion photographs.

The three styles of fashion you could end up being a part of are catalog, editorial or high-fashion. Catalog fashion photography is more of an information image.

The wardrobe is seen clearly, the mood is very subdued and everything is clean and simple.

Editorial fashion photography looks at the model in an environment other than a studio. It looks at a lifestyle, where styling is everything.

High-Fashion photography is where the most amount of money is spent.

These can be very big productions, where the wardrobe could be fantasy-esque with the whole focus on one powerful image.

Working with models might be a little daunting at first. Fashion photography is a little different from portraiture. Here you need to tell a story.

These images flow by keeping the same mood through similar settings and atmospheres.

Give good feedback and show the model your work. This will help her confidence more than just telling them they are doing great.

Although you should do that too, even if it's not going so well. Be respectful and never touch the model without permission.

Don't over complicate things, keep a good rapport and everything will go fine. Depending on the job, you may need a photo release form.

This article has 10 great tips for the aspiring fashion photographer. It looks at how you need to assert yourself into being a confident and self-assured photographer.

Research extensively so that you can pose the model well with clear instructions. Having a studio to use, either rented or your own is a huge benefit.

By having your own studio, it saves on rental costs and means you can work whenever you can. You also have the opportunity to practice on a slow day.

Read more to take your fashion photography to the next level.

Photographing a fashion show could be one of the most exciting places to see as a photographer. But don't get too drawn into the buzz of it all, you are there to work.

Make sure you are prepared. Look at the environment, what is the temperature of the light and how does it fall on the area.

Work out a good white balance and have your camera ready to go. Network as much as you can, so have a steady flow of business cards or information to hand.

As the models will be walking, you need to freeze frame them. This is best done with high shutter speeds.

No movement here, unless you have everything you need and feel a little creative surge.

Read more of our article for the best advice, getting you shooting the show with confidence.

Having a team behind you lets you focus on the model. Depending on what you are photographing and for who, your team will vary.

When you are starting out, having a friend or family member assist you will go a long way. As you shoot for bigger and bigger clients, more members will be needed.

If you don't have the budget to get the most professional team together, look at fashion colleges or universities.

There will be students looking for experience and will not cost much if anything.

Model Mayhem is also another source of models and team members, apart from being a great social networking website.

Posing a model can be tricky, especially if they are just starting out. They are looking to you for guidance.

This is where you will need to direct them with confidence and self-assurance. Communicate with them as much as you can without going overboard.

Research and use mood boards for inspiration so you have a clear idea of what you want on the day.

Communicate with the team and the model beforehand so they also have time to prepare.

This extensive article gives you ten posing ideas that will help your fashion photography shine.

A lot of research (yes I said it again) will be needed to find out exactly what you want to show with your images.

Is there a mood or feeling you would like to portray? Well, the poses need to fit into those atmospheres.

Hands are an interesting area to work with as they could be doing anything, anywhere.

The idea is that they should be relaxed, slightly bent at the joints and fingers spread slightly apart.

The chin is one of the most important areas to look at. For women, and especially men, a clear and defined jawline is a necessity in fashion and portrait photography.

You don't want to add extra weight to the model or to make something unattractive distract the viewer.

Bring the forehead out and down, so that the jawline pops just enough that it has created a stronger line.

8 Tips for Choosing the Right Fashion Photography Model

You might have all your camera equipment and have a studio set-up. But how to find that perfect model? Each person has a different aesthetic and style, so casting is very important.

When you look at the portfolios of potential models, look at their previous work. This will tell you if they have a variety of styles and looks.

A versatile model allows multiple looks and moods. They offer far more than a model who only has one look or style in their portfolio.

Looking for a model that is inspired by your concept would be very beneficial. Maybe they have shot something similar, so they know what you are looking for and can pose accordingly.

They could even bring ideas to the table. There are a few things to look out for when dealing with models.

Communication and clearly defined guidelines are very important. This cuts down on conflicts in the future over who expects what from the shoot.

Creative Ideas

The composition is very important in any style or genre of photography. It can be the saving grace to any of your shoots.

They allow the subjects and settings to look more interesting and professional compared to a quickly snapped image.

Fashion photography is no different. We use composition to enhance the subject and to guide the viewer's focus.

Read our article here for tips and ideas on how to compose your fashion photography images.

Inspiration is something you will need to heavily research. By having an interest in fashion photography means you already have a good idea of what you want.

Pinterest is a great way to start searching, as they have substantial material on fashion photography.

Here, you can create boards easily to keep all of your inspiration in defined areas.

Here is another collection of images. These show the versatility of a fashion photographer utilizing different looks and concepts.

As a fashion photographer, you will be defined by your style. That's what agencies, models, and magazines will know if they want to use you as their photographer. That's how you get your pictures in magazines like Harper's Bazaar.

"Don't use a lot where a little will do" is a great proverb for this section of fashion photography.

You can photograph a successful fashion shoot with only one of everything. One model, one camera, one lens, and one light.

This is a great way to start, as it simplifies all the complicated, time-consuming areas of fashion photography.

It will force you to really use the equipment that you have, and work on your feet to try to find those differences. Not to mention saving you a ton of money.

This article looks at the experience a photographer gained after shooting his first fashion photography session.

He realizes that it really comes down to a group effort, not just the model or even the photographer.

They all add to the concept and bring something to the table. As the photographer had a passion for street photography, he incorporated it into his work which worked wonders.

He stuck to what he knew while adding a different perspective. Then, he goes on to talk about the difference between shooting with an on-camera flash and the two studio lights.

Guess which he found more difficult to use? Read more here.

Now that you have some experience what next? Time to put that researching and creating mood boards skill to good use

This article gives you a good idea of what to expect working with fashion in the real world.

The basic idea is even though there are already thousands of fashion photographers, there is still hope.

You need a good portfolio that shows images that have a style or can be used as a connected story. Building a good rapport with photographic editors is a necessity.

They will give you work, help with your concept and organize the models for you to shoot. Read all the tips here.

A photography contract for fashion photography is to ensure both parties retain their rights.

It makes sure that neither side can do anything with the images that were not pre-discussed and agreed upon.

Prosecution from either side can be enforced if consent was not given. One rule for photographing people is to get a model release.

This is a contract between both parties, allowing the use of the model's image. Most stock photography requires these if you wish to sell the images online.

Read here for the other nine tips on what your photography contract needs to have.

As a professional photographer, delivering your images in a timely manner that matches the quality of your photos is paramount.

That's where Pixieset comes in. This is a platform that allows you to easily share large files with your clients. This all comes at a monthly fee.

This means your clients will be happy, satisfied, and likely to work with you again! It's definitely one of the top options for file sharing.

For the full review, and information on how to get started, read our article here.

Your fashion photography might not constrain to traditional techniques and posing. If not, you are looking to be more artistic and creative.

In our article, we look through ten of the best tips on how to add that flair into your shoots.

For example. By changing the perspective or angle in which you shoot from, you can help to make the resulting image more interesting. Give it a try.

For all other tips, read our article here.

Kitty Gallannaugh is a fashion photographer will a lot of talent and skill. She made our list of the top 20 young photographers we previously mentioned.

Not only does she run her own fashion photography business. She is continuously attempting to push the boundaries of conventional techniques and settings.

Read her interview here. You'll take on a powerful insight into the fashion photography world

We all need inspiration from time to time. Here are 30 fashion photography images to get your creative juices flowing.

Fashion photography is a vibrant field. It is one that covers all sorts of styles, techniques, flairs, and settings.

To help you on your quest of interesting and stunning fashion idea, we have created a list of the top 21 famous fashion photographers.

You can take a lot of inspiration and ideas from our article, so what are you waiting for.

A lookbook is a term that you'll hear from time to time as a fashion photographer. You might have already been approached to shoot one.

As you are working with small, independent clients, the budget for these projects can be very small. Others might not have a budget at all.

We have all the tips you'll ever need on how to create a professional lookbook on a budget. You just need some time, creativity and our article.

Post-Processing

Having a good workflow is a priority. After shooting your images in raw (a must), the files need to be taken from the CF or SD card and imported into your laptop or computer.

Bring them straight onto into your desktop without using any programs such as Photos or any other program.

Copy the images as soon as you have a chance to an external hard drive. Bring the original images into Adobe Lightroom or Bridge for reviewing the images.

In Lightroom, you can even create a contact sheet to show a selection of images on one page.

Go through this article for in-depth steps of saving, renaming and saving - exactly what you should be doing.

Adobe Lightroom is a great piece of software for many reasons. It utilizes a library system, so when you import your photographs, it stores them.

It also allows you to place them in sets and add keywords. This means finding your images fast and easily.

Adobe Lightroom also gives you access to free professional plugins like Nik Collections. You can use these plugins to expand your Lightroom's photo editing capabilities.

The other great thing is that when you make any kind of adjustments, they can be synced across many other images.

This is a very fast way to go through hundreds of images from the same shoot.

This article helps you look at extending the background for those tight studio shoots. It also shows you how to use the dodge and burn tool to pull detail out of lighter or darker areas.

Retouching skin is a time-consuming art. Many photographic editors can work on this one area for most of their time. The first rule is to never blur the models' skin.

You might be tempted to use this to eliminate blemishes. But skin has a texture that will look fake and overworked if blurred using a tool.

The second rule is to never work from a background layer. It is a bad habit and is destructive. Copy the layer and work from that instead.

Generally, the skin is edited in two steps. First, fix the blemishes and distracting parts of the skin using the heal/clone stamp.

Be careful not to remove any characteristics of the face or skin, as a beauty spot can really define a face.

Next comes the dodge/burn tool to add or pull out detail from the skin. Colour management comes after that.

Go through this step-by-step article for help on creating stunning fashion photographs.

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The Complete Guide To Fashion Photography: 92 Tips

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Fashion photography is a very sought after genre. It embodies portraiture and fine art to showcase clothing an accessories. Model direction, creating lighting set-ups and location scouting are all necessary skills. If you are alone or part of a team, we have all the information you need.

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Fashion Photography: Creative use of shutter speed

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Fashion Photography: Creative use of shutter speed

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Fashion Photography: Creative use of aperture

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Fashion Photography: Creative use of aperture

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Packshot Factory | Photography | Portfolio

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Photography, Retouching, CGI, Product Films, Creative Concept, Venue hire, Editing suites.

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Packshot Factory | Photography | Fashion

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Photography, Retouching, CGI, Product Films, Creative Concept, Venue hire, Editing suites.

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HOW PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE BRINGING LIFE TO STILL LIFES

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How to Make a Cinemagraph in Photoshop CS5

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Search  - creative photography advertising (simple still life)

Creative fashion advertising
trainer advert
Fashion on location

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HIGH KEY white
Low key
Colour gels/ colorama

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I'm often asked by those who have recently bought a new DSLR camera what it is I think they should do in order to begin to improve their photography. My answer always has been and probably always will be that learning about your exposure triangle will be the best first lesson. This comment is often greeted with a blank look but it really is the next best step.

Why is this? Well if we can learn how an exposure works, the components it's made up of, we can begin to use our cameras more creatively, more effectively and it gives us more control over the camera when the auto settings just aren't cutting it. Modern digital cameras are amazing, it's undeniable, but even with all the bells and whistles of the best DSLR there are times when the camera won't get it right. Such as when there is a bright spot in frame, like the candles on a birthday cake or a streetlamp after dark. Because cameras in auto generally measure the light based on an average over the whole frame we sometimes end up with a pretty dark picture. This metering mode can be changed but that's for another post!

So the only thing to do to get the exposure we want is to change to another auto setting? Nope, probably not. While it will take practice, if we can learn to enter one of the main camera modes you'll soon be laughing. So this is where the exposure triangle comes in. The most important part about the triangle is knowing that each element affects the other. For example, if I have a good exposure but then want to widen my aperture I need to know that I am also going to increase my shutter speed. Increasing my ISO will increase my shutter speed too and so on.

So what's it made from? The three elements are ISO (use to be called ASA or film speed), Aperture and Shutter Speed.

ISO

ISO refers to how sensitive to light the camera's sensor is. This used to refer to the sensitivity of the film being used but the same applies today, just that with a digital camera we can adjust the ISO for each individual exposure rather than having to change an entire roll of film or camera back. So we can make the camera sensor more sensitive to light. Making it more sensitive is great for low light photography where flash isn't permitted or where it would ruin the atmosphere. Great, but what's the payoff? The more sensitive the film or sensor the more grainy the image. In film this gave a rather attractive gritty look, digital grain or 'noise' is far less attractive but this can still be useful and corrected to a certain degree in editing.

Aperture

The aperture is the size of the opening in the lens which determines how much light we want to allow into the camera. It is measured in stops with each full stop being half the amount of light of its previous stop. The more light allowed in, the faster the shutter speed and lower ISO you can use. So why don't we shoot with the camera 'wide open' all the time, that would give us nice fast shutter speeds? Well, again, there is a payoff. The wider the aperture the shorter amount of distance in the focus point is in focus, this is called the focal plane. So if you don't care whether or not the background of a portrait or such like is in focus, go for a wider aperture, but for most landscape and cityscape photography having the whole scene in focus is kind of important. So working only with aperture isn't always an option. A night cityscape, for example, which needs to be sharp throughout can be shot with a smaller aperture, lower ISO and lower shutter speed, you just need to use a tripod. So the wider your aperture the faster your shutter speed can be because you are using more light but you'll get a short depth of field. The narrower your aperture the slower your shutter speed but you'll get more front to back sharpness.

Shutter speed

Shutter speed is, for my kind of photography, something I have to be constantly aware of. While a quickly shot portrait at a wedding can be acceptable whether using a short or long depth of field, a blurred image is next to useless. So I always try to keep my shutter speed at about 1/60th of a second or above. And I can manage this by adjusting the two previous components. With a combination of allowing more light in through the aperture and increasing my ISO a little I can get good usable images even in low light.

Example

Let's take a look at the example below.

The trick then is not just to know how each of these elements work, it's learning how they affect one another and how they can work together to get that perfect exposure. And sure, this takes practice. But next time you're struggling to figure out why an image isn't exposing correctly, an awareness of the elements of the exposure triangle might be useful.

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I'm often asked by those who have recently bought a new DSLR camera what it is I think they should do in order to begin to improve their photography. My answer always has been and probably always will be that learning about your exposure triangle will be the best first lesson.