 Nicole P. Small |
What is best to start off in fashion and beauty? Hi, My name is Nicole. I just recently started to get a little more serious in the realm of photography. My focus would to get into fashion and beauty type imagery. I would like to know what are the basic equpment you would recommend to start off with. I recently got the Nikon D70's camera. I was looking at several tpyes of lighting equpment, flash equipment and I am not sure what to get. I Is it important to get a speedlight?I was looking at the Sb600. Nicole Please Help!
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Mark Feldstein |
Greetings Nicole: I'm a photojournalist and hardly a fashion photographer but I've got a few friends who are successful at doing that type of work and I'll share a few of their points with you. First, you've picked one of the most highly competitive sub-specialties in photography. Certainly there's nothing wrong with that, but you have to know that going in. Many try to succeed in this realm but there are few opportunities to do so. Your work needs to be noticed. To do that, it needs to be technically excellent, fresh and different or unique. That's about developing your particular photographic style, not your equipment inventory. And equipment you have or need to use, depends on what you're shooting and where. Fashion work is done both in the studio and on location. One of my friends who, specializes in fashion work on location, doesn't use lights most of the time but two assistants holding reflector cards (fome core or styrofoam panels) to bounce light back into her subject(s). If she needs fill flash, a Quantum Q Flash and Turbo Battery does most of the work. That's the same rig I use, btw, and it's perfect for loation. Fashion is a type of portraiture and I do a lot of that kind of work both in the studio and on location. Studio work allows you to control your lighting a lot easier than on location and it also provides you with more power sources (usually). For that type of work I use a single Bowens 1500WS monolight, usually in a 3x4 foot chimera white softbox. The light can be ratio'd down to 500 watt seconds in 1/3 stop increments. The rest is done with fill cards / panels, black or white or both placed on either side of the subjects depending on how dramatic I want the lighting to look. As for your speedlight question...the Nikon SB600 is a good flash, but you also need to consider recycling time with regular batteries as opposed to a separate battery pack like the All this stuff is available at b&hphotovideo.com For Quantum stuff, their web site is http://www.qtm.com. Practice and develop your style, experiment with available light techniques, and then get a fill flash or single studio unit that you can expand on depending on what you need later on. Meanwhile....take it light. ;>)
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Nicole P. Small |
Thank you so much Mark for your detailed information. I will definately take a look at the site! I dod have another question...what are the best lens for this trype of work. I am somewhat on a budget, but waht can you reccommend as a good start? Nicole
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Mark Feldstein |
Well, as I mentioned, among other things, the kind of equipment you use, including lenses, depends on what you're shooting. I'm sure you'll get a slew of recommendations here for zoom lenses of one kind or another, and zooms are ok, I guess, but not my preference. I much prefer using fixed focus lenses matched to the assignment sometimes on multiple camera bodies. So, for example, for 35mm portraiture with my old Nikons or Leica, I prefer either a 105mm Nikkor or an 85mm Zeiss. For medium format portraits, head shots or full-length, I love a 150mm. Wide angles tend to distort the subject, so even if you're shooting groups in a more conventional sense, about the widest you should go is either 35mm or 50-55mm. I think lenses are more important for you at this point, than your lighting equipment. If you can afford a short range used Nikkor zoomer for your D-70, say something in the 35-100mm range, I'd go for that first based on your budget. Check out used Nikkor lenses at KEH.com. Also, don't buy cheap lighting equipment. Equipment is essentially an investment in your work, whether professionally or not. Professional grade gear will usually last a career and will provide you with features that you really can use. Companies like Quantum, Bowens, Speedotron, Norman, Calumet, Elinchrom, Chimera, Photoflex, are well known to professionals. They offer sturdy, versatile (flexible) high horsepower lighting equipment. Oh, btw, no, you don't need a tripod at this point. Shoot freehand, use the camera like a sketch pad. Move around your subjects alot, get different angles, high, low, profiles, etc. Just work slowly and methodically and you'll soon start to find various techniques that really produce nice results for you. Also, avoid formulas. Know the fundamental rules. then stretch them out and break them to form your own style. KnowhatimeanhuhNicole? ;>)) And my pleasure Nicole. You're quite welcome. Have fun and enjoy the creative evolution !! (But becoming your own best and worst critic is a real bitch sometimes).
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Nicole P. Small |
Once again , Thank you so much for your input Mark! Nicole
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Mark Feldstein |
Again, my pleasure Nicole. Keep in touch, post your new work and feel free to drop me an e-mail if there's anything else I can do to help ya out. ;>) Mark Mark-Feldstein@sbcglobal.net
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Nicole P. Small |
Hi Mark, I posted 3 new images on my profile. I was able to get a chance to work in a studio. I am not the best at editing, but I would love to get feedback from you! Nicole
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Joan Bellinger |
Nicole, something I have started doing is taking photos backstage at hair shows. Talk to the person who does your hair or a friend's stylist about local hair shows. I started with exchanging prints for hair services. Then the models and others coming into the salon started asking about portrait sessions and booking weddings.
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Nicole P. Small |
Hi, Thank you so much for this info!I will definatley get into doing that, thank you so much! Nicole
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Nicole P. Small |
Slim Brady, Not sure if you looked at my gallery, but my first 3 images are of a model! Nicole
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Mark Feldstein |
Hi Nicole. Practice, practice, practice. Before you shoot, have a concept you want to convey, kind of like a self-assignment or one between you and your models. Then try and carry it out. If you study ads and articles in fashion mags like Vogue, you'll see that in most shots, the model or subject is connected somehow with the viewer, usually by looking at rather than away from the camera. Try that approach for awhile. Read-up on make-up techniques which vary from black and white to color. And, try incorporating different backgrounds, location backgrounds into your work with models, like outdoors in parks, museums, libraries, train stations, etc. Get your flash off the camera. Use it for a fill light not primary. Use available light with bounce reflector cards for your primary light sources and learn how to control it to produce shadows that enhance the modeling effect of the lighting. Then let's see em. Whaddya think?
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Nicole P. Small |
Yes, I need a lot of practice!! yes I just noticed as you mentioned the model is always looking away from the camera, I will keep that tip in mind. Locations..that is something I have to research on. Thank you! Now that you have given me a sense of direction I am going to try to come up with a swimsuit assignment. I just finished creating 8 pieces, and I want to work with that. I will let you know as soon as I have some new work up and I would love to hear your feedback. by the way. I noticed that my images look somewhat dull, how do you get images bright and punchy? Does this have to do with having the right lighting set up? NIcole
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Mark Feldstein |
Yup. It's your lighting. If you're shooting digitally, Could be a problem with your camera settings, resolution?? dunno. I'm digitally impaired. LOL !!! Mark
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Nicole P. Small |
HI Mark, I have added some new images, let me know your thoughts! NIcole
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Mark Feldstein |
Yeah, I think your lighting has improved a bit. Now, it could be just me, I don't know exactly, but every one of these shots, the models look either pissed off, unhappy, offended somehow, irritated or just bummed out. That's not what I meant by "connected". If the emotion you're trying to convey is stand-offish, you've succeeded. I think (and again it could be just me) that it's hard for the viewer to get past those facial expressions to the product you're trying to sell because they can't relate to the person in the photo on any level. I hope you get some additional input on that issue because once more, as my own disclaimer, I don't do fashion. Okie dokie?
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Nicole P. Small |
Okie dokie.......Thanks for all your input you have given. Best,
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Raymond H. Kemp |
Hello Nichole! I’ll also add a few comments about some of your work. Hope it helps! One, the makeup on Kimberley (the one with the red flower in hair) and Danielle is great! On the one with Kimberley though there is some darkish almost shadowy appearance on the left side of her chin. Not sure if this is a makeup mistake or what. Nothing that a little Photoshop can’t cure though! Also, use Photoshop to whiten her eyes. Notice the bloodshot appearance on her left eye? Let’s use Photoshop to get rid of the blemish on the left cheek too. If this is a fashion shot of her outfit then I would pull back a little more to reveal the outfit. Remember, you are selling the outfit and not the model. The model is a prop to help accentuate your fashion message. On the outdoor shot of Kimberley (the one in the swimsuit on her back), you need to be more careful of your background. Notice that tree that is seems to grow from her chest? I can see a lake or river in the background, so maybe adjusting her location would eliminate the distracting tree and you could play the water a little more into the background. The sunlight showing on the full length of the top of her leg leads me to suspect the sun is high in the sky which will cause a flat washed out appearance. Shooting later in the day will add some warmth and depth to the image. But as Mark said, use bounce reflectors to control the shadows and enhance the modeling effect. You’re on the right track. Keep tweaking and adjusting your surroundings to achieve the effect you’re looking for. Remember, clients will be looking to see how well the model and locations convey the appearance and message of their product. Try to scout locations in advance and photograph the location to keep on file as a reference. Note the surroundings and lighting. For now, you may be shooting models for TFP (time for prints or Trade for Portfolio) but later as your skills improve and you book clients, models will cost you money. So being prepared in advance will save you some time and money. Good shooting and let’s see some more of your work! Ray
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Nicole P. Small |
Hi Ray, Thank you so much for your detailed info! Yes, as you mentioned, I now notice the errors. I will be working on some more work and I will be sure to let you know! Thank you once again! Nicole
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