5 Myths about Fashion Photographers
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They are rich
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They party all the time
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They date the models
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They have the best gear
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They dress well
Fashion photography is one of the most creative genres in the industry and it drawing more attention than ever from photographers of all kinds. It’s a very popular kind of photography among young photographers especially, and that has given birth to certain myths about what it’s like to be a fashion photographer. Much like anywhere else, some of them are true, others are just collective speculations.
Let’s set some of them straight.
Well, that depends mostly on where you live and who you work for. You could be Terry Richardson rich and have your own football team, or you could be just another amateur from Model Mayhem looking for “the big break” in all the wrong places. Fashion photography does offer the possibility of impressive income, but it all comes down to being a talented creative in the right circles.
Models, designers, stylists…who wouldn’t think it’s all a big party? Sometimes the shoot ends with a well-deserved drink, but there is never any partying before everybody is happy with the finals shots and that usually is a pretty big team effort. So no, it’s not all a wild non- stop party.
This is probably the juiciest myth about fashion photographers. Do they date models or not? First of all, don’t use Terry Richardson or anything written in the media about him, be it good or bad, as a reference.
Just like in any branch in the industry, a fashion photographer has to be professional above all else. You can fall in love with a coworker no matter what line of work you’re in, so yes, it does happen to photographers and models occasionally. But you most likely won’t notice it because both have to maintain a high professional level and thus they cannot let their personal life interfere with their work.
This is mostly true. The fashion and advertising industry demand the highest image quality so you will see many pros shooting some very expensive medium format toys. It’s not because they just want to be the cool kids on the block. Without the best gear they wouldn’t be able to stay at the top of the game.
One of the most important things for a fashion photographer is a genuine interest in fashion. That doesn’t mean that all of them dress well. Some are dressed quite boringly, but if you think about it, you can say the same thing about some of the biggest fashion designers in the world.