Assignment #3 research: Publications, websites and photographers

Publications and Websites:
I have started by looking at a number of high street fashion websites and magazines in order to get a basic idea of the kind of trends that are current along with inspiration for photoshoots.

Boohoo:

Boohoo magazine focuses on popular female fashion trends, giving pages of examples from their store that could demonstrate the trend, a clever selling technique for their advertising fashion photography. I however much prefer the editorial location shoots in this magazine, such as the brightly coloured 'festival of love' section which focuses on summery, bold outfits that would perhaps be worn to a music festival. The outdoor location mirrors the tribal, hippy vibe of the outfits and theme.

River Island:

River Island focuses even more on the idea of selling items of their range by matching them to current trends. Whilst this is not inspiring to me photographically, it gives me some ideas on what kind of fashion trends are currently out there. The ideas of western, cowboy style 'road trip' fashion trend appeal to me, should I choose to do an outdoor shoot, and the 'white spirit' trend is something that could be quite striking in an indoor shoot, it also holds many avenues as it could be photographed in a number of conceptual manners.

Topshop:

Topshops location shoots are much more structured and basic, and more often than not they seem to shoot in studios. This draws the attention towards the clothing and the model rather than the lifestyle, which works well as it is advertising rather than editorial, however I much prefer the idea of lifestyle photography when photographing for fashion. This gives the outfits and models a sense of personality, rather than simply being mannequin-ed in a blank space. 

How fashion editoral work gets published:

I have also looked into how photographers go about getting their fashion photography published, as I have very little knowledge of this myself. I found an article on 'sigmaphoto.com' written by Lindsay Alder which seemed to cover the basics. The following is a selection of the main points from the article that stood out to me...


'Getting published in a fashion magazine is not easy. There are hundreds of submissions  to each publication, and publications are looking for specific criteria for each issue.'

The opening line to the article gives a sense that there is an awful lot to consider before simply photographing, and that priority is to pre-planning. 
'If you are submitting to a fashion magazine, you are likely submitting a fashion editorial. An editorial is a series of images united by a similar theme. Usually a fashion editorial consists of 6 to 12 images on this theme. It is recommended that you have at least 6 different looks. A look may be a change in clothing or a change in hair and makeup (for a beauty shoot). Themes may be very loose as long as the story holds together as a whole.'
'When planning your shoot, be sure that the clothing and makeup fit the style of your publication. Obviously if the publication features Valentino, they are not likely to want to publish models in clothing from H&M.'
This is something which is important to note within my own shoot, as high fashion is very different to high street fashion, and this would alter a fashion shoot dramatically in terms of clothing, props, location, model, theme etc.
She backs up her points with examples of her own published work, giving a very hands on explanation, based on experience.

'This editorial was for a publication called Faint Magazine, and each image in the editorial reflected the feeling of birds, ravens and drama.'

She goes on to inform the reader of specific ways they can find businesses that may publish their work. 

'Many cities have their own fashion publications, and you can find dozens of online magazines. Try looking through the site ISSUU.com. This site is a platform for publishing online magazines, and you can search for fashion publications that might fit you.'

Alder  then gives important information in how and who to directly contact in order to try and get fashion work published.

'If you want a magazine to hire you to shoot a fashion editorial, you would need to request a ‘pull letter’ or ‘commission letter’. These letter are then provided to your stylist to help him/her to attain better clothing for the shoot. The letter can also be used to help you get good models for your shoot. To get a pull letter you would send an email to the art director of the magazine and explain the concept you want to execute. You may want to include inspiration images, details on the people you will be working with, etc. If the magazine likes your work and is interested in your concept, they may issue a letter.'

This point reinforces the idea of pre-planning, and that you will be much more likely published should you note the importance of planning. The suggestion of inspiration images is interesting, as I myself have received 'mood boards' from photographers within my modelling career. This shows that it is also important that the models, MUA's, stylists etc need be equally as pre-planned. Showing the publication that you are organised in this way may result in higher likelihood of publication.  

'Please note that MOST magazines pay little or nothing for fashion editorials. Even if you are ‘hired’ to shoot a fashion editorial for magazines they typically pay absolutely nothing. Publications see editorials as a chance for photographers to showcase their work and their concepts. It’s like a giant ad for your vision, and therefore most do not offer compensation. This is just something to be aware of, unless you are shooting for a very large publication.'

This note at the end of the article is one which surprised me. I made the assumption that published photographers would be earning per shoot. However, dependent on the scale of the publication, this could lead to greater exposure for photographers, which in turn could lead to paid work...eventually.

Overall this was a very informative, interesting and surprising article which has taught me a lot about fashion editorial within publications.

http://blog.sigmaphoto.com/2011/how-to-get-yourself-published-in-fashion-magazines-by-lindsay-adler/

Bridal Publications and Websites:

I have chosen to look into bridal fashion, as the trend of 'white' clothing has been something I have noticed throughout my research into current trends. This, along with the current popularity of lace within clothing and floor length dresses and skirts holds a strong visual connection to that of bridal fashion. I think this would be a different direction to take rather than simply concentrating on high street fashion, allowing me to be more conceptually creative with my own photography. 

Reverie:

Reverie is a very feminine magazine, most likely directed towards the brides to be. It includes a number of different wedding 'trends', from the highly classy to the more creative, low key weddings. The images include detail on dresses and decorations, with some images to reinforce the theme of the weddings. I find these delicate images very inspiring, and notice that there is a common theme of missing the models head off of the image when focusing on the bridal gowns and other items. This is perhaps due to the fact that the audience is encouraged to envision themselves in that situation, a very clever selling technique.

The magazine includes pages dedicated entirely to crediting those involved in each individual wedding shoot, entitled 'creative credits'. This list includes wedding planners etc, but most importantly to note, credits the photographer.

Rock n Roll Bride: 

Rock n Roll Bride is a magazine aimed towards the more alternative brides to be. The images are all very individual, focusing on the brides/couples specific tastes, rather than trying to sell a specific theme. This publication seems to relay existing weddings in a very creative way, rather than trying to sell themes and ideas. These images are very inspiring generally, due to their conceptual themes and lifestyle photoshoots  however I will only be focusing on the idea of a bride as I am looking at female fashion. 

http://reveriemag.com/

http://www.topshop.com/

http://www.riverisland.com/

http://www.boohoo.com/

http://www.rocknrollbride.com/

Photographers:

I have looked into conceptual and creative bridal based photography in order to inspire my own fashion shoot. 

Holly Booth:

This shoot by Booth is very fashion based, as if the models were bridesmaids or both brides. The tonal qualities within the images are very aesthetically pleasing and the overall images ooze delicate femininity. 

Cat Hepple: 

Hepple focuses a lot of her work on bridal boudoir, which can often be very sexualised. However I feel her images are much more subtle and ladylike, only hinting at sexuality rather than directing it as the main subject matter. She seems to use a natural lighting, often positioning the models near a large window, which I feel adds to the innocent appeal.

Kelly J Photography: 

Kelly J is a very conceptual wedding photographer who creates interesting and unique images. Her bridal portraits are again delicate and feminine, yet often have a certain sense of personality and something quirky about them.

I also looked at a wider selection of wedding photographers such as; 
-Lisa Devine Photography
- Chris Roe Photography
- Kaelyn Elizabeth Photography
- Garret Frandsen Photography ...and more. 
I however, chose not to include them in greater depth as I felt their work was not as relevant to what I want to achieve as the above photographers. 

http://500px.com/chrisjamesroe

http://www.lisadevinephotography.co.uk

http://www.rocknrollbride.comhttp://kellyjphotography.co.uk/

http://fionasweddingphotography.co.uk/

http://www.thelovelustlist.co.uk/blog/especially-amy/

http://www.hollybooth.com/day-dreamer-editorial

http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/

http://www.cathepplephotography.com/