Best Tips and Ideas for Shooting Runway Photography

Shooting a fashion show takes talent, a great camera, and an incredible team. It also takes time and patience, as we will see.

The fashion industry is booming, and so is the demand for personal stylists. If you love dressing people, then you may be interested in this career. But, before you start planning a fashion show, you’ll want to know what it takes to organize a successful event.

Before the shoot

Shooting a fashion show is one of the most exciting events in the world of fashion, but it can also be a very challenging experience. Here are a few tips that may help you, from experience:

1. Plan ahead and prepare thoroughly.

It’s a lot of work and you don’t want to mess things up. Plan ahead and schedule enough time to work efficiently. Try not to let it go beyond your deadline.

Be ready for anything — Fashion shows are unpredictable and fast-paced, so prepare accordingly by bringing a variety of lenses (at least one wide angle and one telephoto), different focal length zooms (18-135mm), two extra batteries and at least two memory cards (one full size SD card and one Compact Flash card). Also bring an external flash unit if possible (they are usually allowed).

2. Bring all your equipment.

This includes a camera and batteries (for all the lighting equipment) and make sure you have extra chargers.

Get the right equipment – Before you start shooting, make sure you have everything you need with you. This includes extra batteries, memory cards and even spare chargers for your camera. You don’t want to run out of juice during the show, so make sure you have enough power sources on hand before it starts.

3. Find the perfect location.

If you’re shooting outdoors, you will need to bring warm clothes, coats, blankets, umbrellas and/or raincoats, as well as rain boots. For indoor shoots, you will need a suitable space where you can work comfortably.

4. Get there early

The earlier you arrive, the less crowded it will be. Plus, if you get there early enough and have your gear ready, you may even have time for a few practice shots before anyone else arrives.

During the shoot

Once you’re there, it’s important to remain calm and composed. It will be difficult, but the whole thing will run smoothly if you’re relaxed and easy going. The key is to keep your cool, focus on the task at hand, and keep working.

7. Be flexible and creative.

Be ready to adapt your approach and style to each individual shot.

8. Shoot the best you can.

A photographer needs to be confident, professional, and efficient in order to produce stunning, quality images.

Don’t forget to take pictures of people watching the show as well as those performing in it! You should also try taking pictures during breaks in between shows – they’re often just as fun!

9. Find the best angle

Shooting a fashion show can be tricky because it’s hard to find a good angle from which to capture everything that’s happening on stage. If you’re lucky enough to have access from backstage or somewhere offstage, try positioning yourself somewhere high up so that you can see everything happening in front of the stage — and behind it! Shooting from down low gives you an interesting perspective on what’s happening onstage but doesn’t give much room for creativity when editing later on.

Use an external flash instead of your built-in camera flash when taking photos of models on the runway. The built-in flash can make their faces look too shiny or washed out. An external flash will give them more depth and make their skin look smoother.

10. Know Your Audience

Before you start shooting, make sure you know who your audience is and what they expect from your photos. If you’re shooting for a business blog, for example, be sure to take pictures of the garments up close so that viewers can get a good look at them. If you’re shooting for social media, on the other hand, try to capture more candid moments like models interacting with each other or laughing at something funny going on backstage.

After the shoot

The shoot isn’t over yet! If you’re shooting indoors, you will need to clean up and make sure everything is back in order, so that you don’t have to come back again.

11. Edit and retouch.

You will need to make sure your images are perfectly edited and retouched. It is vital to keep the originality of your photographs and that is only possible with the best editing.

12. Share the images.

When you’ve finished shooting, upload the images to your computer. You will then need to share them on social media sites.

13. Keep improving.

Don’t forget to post your best shots on your blog, website, and social media.

Conclusion

If you’ve ever tried to take a fashion show, you know how hard it can be. If you’re shooting a fashion show, you’ll need to embrace the chaos. You may be shooting with low light, or in a crowd of people. You may not even know what the next shot is going to be. And there will always be more people than you can ever shoot. But if you keep practicing and trying your best, finally you can improve your skills and become a better runway photographer.