How do you take the perfect photo? The answer is, it depends. There are many factors to consider when photographing a model, including lighting and location. But in this blog post, we will discuss how to find the perfect spot for your scene that everyone can agree on!
Here are some tips for fashion photography:
Locate an area with no major distractions or competition from other shooting areas. This is particularly helpful in “urban” settings where there may be a lot of buildings, cars, and people around because these can cause visual noise. Stay away from large bodies of water (ocean/lake) as they will often have waves making it difficult to maintain focus on the model; this also applies to busy natural backgrounds like trees which provide too much information just by looking at them.
When taking photos outdoors: look for places that are not near any roads so you’re not constantly having cars drive by while trying to take pictures. It’s also good practice if possible, to stay away from the shade as this will often cause the picture to be too dark.
When taking photos indoors: look for places that are fairly well lit or provide natural light so you’re not having to use a flash which can create distracting glare on your model’s face.
Find an outfit from the brand of clothing you want to shoot and bring it with you when scouting locations – if possible, take photos at the location before committing because there may be some factors such as weather conditions (sunny/overcast) that affect how you’ll have to set up lighting later in post-production.
Turn off any other lights in the room besides those that will help illuminate your subject; these should be placed behind and around them, never directly over their heads, otherwise you’ll create a harsh and unflattering shadow.
Get close to your subject – the more you zoom in, the less likely there will be any distracting background elements or clothing detail that can ruin an otherwise perfect picture; back up just far enough so they fill most of your frame but have plenty of room for natural hand gestures and body language.
Let them do their thing! Don’t move too much from one perspective because it’s very important to capture as many perspectives as possible without moving around excessively (i.e., don’t step into another person’s space). You may want to ask them what they’re doing when taking photos if not already apparent.
Take lots of pictures – sometimes first takes are best, other times people get bored or want to experiment with different poses.
Get a video camera or tripod – more often than not, people do their best work when they know what’s going on and feel in control of the process. A simple explanation may go a long way- you can even ask them what questions they might have while photographing them before the shoot.
You don’t need an elaborate setup for good shots! If your subject is wearing a button-down shirt without collars, just lay it over something flat (like two chairs side by side) and use that as a background so there’s no worrying about matching colors or textures if shooting indoors; this also works well outdoors if you’re waiting for your muse to show up :)
Keep your lens clean at all times!
Props: you can use anything! A lampshade, a piece of fabric on the floor. The possibilities are endless!
Backgrounds: walls with colorful wallpaper or mirrors, windowsills, a striped rug.
Natural light is your best friend when shooting indoors: if you’re using artificial light try to keep it soft and diffused by placing cloth around bulbs or bouncing off surfaces like white ceiling fans/ceiling lights; this will also give more uniform lighting rather than harsh spots where the sun hits directly on one side of your subject’s face for example.
