Top 5 Skills for a Professional Fashion Photographer

High-quality cameras are commonplace on today’s smartphones and while it may seem like the need for hiring a professional photographer is a thing of the past, nothing could be further from the truth.

Photography can be an art, a leisure activity, or just a way to document one's life; however, when it comes to the dynamic and competitive field of fashion, it becomes a full-blown career opted by passionate enthusiasts who love nothing more than telling stories through their captures.

So, what are the various skills a professional fashion photographer needs to master? Keep reading to find out.

1. Familiarity with hardware and software

People tend to equate photography with creativity. Though the creative aspect is certainly present, it is not the all-in-all. The foremost knowledge to acquire, without which becoming a successful fashion photographer is next to impossible, is complete familiarity with the latest technology.

This would include the hardware such as advanced cameras, their adjustments and shutters, lenses, tripod stands, different types of lights, and how each can affect the aesthetic appeal of the photograph. Each camera has its unique pros and cons; plus, the optics also need to be adjusted as per the camera or the location and lighting.

Not only this, but being conversant with the necessary software is also a must. This would include digital editing software, image resizing, printing, film development, and high-resolution imaging, among others.

2. Attention to details

Taking proper care of all the minuscule details, if not each pixel of the photograph, is also a skill to master. Professional fashion photographers must be able to utilise light and colour in such a manner that the essence of the image is precisely what they had in mind. It is self-evident that achieving such a feat is only possible when careful attention is given to each component of the image, during the shoot and even after – identifying and fixing minor issues with the photo via editing, retouching, etc.

3. Composition or artistic skills

In simple terms, composition skills refer to a fashion photographer's ability to know exactly how they want an image to look and the message it should convey. On the surface, composition may seem like it's simply about creativity, but that's just the tip of the iceberg – a fashion photographer must also have a thorough understanding of framing to decide intelligently whether their creative ideas look good within the frame or not.

By that definition, composition skills are about gaining knowledge of a number of universal principles that are not subject to experimentation or trial-and-error. These would include balance, colour, design, form, lighting, formatting, patterns, and shapes.

4. Shape skills

No matter how great a photo may look like, it’s still going to miss the mark if not taken from the view of getting the fashion message across or selling the fashion products of the particular brand. Since fashion photography is also about product promotion, professional fashion photographers must balance out using solid shape skills.

This is nothing but the layout of the image and the style in which it is to be taken. Shape skills would include the ability to choose the ideal costume for the context, the perfect location and pose, even ideal colour and lighting conditions that will help convey the fashion message.

5. Marketing and communication skills

This is an incredibly useful skill if one wishes to go solo in the fashion photography world, being their own boss. Plus, communication skills also help the fashion photographer in letting the model know exactly the look and message they’re going for, making the task easier.

For potential clients and customers to know about one’s fashion photography services, it is vital to possess solid marketing and communication skills. This would naturally cover inter-personal skills, confidence, accounting, media knowledge, customer service, understanding of contracts and copyright laws, etc.

This is not it! One can learn more in fashion photography courses from internationally-acclaimed institutions. The one-year course will instil in students necessary technical and inter-personal skills provided by award-winning photographers and Canon Photo Mentors to establish a successful career in commercial or editorial fashion photography.