Recent Fashion Articles

‘Trans Atlantic’: An Interpretive Photography Series on Slavery and Color

When the idea for “Trans Atlantic” came up between me, Isma, and the crew from Pekat Photography, we quickly fell in love with the concept and decided to make it a joint effort. Since slavery is a sensitive topic, we decided to do our best to approach the topic from a more academic and historical reference point. We hoped our joint effort would offer a new, fresh narrative told in a three-part series that would be presented without bias, social commentary, or cultural or historical analysis.

Photographer Spotlight: Lucas Passmore

I believe that upon our journey in whatever craft you choose, we encounter people who not only inspire, but assist in pushing us to grow more, and photographer Lucas Passmore has been exactly that for me. Initially, from the Midwest, Lucas is a fashion photographer living in Los Angeles. His regards for the history of photography, ability to capture a moment, and willingness to give back to those new to the photography community made him the perfect person to highlight in my first interview.

Female Fashion Photographers on Sexism: One Lost a Job for Being Overweight

To be a successful photographer, you don't have to be physically stronger, faster, or tougher. It's not like pro sports where it's normal for the number of men to overpower women. So why are women still facing so much systematic sexism and harassment in the photography industry?

How to Plan a Portrait or Fashion Photoshoot

So you have a great photoshoot idea that's been burning a hole in the back of your brain. As amazing as it sounds to you, you continue to push it back. Finding the task of planning and executing said shoot has been daunting to say the least. I'm someone who as a beginner found this to be a problem that held me back more times than once. However, I'm here to say that by developing a process of sorts, this obstacle can become a thing of the past.

Models Are Using Closed Facebook Groups to Bring Awareness to Sexually Predatory Photographers

This year has been marked by a single hashtag: #MeToo. From Hollywood to the Oval Office, it seems that accusers are finding their voices and taking a stand for themselves and countless others who haven’t been able to speak out. Naturally, awareness of sexual harassment is coming to light in all industries, and the photography industry is no different.

How I Shot a Magazine Cover with Liam Gallagher

In September I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of a couple of hours of Liam Gallagher’s time to shoot a magazine cover and 12-page spread. Here’s a detailed breakdown of my thought process, creative ideas and how the shoot was executed on the day.

President of NEXT Models Discusses the Industry and What Photographers Need to Learn in Order to Succeed

Fashion Photographer Alexi Lubomirski recently sat down with Kyle Hagler, president of NEXT models, for an intimate and candid chat about the modeling industry and what photographers can do to succeed. Hagler offered an array of fantastic advice that almost any photographer can draw on. Solely focusing on abstract aspects of what makes a great photographer, he is able to provide advice that resonates in a unique way.

How to Style Your Own Fashion Shoots on a Budget

Whether you're shooting a high-fashion model, a mom to be, or a high school senior, the clothes always matter. I'm a sucker for over-the-top drama in my own work but am not always able to find a stylist to help me out with these shoots. Even if you don't have a need to do this yourself, give it a go from time to time. It will improve your work from behind the camera too, as photographing people is usually involving fashion in one way or another. In addition to keeping up with the latest trends, you might even start to confidently help your clients out when they ask for your opinion about what they're nervously wearing.

Never Before Seen Images of Marilyn Monroe Released

In a new book, “The Essential Marilyn Monroe,” Milton H. Greene’s son, Joshua Greene features 284 of his father's images with 176 images never before being seeing by the public.

15 Tips on How to Start Working with Modeling Agencies

If you are interested in the commercial side of the photography industry, working with models and agencies is a must. Approaching a modeling agency and asking to work with models can be intimidating, particularly when you aren't sure how to get started. Fortunately, Dublin based fashion photographer Anita Sadowska recently shared a video on her Youtube channel that provides helpful hints any photographer can use to get their foot in the door.

Getting Started in Collaborations for Boudoir Photographers

Boudoir photographers know that collaborations with vendors that fit their brand can be extremely beneficial for all parties involved. It alleviates some cost of the product for the photographer and it gives the vendor professional images for their sites. Getting connected for shoots such as this is not as difficult or impossible as it may seem.

Should You Get Published? An Interview With the Editors of Lucy's and Jute Magazines

In a recent article entitled "Why You Shouldn't Submit Your Photographs to Magazines," I discussed Vanity Magazines and how, in my opinion, they often fail to deliver enough value to justify the photographer's effort. As a result of that article, I've had the opportunity to talk with the editors of two of the more well-known and better-curated vanity, or submission, magazines, Lucy's and Jute, to find out how their work benefits photographers.

How to Produce and Shoot Your Own Outdoor On-the-Go Fashion Editorial

Outdoor on-the-go DIY style editorials are really picking up in the fashion world. It is a good skill to have in your toolkit as a budding photographer. In this article, I want to break down how a small team of talented artists and myself went about producing and shooting two full on-location, outdoor editorials for Bullett Magazine in less than two weeks in NYC.

What Really Goes Into Retouching High-End Fashion Images

High-end retouching is all about keeping details and texture intact in an image so that it looks as natural as possible. Making sure the picture looks unretouched but polished is a matter of patience and wise choices in retouching techniques. In this video, watch retoucher Pratik Naik editing a photo shot by Andrea Belluso.

Learning From The Masters: Albert Watson Photographs Dancer Sergei Polunin

Albert Watson. Legend. Period, end. With a career spanning five decades and multiple iconic images, his career in fashion and portraiture would be the aspiration of any budding photographer. Alongside Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, PDN recognized him as one of the twenty most influential photographers of all time. And in a new video by Profoto, the man whose subjects have ranged from Alfred Hitchcock to Kate Moss, discusses his approach to lighting, photography, and life.

Photo Contest: Win Your Choice of Canon 5D Mark III, Nikon D500, and More

Our friends at ViewBug are proud to present the Earth First contest series. These contests awards top-end gear that was lovingly used by another creative individual. Providing high-quality, pre-owned prizes puts less strain on the planet, and allows ViewBug to offer even bigger prizes. Classic win-win!

How Hair Can Save the World

If you touch my hair I will hurt you. In life, we take many chances. Like, riding our bike with no hands, getting minimum coverage on our car insurance and petting stingrays. However, for the chosen few who have the superpower of catching our eye with their beautiful hair, there is no chance to be taken. The following is meant only for a lighthearted fable for this Friday.

Lighting Tips for Fashion Video

Are you considering taking some fashion video to complement your photos? Here are some great tips by Kazu Okuda, a filmmaker who has produced videos for Nike, Vogue, and the MOMA. In the video, he shares how he lights, what the differences are between lighting a feature film and a fashion orientated video, and how to achieve it.

Little Known Ways to Pose Male Subjects

You really are spoiled for choice when it comes to posing female subjects in your photographs. Working with males, on the other hand, can be a little more limiting, as a lot of the shapes which look great on the fairer sex don't always translate over so well. Use these key fundamentals when trying to get the best out of your male subjects even if they are not models.

Epic Fashion and Fine Art Images His Own Way: Konrad Bak Changing the Perceptions of Stock Photography

Polish photographer Konrad Bak straddles the line between high concept fashion and lush fine art creations. Images collected in his book Konrad Bak PhotoART range from the elegant to the surreal could easily find a home in advertising campaigns or on gallery walls. However, Bak's work can surprisingly be found in the files of stock photography websites. challenging the perceptions of the quality and creativity many ascribe to stock.

Five Tips to Create Better Engagement With Your Talent

We talk about gear and how to take better shots or process your images all the time, but less often do we discuss the non-camera related side of photography, engaging with the subject, though it's obviously of the utmost importance. This helpful video gives you five tips to produce better engagement with your talent.

Fashion Photography With or Without Technology

Almost all photographers nowadays are familiar with modern equipment and use it to create, show, and improve their work. Some is necessary like new cameras, lenses, computers, and some is complementary. It all depends on your work style and the photos you want to create. But let's ask a question here. How much of this technology and knowledge do you need for being a better photographer in your genre?

Eight Tips for a Fashion Catalog Shoot

If you have ever been assigned a full-day catalog shoot for a big retail brand, you probably know about the hectic process, especially if you are not working with a producer who deals with everything. Besides, a catalog shoot consists of innumerous steps from creating the concept to delivering the final images, and if you don’t have a producer ready for you, there are some steps that you need to consider before start shooting.

Is Beyoncé's Twins Reveal Image Any Good?

When it comes to deciding how good a particular image is, there are three aspects that I think are most important: composition, lighting, and colors. These three properties could be described as the technical attributes of an image. There are those who have compared this image to The Birth of Venus and the Virgin Mary, based on a number of styling choices, one can see some similarities.

The Artist Behind Some of the World's Most Famous Images Isn't A Photographer, It's Top Backdrop Painter Sarah Oliphant

From Vanity Fair covers to designer fashion shows and theater stages, artist Sarah Oliphant has painted her way into the fabric of fashion by creating beautiful canvases worthy of framing on a scale large enough to become the industry's leading backdrop painter. Oliphant Studio has been creating scenic backdrops for photographers, film producers, fashion designers, architects, and interior designers since 1978. Along the way, Oliphant has collaborated with the top level of fashion and editorial portrait photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier, Albert Watson, Mark Seliger, Norman Jean Roy, and Sue Bryce while also providing an inventory of backdrops available for rent to photographers beginning and advanced.

Using PC Lenses (Perspective Control, Not Politically Correct) in Fashion and Portrait Photography

Perspective Control lenses for SLR cameras were developed primarily for architecture, interior, and still-life photography applications. PC lenses simulate some of the movements and control that photographers can get from a view camera. They are great for keeping lines parallel and subjects in focus. Just as PC lenses allow photographers to control what is in focus, they also allow you to control what goes out of focus and how quickly it does that. Fashion and portrait photos with enhanced bokeh or selective focus create dreamy blur and guide attention to the areas remaining in focus.

Model Posing Cliches: Stale or Useful? Improve Your Model Photography With Tried and True Poses

Some model poses seem to pop up everywhere repeating across different mediums and across decades. Many photographers deride these posing cliches, but these cliches can be useful on fashion and other model shoots, especially when working with new models still learning how to move. They can help create serviceable images when you are stuck for ideas or when you need shoot a series of good looks in a short period of time.

The Importance of Understanding Genre as a Fashion Photographer

There is no shortage of educational material on the market for getting started in virtually any industry of photography. Moreover, fashion is one of the most crowded spaces in regards to this sort of education which can mean the volume of repetition offered from one educational video to another can become rather tiresome. In contrast, when an aspect of fashion photography sheds new light on an often ignored aspect of the industry, the viewer can enjoy a refreshing new look into well-covered ground.

Fstoppers Interviews Photographer Kate Woodman

Creative genius rarely erupts onto the scene full force and in your face. Its entrance into the world is often quiet, gentle, allowing only a few to see it and recognize its brilliance. Such is the case with Portland, Oregon-based Kate Woodman, whose use of color in her work produces an instant halt to the ever scrolling feed of images - causing even the average user to stop and appreciate the story unfolding before them.

Old Documentary on Richard Avedon Reveals Methods of a Master

Browsing YouTube can be an exercise in either frustration or bliss, depending on the day. Today, though, I happened upon something that truly speaks to me. If you are a portrait photographer, or anything resembling one, you owe it to yourself to check out the documentary, "Darkness and Light," a part of the American Masters Series, produced by PBS.

Ultimate Guide to Posing: Free Lesson Excerpt from Joey Wright's Swimwear Tutorial

Last year, the Fstoppers team joined Joey Wright in Curacao to film one of our best tutorials to date, Swimwear Photography - Lighting, Posing, and Retouching. Not only was the location and team incredible, Joey's photography techniques and ability to work with models produced some of the best photography information I've learned in years. Every lesson spans well beyond the genre of swimwear and can be applied to any shoot involving a model. As a tribute to the tutorial, we are releasing a free excerpt from one of the best lessons on posing I've ever watched.

How To Use Colored Gels to Create Electric Photography

We’ve all been there; the studio is set, the model is awkwardly waiting, but the light isn’t quite right and the stress begins to build. With every test shot, the light quality increases and the anxiety level decreases. Finally, like a blast of cool breeze on a hot day, everything clicks into place. The light is perfect.

Free Webinar Hosted By Lindsay Adler on May 1: RSVP

Fashion photographer Lindsay Adler, who is known for her lean, bold, and graphic style is hosting a free webinar on May 1, 2017 to help you train your eye to identify posing problems and fix them in your images.

Gigi Hadid Goes Behind the Camera for V Magazine Feature

Supermodel Gigi Hadid has become the latest high-profile celebrity commissioned to shoot for an international fashion feature. Following in the recent footsteps of Kendal Jenner and Brooklyn Beckham, the V Magazine Special Edition is made of backstage Polaroids taken by Hadid, laid out in collages alongside handwritten notes.

Tips From a Fashion Photographer to Improve Formal Bridal Photos for Wedding Photographers

A spectacular shot of a bride in her gown can be one of the most enduring images in the spectrum of bridal photos. I’ll state up front that I am not a wedding photographer, but as a fashion photographer specializing in bridal fashion, I’ll wager that I’ve shot more bridal gowns than the average wedding photographer. Along the way I have picked up a few tricks that wedding photographers might find useful when taking a bride’s formal portrait in her gown.

Face To Face: How Finding The Right Subjects For Your Photographs Can Make All The Difference

Have you ever gone to the see a romantic comedy and absolutely fallen in love? Have you ever gone to a romantic comedy and spent the majority of the film’s running time politely sneaking peeks at your watch? Have you ever realized that both movies were essentially the same story and wondered why you couldn’t get enough of the first, and got way too much of the second?

Fashion Editorials: Pre-Production Through Shoot Day

If there was one thing I wanted to know when I first became interested in shooting editorials, it was "How do I do this?" That seems like a broad question, and it is, but it goes to show what a mysterious subject this was for me. I wanted to know how to get started, and what steps I should take. In this article, I would like to pull back the curtain a bit for people who are interested in getting into editorial work and share what steps I go through to conceptualize, build a team, schedule, and shoot a fashion editorial.

Great Photos but Unhappy Clients? Don't Sacrifice Your Signature

I stepped into photography world over 10 years ago and was lucky enough to have a wide variety of clients from different parts of the world. This made it essential for me to be flexible while negotiating or taking jobs despite cultural differences, from Armenia to U.S., from Mauritius to South Africa, Singapore, various European countries, and more. Usually you will get hired based on your portfolio, but sometimes there are clients who don’t understand much about photography. This is where the danger is. Everyone wants to get top results for the money they spend by hiring you, but what is considered the best for such clients?

President Trump's Controversial Modeling Agency Set to Close

The fashion modeling agency founded by President Trump, Trump Models, is closing its doors after 18 years of business in the glamorous industry. The President had already resigned control of the day-to-day running of the parent company The Trump Organization which is now handled by his sons, Donald Junior and Eric Trump.

Top Fashion Agency Jed Root Closes Doors

Top artist management agency Jed Root Inc. is closing its doors, leaving scores of artists and agents around the world struggling to secure unpaid fees and salaries. Jed Root Inc. was an internationally acclaimed fashion agency which represented a broad spectrum of creative professionals including photographers, makeup artists, hair stylists, illustrators, and set designers on top-level international fashion campaigns and editorials.

An In-Depth Look Into Shooting Great Fashion Photography for E-commerce

Mannequin poses in fashion e-commerce photography is now a thing of the past. Fact. Fashion website brands are now dominated by a hybrid style of photography that mixes editorial influences whilst satisfying the desire of the customer to view garments before purchase. We go behind-the-scenes with British fashion photographer Luke Ayling as he shoots 40 looks for The Sports Edit in one day.

How to Add Color to a Grey Background in Photoshop

Adding color to an otherwise boring grey background in Adobe Photoshop isn't terribly complicated. In this short video tutorial, I'll show you how to accomplish that in just a few short steps.

Beauty Industry Influencers Team Up to Fight Animal Cruelty

Los Angeles-based Makeup Artist Courtney Hagen and Beauty Photographer Beth Sternbaum have teamed up to create a cruelty-free beauty blog featuring adoptable animals. The blog, Beauty & Our Beasts, promotes the cruelty-free beauty by providing shopping resources and brings the issue of animal adoption to the forefront.

Camera Gear You'll Want to Have for Shooting Fashion and Editorial Photography

Over the last several months, the Fstoppers team was able to link up with Clay Cook, an acclaimed editorial and portrait fashion photographer, to produce a comprehensive tutorial teaching his photography techniques. If you want to learn more about the full tutorial and what it offers, check out the store page. One of the key elements of Clay's work is the variety of gear he has used throughout his career. Included in the tutorial, and now available here on Fstoppers, is a peek into the equipment he uses to craft his stunning images.

PDN's 'The Look' Contest Is Now Open

Are you a fashion or beauty photographer looking to get your work out into the world? Well PDN (Photo District News) is at it again with their annual fashion and beauty contest. The Look is a contest, open to anyone, that aims to showcase the most talented fashion and beauty images from around the world. Entries are now open and running until June 8th, 2017.

Gucci's Instagram Went Meme Over the Weekend

If you follow the super-brand Gucci on their social networks, especially Instagram, you would've noticed them posting memes. Instagram is a photography and video platform, but there is quite a considerable amount of humor profiles with followings that most of us dream of achieving.

Clay Cook Q&A on Fashion and Editorial Photography This Thursday

Mark your calendars for this Thursday, March 23 at 2 p.m. EST for a chance to talk with Clay Cook, the instructor of our newest tutorial covering fashion and editorial photography. This is a great chance to ask Clay anything you want to know about shooting, lighting, post-processing, and the business side of his work. The event will be held over Facebook live on the Fstoppers Facebook page.