Fashion Photographer: By Definition

Job Description: Fashion photographers are employed by catalogs, magazines, Web sites, and fashion houses to conceptualize, shoot, develop, and print still photos and/or videos to show off clothes and accessories in a creative manner that catches the eye of consumers. Professional fashion photographers must have a good eye for style and beauty and be skilled at working with models to achieve the best possible poses and photos. In addition to taking pictures, photographers may also be responsible for scouting locations and hiring models and personnel for the photo shoot

Salary Range: Earnings potential up to $100,000+
Top level pay for experienced fashion photographers is around $50,000, but those who are able to establish themselves as brand names - like Herb Ritts or Annie Liebowitz - can make upwards of $100,000 annually.

Outlook: Employment in the field is expected to grow by as much as 17% between 2004 and 2014, according to the US Dept of Labor. Competition for jobs in magazine and commercial photography is stiff, and aspiring fashion photographers may outnumber the available assignments. However, increased use of the Internet may spur further growth in fashion photography, as Web sites look to continuously refresh their content. Starting as an assistant or an apprentice is one way to get a foot in the door. With experience comes more opportunity, and those who can develop a solid portfolio (body of work) may attain full-time staff positions or set up their own studios and work with more exclusive or well-known fashion clients.

Qualifications: Education - A degree in Photography or Art is not required but is very helpful for getting the first job and making contacts. Knowledge of or coursework in fashion design and merchandising is also a plus.

Experience - A portfolio of previous work that demonstrates skill, imagination, and personal style is required. Internships, apprenticeships, and other on-the-job training is essential.

Personal Characteristics/Skills - Artistic and creative expression; thorough knowledge of the technical and aesthetic aspects of photography, including camera operations, lighting, composition, darkroom procedures, and special characteristics of films and paper; good business and networking skills; solid interpersonal skills to communicate with models and convey your ideas; ability to promote oneself; knowledge of trends in both photography and fashion industry.

Career Path: Photographer's Assistant > Staff/Freelance Photographer > Photo Editor > Director of Photography

Famous Fashion Photographers: Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier, Michael Thompson, Mario Sorrenti

source::www.fashion-schools.org

SHAMAYIM: "homemade" lighting

This image was one of the first that I shot utilizing a "homemade" lighting kit. I used some standard fluorescent light bulbs that I could manually maneuver to have the shadows compliment the models body tone and definition. The shadows assist with accentuating curvature and detail.
As a photographer I have a very keen idea of the shot in my head before I pick up the camera. Sometimes I simply can not get the professional studio equipment to "play nice" and read my thoughts and give me the tone i'm looking for. No matter how proficient I am with equipment knowledge it just doesn't give me the results I like. So I have to get very hands on and "create" the lighting I desire.

This can be as simple as going to Walmart and heading over to the lighting section in the home decorating department and purchasing a lot of different bulbs at various wattages. When you get on set, take the lights and just explore with them. Try different distances from your subject to provide you with intensity options. You'll know it works when it feels perfect. Creating your light source can be tedious but the hands on experience with it allows you to feel your art more intimately and get the results you want.

SHAMAYIM
www.shamayim.net
Follow me on instagram and twitter | @shamayim

SHAMAYIM: My signature lighting style

My preferred style of lighting is chiaroscuro, light-dark. I adopted that technique after studying artistic masters such as Rembrandt, Giovanni Baglione, and Caravaggio. Many times they used one single light source for their art. The concept was often theorized that the lighting was from a divine source.

The more technical use of the term chiaroscuro is the effect of light modelling in painting, drawing, or printmaking, where three-dimensional volume is suggested by the value gradation of colour or shade and the analytical division of light and shadow shapes—often called "shading". The invention of these effects in the West, "skiagraphia" or "shadow-painting" to the Ancient Greeks, traditionally was ascribed to the famous Athenian painter of the fifth century BC, Apollodoros. Although virtually no Ancient Greek painting survives, their understanding of the effect of light modelling still may be seen in the late-fourth-century BC mosaics of Pella, Macedonia, in particular the Stag Hunt Mosaic, in the House of the Abduction of Helen, inscribed gnosis epoesen, or 'knowledge did it'.

This technique of photography lighting is more often used in high fashion, editorial, and portrait photography. It does not compliment the mood element or emotion of commercial photography or beauty.

I personally perfer this style because of the emotional resonance effect. I believe that it elevates the image from being merely a photo copy of a subject to a genuine artistic expression.

The shadows and light become paint. I like the idea that the lighting showcases the human condition; positive and negative energies. The contrast creates a balance within the images.

Chiaroscuro enables me to explore the tones of my model's skin. I enjoy photographing models from many different ethnic groups and this style of lighting compliments the different tones of skin. Lighting reacts differently with darker skin tones then it would with lighter skin tones. Lighting also has an effect on the undertones (green, yellow, red).

High contrast lighting also brings out the details of the image. This works great for contrasting the fabrics of wardrobe, the texture of hair, the curves of body and facial features. The shadows and light balance each other to give dimension to all of the details that I wish to focus on.

This lighting style also has a wonderful way of assisting with story telling. Whatever is unnecessery to the plot of my intention the shadows hide, thus enhancing my viewers experince and allowing me to be a better director.

Pull out some art books and study the lighting techniques of some classical painters to add to your personal photography style. All art is simply sitting on the shoulders of the artist that have come before us.

-SHAMAYIM
 The Universe is on our Side
www.SHAMAYIM.net
instagram and twitter | @shamayim
Google+ | +Shamayim Shacaro @

Effective marketing and promotions for fashion professionals

Effective marketing and promotions for fashion professionals (including models): We all know who we work with is an investment. Have you considered who you work with as a marketing tool? 

If you work with a makeup artist or hair stylist and they have 20,000 followers on instagram and twitter and they post your work on these sites..your work has just reached 20k potential clients. Working with that artist was a great investment. 

Talent is not sufficient enough to be successful. Strategy is king. Here is another example. Models, Makeup Artists, Hair Stylists, Wardrobe Stylists, Fashion Designers commission me to develop their portfolio. I know that they want good photos but more than anything I understand that they want to make money. Simple. So depending on their project, my team and I get together and come up with a marketing plan for their shoot. May sound strange, but I would hope that other photographers do this as well. 

We study their demographic, target group, social media presence...all that good stuff. Then we shoot according those elements (unless of course they want to do things their way which is cool as well). If the model is signed we prefer to speak to the booker or agent and ask them which direction they are marketing the model's career. It's all marketing before the camera gets picked up. After the shoot it becomes promoting. 

I try to keep my instagram and twitter followers as high as possible with QUALITY followers. That means if I post on these outlets my team, client, or model has a greater chance of their work being seen by potential clients or individuals that can provide a great opportunity for them. 
Don't be fooled into working with people just because they have a lot of followers. Many models have thousands of followers but most of them are just fans which means they usually can not provide you opportunities (but you never know). 

Instagram Tips:
I personally love using instagram more than most of the other social networks. It is a perfect blended balance of twitter and facebook. If you are a fashion pro most of your work and promotions are visual. Instagram directly focuses on this without the additional info from the other sites. If you are new to instagram or looking to build your popularity, on the site, here is some advice:

It pays to engage with users who are interested in the same types of photography, shoot in the same city as you, or just have a common interest. That way you’re more likely to find genuine engagement beyond an anonymous or faceless like.
Using a third party service like Statigr.am can be a great way to keep track of your engagement, to make sure you’re responding to comments, and to easily like and comment on other users photos.

I prefer working with teams that have a solid INDUSTRY FOCUSED following. These individuals are pretty easy to spot. On their pages they rarely have personal photos up unless it is work related. These people are focused on business. I stay away from artist who have private pages, family photos, alot of #wcw, #tbt, club photos, and family photos. Nothing wrong with those things but I take them as signs that collaborating with that artist would not be a good investment for marketing and promotions. 

Whew...that's a lot. But I find that these few tactics are beneficial for my clients. Many of my model's have booked jobs from me posting their work on social networks. The same for my beauty and wardrobe teams. The aim is to make calculated and strategic marketing moves for success. Just things to consider when organizing your next project. As always remember the Universe is on our side.

follow me on instagram and twitter
@shamayim

my official website
http://shamayim.net

Testing with Adesuwa

Simple Drama...it's when my model shows up and i instantly love their personal style. Usually most fashion models have their own identity and it reflects in their style of dress. While out in Long beach rebuilding my book I finally got the opportunity to work with Adesuwa Pariyapasirt again after like 5 years. Adesuwa has always had this really "cool" style to me so before we placed her in all these designers clothes I wanted to capture the "I don't give a **beep**" attitude she has. She wore this rugged but simple outfit and behind the studio is barb wire and construction material so it was perfect...no such thing as coincidence. I think of it as simple drama because her wardrobe is her own and is relatively simple but the makeup by Victoria is dramatic...they just compliment each other. I love test shoots like this because they allow the model to be themselves...much more than just a hanger.