A guide to Street Fashion Photography

Street fashion is one of the most creative, in-demand, and high-paying genres of contemporary photography around the world. You can see street style photos not only in the press but also on social media making it appear to be very easy taking photos in urban areas.

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A Bit of History of Street Fashion Photography

Street style photography, as a form of observing trends in fashion, was born decades ago. Back then, photographers created their own blogs, where they published photos of stylish people taken on the streets of major fashion capitals. This gave rise to a whole industry that is now one of the strongest sales drivers for fashion brands.

Street fashion in its current form is photos of stylish people working in the fashion industry, taken during the day or at night at various kinds of events. Several generations of photographers have already changed, and the street fashion genre has grown from personal blogs to the addition of major fashion sites.

Secrets of Shooting Street Fashion Photography

The following tips will help you take incredible quality street fashion photos. Be sure to try them out and don’t be afraid to experiment!

Choose a place and a time

The most important thing in successful street fashion photography is the choice of shooting time and location. Let’s discuss the time aspect in more detail:

• In the warm season, when the sky is clear without clouds and the sun is shining, it is better to take photos in the morning or evening.
• Choose a time when there are no harsh shadows and the sunlight is soft. If it’s overcast outside, it doesn’t matter what time to schedule the photo shoot, as we already have diffuse soft lighting throughout the day.

When choosing a great location it is important to remember: the street style photography format implies a light informal approach, so it is better to choose not glamorous popular, or touristy places, but non-trivial locations. After choosing a place for the shoot, carefully examine the location to have an idea beforehand which positions will be the most advantageous at this or that point in terms of background and natural lighting.

Planning and Storytelling

Remember, the key to a successful photo shoot is careful planning and detailed preparation. Therefore, a preliminary visit will help to determine the best time for the shoot. Believe me, the simplest and most boring background such as a fence, door, or wall can look very advantageous in a photo with the right lighting. Pay attention to the sides of the road, and look for obstacles – interesting shots come from around corners, from behind a column, a pole, or through a glass.

When choosing a place and time, it’s important to understand that you’re telling a story – a moment in the life of the city. Street fashion is about ease, about being casual. So it’s important to create an easy story behind the scenes and a unique and interesting image of the model, to show her in a way that no one has ever seen her before.

It’s very important to pay attention to the background. It tends to attract a lot of attention, yielding only to the model. Preferably, it should contrast with the chosen clothing of the model.

Try Manual Mode

Not every camera is capable of great results in automatic mode. So don’t think about buying an expensive camera for a good photograph just yet. Better yet, find a course for beginner street fashion photographers in your town, where you will get detailed instructions on how to take pictures, choosing the three basic photography settings: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

On your camera the manual mode is marked with an M. So, still, of course, at some point, you will become uncomfortable with your inexpensive camera. But if you are limited in money, start your investment with courses rather than with an expensive camera.

Ways to Get Gorgeous Street Fashion Shots

Here are a few tips that photographers can pick up for this style:

• Try to experiment, shooting from a low angle can make for very interesting shots. Sometimes a low angle is good for the model because it gives her a more statuesque appearance. And of course, it makes for great portraits.
• If you’re new to photography, it’s best not to take any chances with the tested settings on the camera. It’s easy to ruin a good shot by blurring. Once you are a bit more experienced, start experimenting with shutter speed and aperture, just do it beforehand to avoid all possible surprises.
• Use props to keep the model’s facial expression natural and her body at ease during the shoot. These can be books, magazines, a handkerchief, purse, glasses, newspapers, coffee glasses, or a fruit net. This way you can keep the model’s hands occupied when needed and you will have more variations for posing.
• Don’t forget about the lighting. If you are a beginner, don’t shoot against the light. As a result, you’ll get darker photos and add a few years to the model’s appearance. Ideally, the model should be working facing a source of warm natural light. Over time, you can start experimenting with the light.

Post edit the pictures

You can edit the raw format images and how you process your footage plays an important role. Ideally, if you have developed your unique post-processing style for street fashion photography. You don’t have to take a long time to learn all the complicated Photoshop tools, because there are other options. We recommend trying the modern photo editor Luminar Neo from Skylum developer. You will appreciate its extensive set of professional tools, simplicity of complicated tasks, and user-friendly interface.