How To Break Into Fashion Photography
Fashion photography is not an easy niche to break into. It takes a lot of hard work and determination. Below are just a few tips on getting your foot in the door.
Educate yourself in fashion and photography
A good knowledge of fashion will help you to gain some credibility when starting out. This could include getting to know the lingo, learning the history of fashion and studying famous fashion photographers. An understanding of photography is important too of course – you consider taking a photography course or you can self-teach yourself.
Connect with independent fashion stores and aspiring local models
It can be worth getting to know owners of local independent fashion stores and local aspiring models. You may be able to volunteer your photography services to these people and start gaining some experience to put into an online portfolio. After getting some voluntary experience, you may even be able to build testimonials and start charging small amounts for your services.
Volunteer to assist other photographers
You may be able to bag a voluntary role assisting a fashion photographer. This could help you to gain experience, learn new skills and possibly build some valuable connections. If you’ve got your heart set on high end fashion, you may want to move to a fashion capital and look for big productions. By getting to know the right people, you may be able to get work.
Be active on social media
Social media is a great platform for showing off your work. It’s worth creating a business page on Facebook, an Instagram account and possibly a Twitter and LinkedIn account too. By building a social media following, you may find it easier to attract clients.
Start a blog/vlog
A blog or a vlog could be another great way of getting your name out there. This could be used to pass on photography tips or it could be used to tell fashion photography news and opinions. YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for starting a vlog, while WordPress can be a great platform for starting a blog.
Consider a business card
If you meet someone and want to exchange details, a business card is always handy. This could contain information such as your email address or phone number. A link to your website or social media pages could also be useful – you could use a QR code generator to create a QR leading to such pages. This could allow people to check out your photography work.
Don’t give up your day job (at least not straight away)
In the beginning, you won’t make a lot of money as a fashion photographer. For this reason, it’s worth having another job to bring in a secure income. Eventually you may reach a point where you’re able to get enough steady work to support yourself financially. At this point, you can give up any other jobs you may have and throw your all into fashion photography. Just be sure to realise that it can take years to get to this point.