4 Key Types Of Clothing Photography And How To Make Them Look Amazing

The tricky part of clothing photography as a process is that it relates both to mundane tasks of selling goods and to high fashion that relies on creativity and freedom of expression. How to make the two work perfectly together? Is it even possible? With technical skills, experience and a bit of taste, it is totally possible, we assure you.

Let’s clarify what clothing photography is, and then these seemingly incompatible areas become mutually supportive. And it means professional growth of a photographer and an absolute satisfaction even of the pickiest customers, like Vogue or Bazaar editors.

1. Catalog Photography

That’s basically product photography ‘as is’, the only difference being that a human model is present in every shot. All that’s required from a photographer is to make nice shots that present clothing items true to life and in an appealing way for a printed catalog or a website. Creativity requirement is minimal, but the technical skills and the feeling of color balance need to be honed to perfection. A model poses in a relaxed way, light needs to be natural or very close to it (night shoots make colors look dull), and a photographer takes identical sets of shots to represent every clothing item in the best way. Such photography is the cheapest but makes a good starting point in terms of skill-honing.

2. Street Fashion Photography

That’s the next level in complexity, price, and creativity. A photographer does not get to select clothes, props, or settings, but they need to be versed in trendy styles and be able to make decisions fast to catch the best examples of street fashion that abound around the key venues where fashion or artistic events take place. Street fashion can reflect high fashion or be completely opposite to it, but it is always highly creative and unique.

The attitude of a wearer, the mood, and the wild play of styles and items are what make street fashion important. So, the skill to catch proper light, notice interesting details, and not to make a wearer feel awkward or tense is what is required from a photographer. Plus some dedicated equipment, like longer lenses for making good quality shots from larger distances.

3. High Fashion Photography

We move on to the next level of skills and creativity in clothing photography. High fashion photography is as much about clothes as it is about image mood that reflects the fashion house’s vision and signature style. Here, a photographer gets to collaborate with famous models, great stylists, and expensive clothing items, but the heart of the images will be the spirit of exclusivity, luxury, and excellence. Extensive and fantastical props may be deployed; shooting sessions may take place in a desert or in a rainforest, with otherworldly light and composition. The resulting images are always exaggerated, polished, and mind-blowing.

But the challenge is also great since a photographer needs to blend the multitude of components into a cohesive whole while creating close-ups and distant shots that are equally amazing. A good deal of technical skills, taste, and managerial savvy is required for orchestrating and executing this type of clothing photography.

4. Editorial Fashion Photography

The top of the top in the field of clothing photography. In this genre of photography, a collaboration of famous fashion editors and photographers takes place, and plenty of flexibility and teamwork should be added to the mixture to make it work. But the results appear on the front pages of global fashion media and dictate what will be produced and worn by millions of people in the next season.

Editorial fashion images tell a coherent story in terms of exclusive attire, accessories, makeup, and locations, and the whole visual narrative is often accompanied by equally elegant explanatory text. Hence, a lot of preparatory work needs to be performed, and the visuals need to match the text perfectly. Change of props, venues, and models may be required, which calls for different shooting skills and equipment (indoor, outdoor, long lenses, underwater cameras, etc). Editorial fashion photography is the most creative and flexible, but it is also the most expensive and technically challenging.

We hope we have clarified the basics of different clothing product photos and how they relate to fashion and to the tasks of a photographer. It all depends on the vision and skills of a person behind the camera, after all, and in case you wonder, yes, we have such amazing professionals in our Squareshot team. Don’t just take our word – give it a try instead.