How to photograph a fashion show (Part II)

In Part I of this series I discussed some of the things to consider when preparing to shoot a fashion show. In Part II we’ll be talking about the show itself.

Fashion Show Photography Secrets

Find your spot

This is crucial to the success of your shoot. You need a good spot and if it’s a high profile event there will be a lot of photographers there. Some of the shows I’ve covered have had well over 50 other photographers crammed in to the small space at the end of the runway. It’s hot, it’s sticky, it’s uncomfortable and it can get very smelly too if you’re unfortunate.

My advice is to get there early and claim your spot in advance. There will always be someone who comes in late and wants you to move up a bit. It’s up to you how to handle it but I usually counter with some excuse such as there isn’t room to move. On the occasions where I’ve been booked as the show photographer I’ll be a lot more curt as the prime position is reserved for me.

As you might expect, the best spot is in line with the centre of the runway. You’re unlikely to get this though but you can still make great shots from off axis. You just ned to decide how to handle the background.

Pre-show Prep

You’re now at the show and it’s about to start. You’re exposure is all set and you know where you have good light to make your shots.

Where are your spare media cards? If they’re in you bag, go to the back of the class. The same goes for spare batteries too. You won’t have time during the show to fiddle around in your bag hunting for spares. You need them with you now so you can make a quick change later if need be. More about this later…

During the show

When the fashion show starts, don’t simply lean on the motor drive and hope. Time your shots and shoot in batches of 3 to 5. Focussing might be an issue in lower light, especially if you’re using a Canon body. Faster lenses can help over come this. On the 5DmkII when you use a f/2.8 (or faster) lens in AIServo mode then AF system enables 6 AF assist points close to the centre focus point. They’re there to help the camera focus on a moving subject and as far as I am aware only come into play if you select the centre AF point. This is the point you should be using for this kind of work anyway as it’s more sensitive than the others and can detect both horizontal or vertical lines.

Keep your shutter speed up. Too slow and you’ll suffer from camera shake or, more likely, subject motion blur. I’d suggest anything less than 1/125th is too slow and you really want to hit about 1/200th if you can. Don’t open the aperture too wide. I prefer to keep it at about f/3.2 to f/4 and trade off sensor noise with a higher ISO for a sharper image. You have to know your kit though and figure out what best works for you.

When the models start their walk, time your breathing to their footsteps and think about when you take the shot. Don’t wait for a smile as you won’t get one. The models have to remain completely dead pan and emotionless. The images aren’t about them, they’re about what they’re modelling.

The key to a successful image is in the model’s feet. You don’t want a flamingo shot so time it to the correct point of the walk. I usually use the 70-200 f/2.8L lens which is flexible enough to get clear, full length shots at the far end of the runway and detail shots at the press end. The only issue is the minimum focus distance of the lens, at 1.4m the models can come too close if I’m in the wrong spot.

Must have shots for the runway are full length front and back; detail front and back; and any other areas of interest like daring splits, open backs etc.

Card management

Card management is super important for runway shows. You’ll be taking a lot of images even though most fashion shows only last about 10 minutes each.

Let’s say the designer has 20 outfits in her collection and you take about 30 shots of each. That’s 600 images for that one show. On the 5DmkII I can get about 577 frames on a single 16GB card so it’s not going to fit.

You absolutely must manage your media card. It’s quite likely that you’ll need to swap cards at some point so be careful about how many frames you shoot and keep an eye on how many you have left. You don’t want any surprises.

I normally get ready to swap the card once I get within 50 frames. My shooting rate drops slightly and I find the card in my pocket. I’ll then remove it from its holder between outfits and get ready for the change. Again this is done between outfits, as one girl is on the return and before the next one comes out.

BUT, before you can change the card you absolutely MUST make sure the camera has emptied it’s frame buffer and is no longer writing to it. Yanking a card out mid write is a big no no and you stand a good chance of crashing a card.

I find the cards very often come out of the camera hot. It goes straight into the case the new one came out of and then gets put into a different pocket to the blank ones. I really don’t want to change cards later on to put a full one back in.

It goes without saying that your media cards should be formatted and empty before you leave for the show.

Conclusion

The big secret to getting great images is simply to relax and enjoy it. It’s fast and furious. Time and frame your shots. Check your exposure and compensate as you go. Very often you’ll find about a 1 to 1.5 stop difference along the runway. There may be hot spots and dead light too. Find out where they are and work around it.

In Part III I’ll discuss what to do after the show and how to prep your images. Speed is the key here s you’ll need a highly optimised workflow. Anything you can do in camera to reduce your work in post is a definite benefit, especially if you need to hit the morning papers.