About Fashion Photographers
A fashion photographer works in the fast-paced, competitive world of advertising, taking pictures of anything related to the field of fashion, which is clothing, accessories and cosmetics. The expectations of a fashion photographer are not only to photograph the models and the clothes, makeup and accessories they're wearing, but to create a work of art.
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History
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Photography and cameras were invented around 1830, but the first photographs of a beautiful woman in fashionable clothing were assembled in 1856, by a photographer named Adolph Braun. He took around 300 pictures of a Tuscan countess from the court of Napoleon III, in which she wears official court clothing. The French advanced the genre in their fashionable publication "Le Mode Practique." In the United States, "Vogue" did the same when Conde Nast took over the magazine in 1909.
1920s and 1930s
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An explosion of fashion photography occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, when "Harper's Bazaar" and "Vogue" competed for the best fashion photos. Photographers such as Cecil Beaton and Edward Steich became famous as house photographers during these years. The competition continued into the 1940s and beyond with Irving Penn, Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon.
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Fashion Photography in Modern Times
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In more recent years, Annie Leibovitz and Stephen Meisel became famous for their fashion photos of both fashion models and celebrities. Many fashion photographers became celebrities in their own right, having their own studios and careers in photographic arts as well as fashion. Leibovitz and Meisel are two among the most famous fashion photographers who succeeded in both genres. A few others are Edward Jean Steichen, George Hoyningen-Huene, and Horst P Horst, in addition to those mentioned in the sections above.
Training
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Career colleges and universities have four-year programs in photography. Career colleges often have two- and four-year programs in commercial photography which include training in composition, lighting, image manipulation and location photography. Four-year universities offer fine arts degrees in photography, both in bachelor's and master's degree programs. Many of the concepts learned in these programs can be applied to the field of fashion photography.
Employment
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Freelance (without an agent) fashion photographers are employed by retailers and fashion houses such as Chanel and Calvin Klein. They may work with and for advertising agencies and clothing and cosmetic manufacturers. Others work directly for magazines such as "Vogue" or "Vanity Fair," either full time or on a contract basis. Many photographers work on a freelance basis, operating their own studios. Some work with an agent who finds assignments for a fee.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Tony Frissell - wiki commons
