As talked about in the earlier chapter

As talked about in the earlier chapter, you should attempt to tell stories with your

images to engage your person and create compelling images. Locations can be

one good idea to tell a tale. In Figures 2. 3 and 2. 4, the venue helps to create

a cute wedding story. These images, from a garbage clothing session, tell the

story of a wedding couple “gone fishing” on their big day. (A garbage the

dress session occurs after the wedding and often involves the bride posing in

unusual locations or doing unusual things that risk destroying[“trashing”] the

dress. )#) The images are playful, fun, and unusual. Unusual images is often more

memorable, so your clients will enjoy them more.

24 Fashion Sparkle for Symbol and Wedding Photography

Figure 2. 3

The bride sits along a riverbank,

fishing in her bridal dress.

The venue tells a tale and

tends to make a silly and

playful image.

Figure 2. 4

I’m sure many die-hard

fishers would like to fish

on their big day. Making

this wish a reality creates a

funny and entertaining image.

environment in unique clothing

environment in unique clothing.

Chapter 1 ■ Prepare to Sparkle 15

16 Fashion Sparkle for Symbol and Wedding Photography

■ Not all editorials tell a complex story, but many of the most successful

editorials invite the person in to explore the world that the shooter

has created.

Not only does storytelling make the images more interesting, it gives your

images a direction. The story you want to tell will help inform your alternatives

of location, lighting, and design. Furthermore, you will keep your viewers

engaged and entertained. The images don’t need to read like a book with a

beginning, middle, and end. Instead, their cohesive theme should help draw

viewers into the images and make them crave more.

Figure 1. 6 was part of a wedding planning fashion shoot, done before the day of the wedding.

Together we created a 1950’s fantasy setting using vintage design and a vintage

car as a prop. I took a number of shots of her driving the vehicle, fixing her makeup

in the mirror, and playing the role of this 1950’s bride. The hair, makeup,

design, and props reinforced this theme to convey the story.

Figure 1. 6 Your images can tell a visual story. For this shoot, I could create a 1950’s vintage

fantasy for my wedding planning client.

client wanted to execute a pin-up style shoot

client wanted to execute a pin-up style shoot. We passed around

(through email) various inspirational shots, including positions, hair, makeup, and

clothing. She was a perfect fit for this design. She even provided the clothing.

Chapter 1 ■ Prepare to Sparkle 11

Figure 1. 4

With this fashion sparkle pin-up

shoot, my client and I discussed

all the design before the

shoot to achieve our desired

final look.

12 Fashion Sparkle for Symbol and Wedding Photography

Music Videos

Even if you aren’t a big fan of MTV or pop music, music videos are an incredible

source of inspiration. Most of them are like 3-minute moving fashion

editorials. Many are highly stylized with great lighting, props, and locations.

If you have popular band or a type of music you like, take some time to watch

music videos and see if any of the looks grab your attention.

For example, in Figure 1. 5, I was watching a music video in which the lead

singer danced in front of a car in haze over the past few shots of the video.

The image was striking, so i wanted to do something similar.

Figure 1. 5 This image was inspired by a visual in a music video of the singer dancing in front of

car headlights on a foggy night.

Control is one of the great gifts of fashion photography

Control is one of the great gifts of fashion photography. As a shooter,

you are in control of every part of the image. You determine the arrangement,

lighting, model, and posing. You have no excuses if the image doesn’t

achieve your goals, because you have complete control.

Get Inspired

Inspiration can come from anywhere. It can come from a dream, a song, a

TV advertisement, or other artists and professional photographers. Learn to keep your eyes

open and process what you see. Professional photographers learn to view things differently,

such as light and shadows. We see unique aspects that are naturally apparent.

Look out for interesting locations or unique props. When you watch television,

find the interesting looks or design. Following are a few good places or sources

of inspiration.

Grab Sheets

Keep an accumulation images or grab sheets (pages pulled from magazines) that

invigorate you. If you see a pose you really like in a journal, grab out that page

for future reference. If you catch a view of lighting you really like in an online

editorial, save that image to your desktop. I have hundreds of images saved for

inspiration. Whether inspired by a location, pose, concept, clothing, or something

else, I save these images for future use. I have a folder in my studio room where

I keep the bunch of journal images I have ripped out. I have several version

on my computer where I save images I’ve found online, organized in a manner that

indicates think about the image inspired me. If I’m looking for inspiration for

avant-garde makeup, I go to the Makeup folder. If i am buying a different

lighting scheme, I go to the Lighting folder.

The concepts of fashion photography

The concepts of fashion photography, however, are applicable to any symbol

or wedding shooter. That’s where this book comes in. Other books

instruct people on how to become fashion professional photographers, including getting

established in the industry or working with models. This book features

you to the concepts of fashion photography and demonstrates how to put these

concepts to work in your wedding and symbol photography. This book is practical

and geared at causing you to be money. It doesn’t just focus on the career path

of a fashion shooter or the creative process. It covers everything from

fashion positions to essential fashion lighting techniques to important ways to

retouch your clients to offer the fashion look. You can take these skills to the

bank now by offering your clients unique fashion sparkle in their portraits.

This book opens by discussing the preparation required to add a fashion twist to

your images, including location and design, and then the positions, lighting, and

equipment needed on the day of your shoot. It then covers in-camera techniques,

fashion lighting essentials, Photoshop techniques, and a variety of other tricks to

achieve the fashion sparkle aesthetic. The book would not be complete without the

final section on business tips that will really make the fashion sparkle approach work

for you. Marketing, social networking, products, and services can all be found in

Part V.

Your Clients and Fashion Sparkle

My clients love my fashion sparkle approach to photography. Many teenagers

and women want to feel like models, even if that's not their career-in fact,

especially when that's not their career. With shows like America’s Next Top Model,

people are craving the chance to look or at least feel like a model. You can give

your clients the opportunity to satisfy this desire.