Need some help/feedback on my fashion shoots!

[Designer]

I wanted to exclude all of that at all cost,

Without seeing the larger frame, I just have to wonder if you're being somewhat melodramatic about the door. You might be surprised at what people will overlook when they are looking at a superb composition.

if you have that wider shot, please show us your hands and let us judge.

 

[Fiji-Fujii]

Haha, alright, it's probably not that big a deal, it's just a matter of personal opinion. I just think it looks ugly. I only wanted the black door as background. (Also, my composition really sucks, so I'm pretty sure you'll eventually agree. )

Anyways, here's the raw/unedited picture.

 

[Designer]

O.K., maybe a little more artful with your hands. LOL

I see what you mean by the size of the door.

You really need to get a flash and some kind of background. Some cheap flashes are available from China, if you don't mind.

Nothing improved my photography like getting a speedlight and getting it off the camera.

 

[tirediron]

My version:

 

[Designer]

Ah, yes, using the frame as a frame.

 

[tirediron]

Something else that's very important: Focal length. IMO, 75mm is about as short as I like to go for any sort of portrait unless it's absolutely unavoidable, and really, 85 to about 150 is where I like to be. 18mm is wayyyy too short and adds a LOT of distortion (vis. the frame of the door). It can also distort features; not such a huge deal in a model this slender, but a more average size person would definitely "suffer".

 

[tirediron]

Ah, yes, using the frame as a frame.

What can I say... I lack imagination!

 

[Derrel]

I will PM you with my DropBox URL with the Lightroom edits I did. Here's the above shot that you posted, edited in a sort of muted color palette look that I have been working in some over the last year. After 20 years, I got tired of accurate, realistic color...I'm favoring more vignetting, less accurate color, and more of a muted color look, which I have liked for a long time. I did just a quick Sony 18-200mm generic lens profile, which corrected the lens's basic barrel distortion issue, but I did not correct the back-of-camera tilt distortion caused by the short focal length and the exact camera height/tilt in relation to the door frame and wall.

On this doorway shot, I cloned out the power wire at the upper right corner of the door, cloned out the bolt at the doors's upper left, and cropped off the board at the right, and vignetted the frame a bit. I think the bottom of the frame should be cropped off, but I did not do that.

For the B&W, I cropped into the door, and focused more on the model and her outfit, and tried to go for a very light, pale skin tone. I cloned out the bit of white paint on the door jamb in the B&W version.

 

[DanOstergren]

I have a few recommendations for making fashion images. First, find a team to collaborate with. A wardrobe stylist is essential for fashion photography. If you have a friend with impeccable style and a large wardrobe, perhaps they can be your stylist as well. A good makeup and hair artist is essential as well. Model Mayhem is a good place to start for sourcing makeup, hair and wardrobe if you are just starting out.

If you want better models, contact modeling agencies in your area and ask if you can test shoot with their new faces. When contacting an agency, it's good to already have a mood/concept board put together to send with your email. In general it's always best to have a concept for your fashion shoots. Learn about mood boards and start making them for your shoots.

A great resource that I have found is the "Photographer Shoot-off: Lara Jade VS Joey L" DVD, which will give you tons of inspiration, as well as teach you some really amazing retouching techniques. As well, the CreativeLive "Fashion Photography 101 with Lara Jade" is another great resource; Lara goes over everything from contacting agencies and casting models, creating moodboards and concepts, putting together a good team, lighting techniques, retouching, working with magazines and other clients and tons of other really helpful topics regarding fashion photography.

As far as lighting goes, you don't NEED studio lighting, reflectors, etc, unless you really want it. A little bit of light can go a very long way. Just keep the concept of contouring in mind when you are using light to sculpt your model and you will be fine (in my opinion). I wrote a shot article going over the concept here: Portrait Lighting | Photography Forum

Also, set your standard to a very high point when it comes to finding your inspiration. Study the works of great photographers and model your own work after theirs. Some good examples are Michael Thompson, Annie Leibovits, Richard Avedon, Lara Jade, Irving Penn, Mario Testino, and pretty much ANY photographer represented by Jed Root: Jed Root - Photographers . Study their lighting and editing, their compositions, and even take note of what their models look like. Models with interesting and strong bone structure are usually the ones who get cast; simply being pretty isn't enough to make a strong model.

It's always good to keep up with fashion trends as well; here are a couple of good resources:
http://fashionista.com/
Fashion Gone Rogue | Latest in Models, Fashion and Editorials

I hope this is helpful to you.

 

[Fiji-Fujii]

I think both versions turned out quite lovely, although I have to admit I prefer @Derrel's because he used more vibrant colours, even if he didn't go overboard with it like I did. Personally, I have a total thing for vibrant, sometimes unnatual colours in photography, I just haven't figured out how to properly work with that yet. I'm still totally new to all of it and in the process of experimenting and exploring a lot, mostly with filters, saturation and highlight as well as shading. What @DanOstergren posted sounds incredibly useful but for someone like me, who's a beginner and not actually striving to become a professional (not yet, at least), this is a little bit overwhelming even. I don't have the very best of cams and lenses (Sony ALT-A58 with DT18-55mm), so I can't even use @tirediron's advice to take shots at 85mm. xD But I will definitely look at everything listed in Dan's post, thanks very much for taking the time to provide me with the info!

I'm still surprised though that the edited pictures include both the door frame and part of the wall as well. It looks so much better in B&W though, but I think it makes for a terrible background in the coloured version. The black door without the frame is, in my opinion, a good enough background but the green frame and yellow wall just don't go well with it. xD But, as was stated often enough, it probably is much less dramatic than I think it is. It's just my personal view, haha, it just bothers me, really.

EDIT: Took a swing at one of the other pics real quick, 1 is untouched, 2 is my first final edit and 3 is where I tried (!) to imitate what I saw on Derrel's and tirediron's pics but alas, I have a lot of work still ahead. Please tell me what you think, yay or nay? Am I going into the right direction yet?

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3

 

[DanOstergren]

All you need to do fashion photography is any camera or lens , light, a model, a concept and styling. Just because you are new to this, you're not a pro, or because you think you don't have the right gear are all terrible reasons to tell yourself you don't have what it takes to make great fashion images. Even an 18-55mm kit lens will be more than good enough, and to be clear there is no rule that says you have to be shooting portraits at any particular focal length such as 85mm.

 

[Fiji-Fujii]

That's very encouraging to read. Thanks so much, I will try my best with all of your tips from now on. Since I don't have the equipment I'd like to have in terms of lights, I'm gonna try and study what I can do with just natural light, or lack thereof.

Although, as a little side note, I don't normally go with the most recent fashion trends. One of my brothers, the one who modelled for me for practice, and a couple of my friends have their own style of how the dress and I really like it a lot, so I like to capture their own sense of fashion, and of course mine as well.

 

[Designer]

I'm gonna try and study what I can do with just natural light, or lack thereof.

Oh dear! Please don't use that tiny font! Thanks.

As to lighting; get creative with what you have or can make. Make some reflective panels. White for normal white light, silver or gold-colored foil or mylar if you can get it.

 

[tirediron]

If all you have is an 18-55, then by all means use that. Despite being a "kit" lens, it's quality is many orders of magnitude great than the best professional lenses of a few generations ago. There definitely aren't any rules about focal length, but there are "best practice" guidelines based on the optical properties of a given lens. Again, if 55 is as long as you've got, then my suggestion would be to shoot at or near 55 in most circumstances.

 

[rexbobcat]

Here's a blog post from a great fashion photographer about equipment. The kit lens helped her break into the fashion photography industry in the beginning.

Equipment and Where The Money Comes From | Zhang Jingna - Fashion, Fine Art, Beauty, Commercial Photography Blog