How does one become a fashion photographer?

[haring]

The question is simple. How does one become a fashion photographer?

[Tom]

You gotta be ****ing amazing. Probably the single most difficult line of photography you could go in.

[Daniel W.]

Either go to school, or just jump into assisting by connections / cold calling / begging / bribing...etc. Both paths assuming that (as previously mentioned) you are a visual master, with nearly every bull in the photography pen under your thumb.

Assist the heck out of yourself. This means you know lighting, medium format, DAM, grip, etc. etc. Keep assisting. And then you pass your name out to everybody. Not just photographers or editors, but MUAs, other assistants, talent coords, casting directors, electricians, drivers... Get to know other photographers at your level and below. And then you...

Intern. Work for someone for free possibly (likely), and if you're lucky they let you shoot a small story. They see you're a talented artist, able to work under pressure, and respond very well to criticism/commands/abuse. If the person you intern for is nice, they give you time to shoot on your own, and they critique it. If they're really nice, they keep your name and refer jobs that are too low (or they're too busy) to you.

Then, you really begin to compete. With every other talented shooter out there, and develop two heads. The first, is the "any-job," which means you can complete an assignment to-spec of the editor. They want generic high-key, you deliver it without flaws. Grey-background fashion? Grab your Profoto Magnum reflector and done. The second head, is the one that makes you "successful." You develop a look, a style, a personality that sets you apart. People will hire you because they want a "Otto" image, not just a generic high-key or gray background, or whatever.

Then you work your ass off, never resting on your laurels.

(Option two: is that a happenstance of miracles in that you're a visual prodigy with a work ethic to back it up and someone trips across your portfolio and loves your work. Rare.)

[janikphoto]

At least you are in a decent city for it... Miami. As mentioned above by others, it is one of the hardest photo specialties to make it in. And, for us in Texas, it is even harder. Dallas has JC Penny and NM in town and they do a lot of their photography here, and we have a few fashion-related publications to shoot for. But, its nothing like NY, LA, Miami or one of the big Euro cities.

Go find a Miami-based fashion photog and start assisting him/her.

[janikphoto]

Have you been following any of the fashion shooter websites at all? And I don't mean trash like Model Mayhem (all you MM fans can flame me if you want)... I mean something like:

Art + Commerce

The Sartorialist

Fashion Photography Blog - A Resource for Fashion Photographers, Created by One.

[venchka]

Somewhere along the way you are going to need a "sponsor". Somebody in the biz who will promote you to others.
I can count on one hand the number of big time fashion photographers in my extended lifetime. Namely, those working for Vogue or Harper's. It's a tough world. Avedon made it. He was #1. Anybody remember #2?
Good luck! You will need it.

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by venchka

Somewhere along the way you are going to need a "sponsor". Somebody in the biz who will promote you to others.
I can count on one hand the number of big time fashion photographers in my extended lifetime. Namely, those working for Vogue or Harper's. It's a tough world. Avedon made it. He was #1. Anybody remember #2?
Good luck! You will need it.

#2 is a little harder to nail down. Some may say Newton, though there are a dozen people who might be considered an equally good choice for second. After you get through the dozen or so names, the list of legendary fashion photogs pretty much dries up. Everyone else is either a wannabe or is working like heck to be. It is probably the second most exclusive club, only second to the moon-walking astronaut's club!

[venchka]

Originally Posted by janikphoto

#2 is a little harder to nail down. ... It is probably the second most exclusive club, only second to the moon-walking astronaut's club!

Well said. Annie L. has the gig, but I'm not convinced her work is up to the previous standards.

I don't know that he ever did "fashion" work as such, but a person could learn from Sam Haskins' "Cowboy Kate". Sam knew what to do when beautiful women were in front of his cameras.

Sam Haskins - Cowboy Kate - Page 1

[tml]

#3: Patrick Demarchelier? Good luck with your dream. IMHO, it would be much easier to become a neurosurgeon. It would take a tremendous gift, nurturing, awesome contacts, hard work, perseverance, and many years of survival on bread and water... Personally, I could not make it as an artist, and, by default, became a healthcare provider! Tri

[Bruce M. Morris]

Phillipe Halsman comes to mind as well, as an example. all I have read about these top fashion photographers, they started shooting whatever they could, working for people that could help them. And it took a LONG time. This is not an immediate goal.

[ChristopherCoy]

I love threads like these.

To be a 'fashion photographer', all you need is a pretty girl in a dress, and an eye for making the dress the creative focus of your photos.

To be a SUCCESSFUL fashion photographer... see post #3.


ETA: After spending most of my morning reading one of the links that Janik posted, this really caught my eye.

Originally Posted by Melissa Rodwell

everything that I owned fit into a duffel bag and I carried it, along with my passport, with me wherever I went. I was ready and willing to be anywhere an opportunity was offered. I was given the chance to shoot an editorial, by an ex-model who became the Men’s Fashion Editor of Spanish Elle, in Barcelona one day and I caught a flight and was there the next day. My boyfriend at the time was furious but I didn’t let anything stand in the way of moving my career forward. Is this something that you’re willing to do?

I would LOVE to be a fashion photographer - but there isn't any way that I could dedicate myself to that kind of lifestyle without leaving my partner, and my family behind. But that doesn't mean that I can't learn how to shoot fashion, and do it on my own for the love of it.