As a newcomer to London's vibrant fashion scene, I’ve found myself reflecting on the lessons learned from my time in Canada and applying them to break into the competitive fashion photography market.

Fashion photography in London – or any fashion hub city – is not just a job; it’s an art form that requires passion, dedication, and a willingness to collaborate. This guide is designed to help you, as an emerging photographer, learn how to build a compelling fashion portfolio from scratch, while navigating the unique challenges of this dynamic city.

Understanding London’s (or your city’s) Fashion Photography Landscape
Studio or Street: Finding Your Fashion Photography Style
Partnering with the Right Creative Team
Conceptualizing Shoots: Communicating Your Vision
Developing Your Style: Composition and Colour in Fashion Photography
Experimenting with Lighting: Creative Techniques to Enhance Your Portfolio
Navigating the Challenges of TFP Work vs. Paid Shoots
Location Scouting and Prop Selection: Bringing Your Vision to Life
Embracing Diversity in Your Portfolio
The Art of Imperfection in Fashion Photography
Sharing your fashion photography portfolio with the world
Conclusion

Introduction

Fashion photography was how I found my love for the art form (of taking photos) in high school. It became for me one of the purest ways to express myself and connect with others. As my photography career matured, working with clothing designers who trusted my creative expression to highlight their collections became the most rewarding projects I had worked on. If I could only do one form of photography, in London especially, it would be fashion.

Living in a hub like London and other major cities makes a career in fashion photography a reality; that’s what brought me here from Vancouver, Canada. However, finding designers, agencies, and brands to take a chance on you and photograph their collections for commercial purposes comes with time – and a lot of practice. Most importantly, a portfolio and creative direction that instills confidence.

No matter if you’re making fashion photography to please yourself or for an editorial or commercial client, you’re creating artwork that ultimately lasts beyond your lifetime. Fashion photography grows in appeal with time. Seeing fashion photography images of the present seems common, but add 20 or more years, and it becomes a time capsule that only grows in value as an art piece as time goes on.

While commercial fashion photography is more about “who you know” than any other form of photography, making amazing art to get yourself noticed can be achieved all by yourself with a trusting model. Fashion photography, in its purest form, does not rely on someone else giving you a chance. It’s up to you.

As a London fashion photographer, I wanted to share the lessons I know now in 2024 that I wish I had known earlier in my career. These lessons are for emerging photographers who may be in the early stages of building their fashion portfolios and feel limited by their gear, knowledge, relationships, or budget.

If that’s you, I encourage you to keep reading. If you’ve been a photographer for years or branching into fashion photography from another style, I hope my perspective may add new angles for you. Moreover, if you’re also from London, I encourage you to reach out or follow me on Instagram as I find my place in this city too.

1. Understanding London’s (or your city’s) Fashion Photography Landscape

“Shoot what you love until somebody pays you money to do it”
- Anil Sharma

Anil Sharma, who’s the author of this quote, was my high school photography teacher. He inspired me to take photography seriously and focus on the kinds of shoots that excited me, rather than taking on shoots that purely paid the bills. That often kills the passion and the drive to shoot all the time.

For him, while he was our high school photography teacher during the day and Vancouver’s top concert photographer at night. He would shoot four to five major concerts per week at night for all local news agencies, and then teach us the following morning. He taught me to never compromise on what you wanted to shoot.

For many people (and myself for most of my career), getting paid for photography you’re passionate about may often exist best as a side hustle.

For what I wanted to shoot, that was fashion. Unlike concert photography, which requires someone (like an artist, venue, or events company) to permit you to come and take photos, the only limitation of growing your fashion photography portfolio is your creativity and energy.

I found other styles related to fashion photography (namely, lifestyle photography), that consistently filled my schedules and offered wide commercial opportunities. Nonetheless, fashion was still what excited me, the photography form I found the most rewarding, and gave me the most dopamine when it came to planning and executing shoots.

As my career grew in Vancouver, I decided to move to London because of the fashion brands that call it home and shoot there, alongside other photography styles and London’s commercial opportunities.

London is a city where history and innovation intersect, creating a unique environment for fashion photography. Whether you’re capturing the avant-garde styles of East London or the timeless elegance of Kensington, it’s essential to immerse yourself in the city’s diverse fashion culture. Networking and connecting with the local creative community are crucial steps in establishing yourself here.

Make great work, and you’ll stand out. Because the most effective fashion photography thrives with collaboration, partnering with others, as we’ll dive into further in this article, shares your work with their audiences and creates more opportunities for discovery.

Gratefully, London is a social city. The vast majority of folks in Central London have moved here from other places around the world. This fosters an environment where people are open to meeting others and are receptive to new connections. Whether it is assisting for established photographers in their shoots and learning from them, going for coffee with peers, or meeting others who take part in your shoots, it is a conducive environment for creative collaboration only found in hubs like London.

When taking advantage of this and leaning on the talents of others to help elevate your craft, understand what your existing profile or portfolio is catering to.

When I first started 10 years ago, I put weddings, portraits, and everything together because it all felt relevant to my ability – but someone looking for a fashion photographer or someone to collaborate with doesn’t care about your wedding work. Once I set my mind to building a body of work of one style, fashion, and highlighting that first on my website because I cared about it most, people then began coming to me for that work and I found talent to partner with.

If you’re entering fashion photography with little to no fashion work, brand yourself as what you want to be; share similar photos with necessary justifications, like portraits; and lean on what you want to create as we’ll unpack in #4: conceptualization.

Lastly, what makes London a unique environment for fashion photography is its history and size: manifested in histortical buildings in every neighbourhood with unique, textured walls, along with expansive retrofitted warehouses with plenty of studios to choose from. This leads into our next point about choosing your location.

2. Studio or Street: Finding Your Fashion Photography Style

In fashion photography, versatility is key. Whether you’re drawn to the controlled environment of the studio or the spontaneous energy of outdoor shoots, both settings offer unique opportunities for creativity. Working outdoors requires you to adapt to changing conditions, while studio shoots allow for meticulous planning and precision. Embrace both to build a diverse portfolio that showcases your range.

Shooting outdoors, namely in urban environments like London, enables you to recommend shooting spots that are customized to the wardrobe of your subject or stylist. You can shoot in a different location every time, and this enables you to create a fashion photography portfolio that’s dynamic and versatile. It’ll visually illustrate you’ve done many shoots adapting to new areas, incorporating new textures, props, portable off-camera lighting, and environments for your model to interact with rather than sticking to the comfort of one location.

Make people wonder “Where was this photo taken?” when someone sees the final product. It’s a rewarding feeling to receive those messages and feedback.

The best part: shooting outdoors is free. When shooting for commercial use, permits may be required – though I subscribe to the mindset that “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission”.

It's important to effectively scout and map your locations so that you, your model, or your stylist can match wardrobe to your environment so that they are complementary and follow effective colour theory guidelines for a cohesive image (as we’ll explore in #5).

While it’s easiest to create distinctly different visual work when shooting outdoors in different locations, this can be achieved in an indoor studio space too.

It comes down to your lighting above all when shooting inside. Or, the props and items you use to also alter your lighting, called modifiers. This can be done on a budget too as long as you have a space (even your home), ideally with high ceilings. We’ll explore this more in #6: experimenting with lighting.

At its core, photography is how you capture light. When shooting outdoors, you have ambient daylight to your advantage. When shooting indoors, unless you have great window light, you require artificial lighting. This is the most exciting and creative part about fashion photography, the lighting, but if it’s your first shoot, learn your model and posing dynamics first outdoors and limit the number of variables, like lights, before adding them.

However, the gear you use in a studio isn’t limited to indoors. By bringing studio lights outdoors with battery strobes, you can achieve the best of both worlds.

My article How (and Why) to Use an Off-Camera Softbox Flash or Strobe in Photography is a great place to start when bringing lights outdoors with you.

Outdoor photos are often relatable, which means brands look to capture that audience and relateability. London is home to a sea of studio photographers (myself now included) because it is comfortable and predictable. By doing the hard thing, you create the opportunity to stand out further – especially when shooting for your portfolio and you can take on the risk of poor weather.

When your style matures, combining what you know of outdoor and indoor photography can create a dynamic contrast when shooting lookbooks and styles both in and out of the studio.

3. Partnering with the Right Creative Team

Fashion photography is not a solo endeavor. While getting started is all up to you, building strong relationships with models, stylists, designers, and makeup artists is crucial. In my experience, the most successful projects have been collaborative efforts where each team member brought their unique skills to the table. Remember, to go far, go together. Start by creating impactful mood boards that clearly convey your vision with minimal text, making it easy for others to understand and get on board.

When starting out, the person team member you’ll need is your model. When first starting out, I recommend using someone you know – even if they aren’t a model. Why? Because the comfort you have with that individual already will make it easy to get great, organic feeling shots. I describe more of this in my article about What is lifestyle photography? which leans into that approach.

Female model wearing leather boots and leggings with fur jacket hand on face in concrete geometric maze commercial editorial fashion photography London UK — Editorial fashion photography test shoot in London, UK. My model provided her own wardrobe, makeup, and styling to make shooting in hard to find, public locations much easier.

To create images that capture attention, partnering with models who care about modelling just as much as you do about photography results in rewarding images for you both. When I first started, Facebook groups in my city were the best way to meet budding talent.

Facebook groups today in London are still a meaningful way to find talent. However, as social media patterns change, many check their Facebook feed less and less and talent spends their time elsewhere.

Where to look, and what I wish I did sooner for my work, is reaching out to modelling agencies.

You may be quick to dismiss modelling agencies when starting because they may seem out of reach. You must understand that there are models out there breaking into the industry just as much as there are photographers.

Often, agencies will connect with aspiring models who reach out. To see if they’re a good fit for their agency, they’ll offer them “test shoots” with photographers. These are shoots testing their talent and illustrating to the agency that they’re capable models worthy of getting signed. Even most signed models will do these test shoots to practice their skills and stay sharp.

Many agencies may have a “development” section on their website with models who are being trialled out.

Not only will you find incredible, talented models through agencies in London, but if your photos are great, they will sit on that model’s portfolio and you may find brands and agencies will discover your work through them.

Once comfortable with models, next, we expand to the rest of your team. You’ll find in fashion photography you’ll go from wearing every hat to then focusing your energy on creative direction, posing, and taking stills.

You cannot be effective as a stylist, makeup artist, set designer, photographer, videographer, director, lighting assistant, hair and makeup artist, and producer all at once. These are all roles that I work with on my shoots, slowly adding the need for each role one at a time.

Creative roles in London fashion photography

While many models are capable of doing their own hair and makeup, a hair and makeup artist will add a dynamic flair that often becomes the highlight of an image
By not being limited to your model’s wardrobe and style, clothing stylists offer their own wardrobes and help match outfits to the vision and locations you’re using. Once I started working with clothing stylists, especially for fashion, this elevated my work considerably and allowed me to focus on framing versus steaming outfits and making wardrobe decisions.
- Work with people who care about their craft just as much as you care about photography!
Videographers help capture behind-the-scenes content to show brands how you work but also enable you to create package offerings for clients. Moreover, most commercial photography shoots today in London require some level of motion deliverable. You can still direct videos and motion without being a videographer and the one operating the camera too. Think of what directors do!
- If you’re looking for motion deliverables and you’re not a videographer nor work with one, try stop-motion to maintain the photography workflow you’re familiar with
Lighting assistants are not only essential for making a smooth setup experience, but they’re someone who’s in your corner to help you keep your cool. Having a second set of hands, and someone to bounce ideas off of, lets me keep my anxiety under control for big shoots or when I’m trying something new. This can certainly be your friend or peer in photography.
Producers, lastly, are a key team members for photographers on commercial shoots. You can work with a freelancer producer who helps you effectively price your work. They know your worth and represent you to your client. This is recommended when you feel over your head with a project that may be seen widely. They know image licensing well. Many offer consultations that are helpful when breaking into commercial fashion photography to know your rates, how to license images, and so forth.

The way to get modelling agencies and team members onboard, regardless of your skill level, is by your conceptualization. Namely, your mood board, which we’ll discuss next.

Four models, two male two female, stand in field at sunset looking into camera wearing light tan cream outfits surrounded by dried wheat commercial editorial fashion photography London UK — Zara editorial fashion photography campaign in London, UK. This was one of my first campaigns working with a full team including assistants, a stylist, hair, and makeup artist. This enabled me to focus on composing the shots and finding angles rather than fixing wardrobe or making decisions best suited for those who focus in that creative area.
Working with creative teams doesn't require a paying client – I began working with my team on test shoots where we created work that benefited all of our portfolios while having a ton of fun creating it.

4. Conceptualizing Shoots: Communicating Your Vision

A well-conceived shoot starts with a clear concept, that uses visuals above words to concisely deliver the vision you have in mind. When working with modelling agencies, this step is crucial. Agencies need to trust that their models are in good hands, so be precise and professional in your communication. A concise, visually driven mood board can often speak louder than words.

The rate at which your messages are ghosted or receive no reply increases with the more words you use. From working in software sales before taking my photography career full time, writing concisely, to the point, and effectively (on top of replying promptly when someone does reply to you) are the cornerstones of what agencies – and brands – look for in a photographer.

My photography teacher told me that if you show up (or reply) on time, are nice to everybody, and do exactly as you say you’re going to do, you’re going to do better than 99% of other people. Much of commercial photography is more around the communication side than your ability as a photographer. Use these test shoots with agencies to practice these skills.

Your communication with modelling agencies will always go through the agent and rarely are you put in touch directly with the model, in order for the agents to protect the models’ interests and not overwhelm them. If you communicate your ideas through walls of texts, you’re expecting someone else to paraphrase what you’re trying to do, and use that to convince someone to get onboard with your idea not in your own words.

Mood boards speak all languages. They’re shareable, scalable, easily adaptable, and accurately convey what you’re trying to do. They don’t need to be perfect, either. You’re looking to show that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Furthermore, it gives you criteria to weigh your shoot against for you, and your team, to know if it was successful or not.

For your other team members, especially clothing stylists and hair and makeup artists, mood boards offer the opportunity for them to see where their creativity fits in. Unlike a photographer, who could theoretically show up with a camera without preparation and still take usable photos, your peers, on the other hand, require advanced notice and planning of what it is they’re going to be creating.

Careful planning creates cohesiveness between your background and location, makeup, model, and composition. However, don’t leave their role so open-ended that all creativity relies on them; instead, share inspirational images you think would compliment your shared vision well as a starting point.

Making an effective mood board and shoot plan

I recommend creating slides in an order like this:

Title slide

Make this capture their attention
Team member call sheet

List out your team members (or underline the roles to fill) and link Instagrams or portfolios, including your own. When you have the information of all team members and shoot dates, a call sheet is a one-pager that gives ALL the information you need the day before a shoot: addresses, times for arrival for each person, contact information, and what to bring.

Want bonus points? Mention you’ll be in charge of bringing snacks. People WILL GET HUNGRY and having food (and music) elevates the mood on set and will help your quality of shots later into shooting.
Inspiration image collage and background

Create a vibe and feeling for how you want people to feel when they see the final product. What inspired you? Feel free to add some background text here. Don’t feel like you need to create an underlying storyline; you can make great work for the sake of it looking interesting to you. Writing too much becomes distracting and justifies your work rather than making people feel something.

Where to find reference material? Try Pinterest, LinkedIn (yes, LinkedIn! Amazing photographers share work there), Instagram, photo books, libraries, and especially art galleries. I find I get the most inspired by sources that AREN’T other photographers; namely, paintings and other art mediums. Keep a folder on your phone of all the inspiration you find over time! It’ll be hard to recall finding it otherwise.
Talent

When you have models onboard, use this to share their headshots, link their portfolios, and share their sizes. This is essential for stylists and HMUAs to have all the information they need in one place.
Location(s) scouting images

Whether shooting indoors or outdoors, show images of the space you’ll be using. Especially for shooting outdoors, I make slides for each location with plenty of images I’ve photographed of different angles to use (with backups). Be sure to link with Google Maps so it’s easy to find.
Numbered looks with reference material

Now comes to the specifics. For each image setup you want to capture, share specific references for everyone to understand the outcome. This comes to set design, props, clothing, wardrobe, and direct inspiration. Ideally, this can be another photographer’s image and lighting technique you want to create; or, a combination of many things (you can annotate with words which elements you want to use). It may be rare that you find an image that has everything you want to recreate exactly, so use a collage to illustrate the idea.
Editing guidelines (optional)

While this may be the most relevant to you, the photographer, who will be conducting the editing, this is a key slide for commercial fashion photography work for brands to communicate the style of the finished product. If you’ll be doing something unique that looks far different than what the images look like out of the camera, use this as a way to share further references to communicate your idea (as it should in the first inspiration collage too).
Timelines (optional)

Lastly, I like to create a timeline of planning, meetings, and shoot dates. This helps build urgency with team members, especially if it is a creative shoot without a commercial client. Since no money may be changing hands, it is easy to not prioritize them. However, if you put dates, actions, and next steps, it creates reasons to follow up with each party to ensure it is on track. My modelling agencies have told me they’ve appreciated it, and makes it even easier for them to say use and contribute.

When first starting, it may be difficult to get modelling agencies or creative team members onboard; however, through clear and concise communication with thoughtful visions laid out in a shareable format (ideally a link, like Google Slides) they can communicate it with others and it is the easiest way for them to take a chance on you. Make it easy for them to just say yes and answer their questions before they arise.

The following mood board is an example of how simple a mood board can be. While some slide recommendations I’ve shared above were omitted, this mood board enabled me to bring an entire team onboard to trust me to travel into the wilderness. It resulted in us capturing images that we were all excited about.

Fashion photography London, UK, real mood board example (Copy)

This is an example of a real mood board I made for an editorial fashion photography shoot with Zara’s wardrobe and styling. Mood boards do not need to be complicated – they need to effectively communicate your ideas and inspirations for your creative team to expand on. More importantly, it shows that you have a clear idea of what you want and the goals – rather than leaving it to chance and figuring out the outcomes while shooting. Make it easy for team members, especially if they’re collaborating and not getting paid, to say yes.

The following photos are a result of this incredibly simple mood board.

Female fashion model in mountains and grass field at blue hour wearing Zara fashion blue overalls striped green cream shirt with curly hair looking into camera commercial editorial fashion photography London UK — Zara editorial fashion photography campaign in London, UK.

5. Developing Your Style: Composition and Colour in Fashion Photography

Style comes with time and cannot be forced. Your fashion photography style will come together as you build a body of work. It’s often something other people may see rather than yourself, as the more photos you take, the more patterns will start to emerge. If you try and make a deliberate thing become your style, this may become a crutch to lean on and it will dictate everything else you do, rather than going outside of your comfort zone and continuing to learn new things every shoot.

Your style often manifests in your compositions. In fashion photography, framing, rules of thirds, leading lines, and colour theory are the most common signatures. Furthermore, the angle of your shots and width (how wide or close up a shot is) and editing choices do build as patterns over time. For me, because I’m not as tall as other photographers, many of my shots are with a lower angle looking up. While this was never intentional, I found I always looked for the lower angle while shooting and choices like these subconsciously manifest in the images I make.

While this blog post cannot dive deep into the world of composition, as this is can take many lessons (and practice above all) to effectively integrate and teach, there are compositional elements that are often overlooked which can be easy to remember. Especially when combined with a mood board, where careful planning has taken place, it becomes easier to take a step back and ask yourself “How will I compose this image?”.

Colour theory

While entire university programmes exist on this subject, at its core, colour theory is about finding colours that complement each other. These choices apply to your background, lights, wardrobe colour, and makeup.

The easiest way to understand colour theory is to use a colour wheel as the basis for your decision-making.

If you’re picking a palette of three colours, choose three colours evenly spaced out, so that it divides your colour wheel into equal thirds.

Have a wardrobe piece and looking for a background that may go well? Pick a colour opposite from it on the colour wheel.

Fashion photography colour wheel for picking complimentary colours — While many colour wheels are a rainbow blend with no sharp edges like this one, I find a colour wheel like this makes it easier to visualize different tones. Picking colours across, or a direct third, of your key colour makes it easy to find complimentary combinations at each brightness or darkness level.

Understand that when you pick the colours opposite, or in any fractional division of the colour wheel, these are the most complementary contrasting colours.

Sometimes you don’t want contrast – or to contrast more than just the subject against the background. Then, use neighbouring colours on the wheel that will complement a colour choice and emphasize it, without creating colour contrast that unintentionally draws a viewer’s eyes to it.

Generally, warm colours complement other warm colours and the same for cool, putting a warm on a cool and vice versa will create the strongest colour contrast. Contrast doesn’t just mean blackness and definition, like sliders on Lightroom and CaptureOne! Understanding contrast within colours and the choices you make in a frame creates the cohesiveness we desire.

Framing

Use background lights, props, fixed elements in your studio, or especially the environment when shooting outdoors to create a frame around your subject. This doesn’t necessarily mean framing like a picture frame: perfectly surrounding. What framing does, compositionally, is draws your eyes to the subject. There are countless creative ways to do this. While it’s easiest outdoors as you’ll find environmental elements to take advantage of, creative lighting as we’ll soon explore, enables you to manipulate where your viewer’s eyes lead to.

Multiple models

Shooting with multiple models is often ignored by many photographers. It is more difficult and requires more moving parts to coordinate. However, working with multiple models lends itself to composition, as without it, your image will be a lined-up class photo.

What better way to frame than by having three models (odd numbers are always the easiest) with two posed in a certain way around the centre subject? To create a dynamic image with multiple models, always be sure to stack heads. Don’t put all their heads on the same plane. Use ways, like sitting on furniture, the ground, or elevating them to bring heads higher or lower and fill your frame. This guides your viewer’s eyes around the image rather than directly into the centre.

Keep running notes for ideas

One of the most important things is writing down ideas as they come. I’ve found myself waking up in the middle of the night writing down ideas. Keep a running list on your phone and add to it over time. Mine has been going on for years, and I find myself referring back to it when I’m given the wonderful gift of time for creative shoots.

6. Experimenting with Lighting: Creative Techniques to Enhance Your Portfolio

Lighting is the most powerful tool in fashion photography. Whether you’re working with natural light outdoors or artificial light in the studio, understanding how to manipulate light can dramatically enhance your images. Manipulating light is what separates amateur photographers from professional ones. Don’t shy away from experimenting with creative lighting techniques that are achievable with any budget.

Cookies (Cucoloris)

A cucoloris (a “cookie”) is an object with a cutout pattern that creates shapes with light. When you shine light through it, whether from a window or artificial light, it creates patterns to add interest to an otherwise plain background. This can be done to create creative patterns, or simply artificially produce something that would occur otherwise in nature, like light passing through the leaves of a tree.

Once you see cookies in action, you’ll begin to notice how commonly this is used in product and food photography to add framing to an otherwise plain tablescape.

Use this to add patterns and framing to the background of your fashion photography subject, or even use it to cast a pattern directly on their face. This is the easiest lighting modifier to make from scratch, only requiring a knife and thick board, like cardboard or foam board.

Gobos

A gobo, short for “go-between”, goes between your light source and the subject. While this sounds exactly what a cookie does, a gobo, on the other hand, is often used with an optical snoot. This creates a sharp, highly focused shape of light. Like a star over someone’s eye, a sharp circle spotlight around someone, or a sharp line across their face, for example.

While a cookie throws a pattern or shape everywhere (changing by how close or far away a light source is), an optical snoot enables you to focus the light with a built-in lens. That creates the look of a sharp shape. It is an incredible tool, but it is expensive. A cookie, on the other hand, is a great alternative – but you’ll get far less defined edges than a gobo using an optical snoot would.

Filters

Increasingly in fashion photography in 2024, physical camera filters – outside of editing – add dynamic flair to your photos. With modern camera sensors providing tack-sharp images, many fashion photographers seek to soften the look of their lenses. This can be achieved with diffusion filters. There are dozens out there, but this video by Tiffen showing their different options is a good place to start to see what fits your style.

High-quality diffusion filters can be expensive, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Prism, streak, softening, and star camera filters add powerful effects to your images. While they’re not recommended for every shot, having them on hand gives you plenty of options to play with.

There are several different kinds of prism, streak, and star filters – especially for different prisms. When looking on camera supply sites and popular manufacturers, each can come at a steep price and you may find it difficult to build a collection; however, looking at marketplaces and suppliers from China, however, you’ll find these at a fraction of the cost.

It’s important to note that you can stack multiple filters at a time to achieve an array of looks. Having a collection of creative filters empowers you to try different combinations: something that’s often overlooked with filters.

These creative filters do deteriorate the quality of your images, which stylistically, isn’t a problem. This is why cheaper manufacturers may not be an issue for things like prisms. But for commercial photography shoots, on the other hand, investing in higher quality glass, like Tiffen’s diffusion filters when looking to stylize image quality, will deliver a result will may perform better.

Mirrors

How do you create the illusion of a dozen lights while only using a few? Incorporate mirrors into your photography work.

This is something many fashion photographers don’t realize. You can find cheap acrylic mirrors from craft stores (sometimes, the smaller the better when it comes to control – especially when using many). You can create controlled streaks of light on your subject and your background.

You can prop these mirrors up, or you can find cheap 1/4” female screw adapters and hot glue them to the back. This is the standard size to let you mount these mirrors on magic arms, adjustable mounts, tripod plates, and light stands to have complete control of their direction.

For large mirrors, you can add black, opaque tape to create patterns in the reflection your mirrors cast – like a window frame, for example. For mirrors of any size, you can clip coloured gels to them to create coloured light reflections. The possibilities are endless, and these are incredibly cheap.

Flashlights

When your model is wearing a shiny wardrobe item, shoot a flashlight from off-camera to add dynamic reflection and highlights to your photo. This pairs well with star and streak filters too.

This makes it easy to highlight certain areas (or even create light trails with long shutter speeds) with a cheap light. They’re easy to focus on specific areas. Trying to achieve this with a studio light, on the other hand, would require narrow barn doors to shape the light, an expensive gobo, or an egg-crate grid. A flashlight is something you may have already that you can incorporate into your fashion photography shoots.

Lighting modifiers

Much of what we’ve described are lighting modifiers: they manipulate how light interacts with your subject. A modifier, generally, impacts how much shadow your subject has and what that shadow looks like. It also changes how soft or hard the light is.

To learn more about popular modifiers and how lighting can impact how your subject looks, I recommend reading my article How (and Why) to Use an Off-Camera Softbox Flash or Strobe in Photography.

Colour gels

A simple tool: colour gels change the colour of your light. They’re generally a coloured plastic sheet that you put over your light, often taped.

Combined with colour theory, you can create incredible images and make the most of an otherwise white studio wall. Unlike other photography forms, where colour gels may not suit the subject or use case, you can let your imagination run wild with colour gels in fashion photography.

Reflectors

Reflectors are the simplest way to manipulate light, as they work well with just natural, ambient light too. Using a white or reflective side, it bounces light onto your subject. These can be colour gelled too. Popularly, it can remove shadows from unflattering areas like under the chin. It also creates a soft light that looks good for less dramatic images.

7. Navigating the Challenges of TFP Work vs. Paid Shoots

In the early stages of your career, balancing TFP (Time for Print) work with paid opportunities is a delicate dance. TFP shoots are valuable for building experience and relationships. Even when you get paid work, it is important to make time for your creative shoots and keep your passion alive. Your portfolio should reflect both your passion and your professionalism—two qualities that will attract clients willing to invest in your talent.

TFP creative shoots give you the space to try elements that a paying client otherwise may stay away from. A paying client will never pay you to do something you haven’t done before. If they do, that’s incredible! But rare. Use TFP shoots to photograph what you want to get paid for. Create the opportunity for yourself.

I credit being confident in photography now because I believe I’ve found out 90% of ways not to do something so far. Each mistake I’ve made has taught me what not to do next time. Shooting creatively and unpaid get these mistakes that will happen out of the way sooner, so you can move on to the next and more impactful lesson.

One of the most meaningful pieces of advice that I received was remembering “One for the wallet, one for the heart”.

This means that for every shoot you’re paid for, make time to shoot something you’re passionate about.

When I look back at the photography work I made during COVID, I felt embarrassed by it. I only did what paid me money, because it incentivized making time for it. Especially working full time as well, it was hard to stay motivated. When I looked at my website homepage and portfolio, though, all the work at the top were creative shoots I had done in the past that I wasn’t paid for.

In early 2022, I received that piece of advice and made time for creative shoots. This changed my career. I shot what I wanted to shoot, I got to try new equipment and techniques, I made new friends, and within a few months, clients began reaching out because of the creative work I had made.

This made me remember why I wanted to become a photographer in the first place. Today, this still continues – especially in London, after spending the last year traveling I’ve narrowed down what I like to shoot, who I want to attract, and the skills I wanted to refine. Now that I gratefully have my own studio in London, refining my creative lighting techniques and shooting indoors – rather than outdoors – is my next endeavour.

Moreover, shooting photography in other styles still counts for “…one for the heart”. For me, I find street photography the most relaxing. Especially living in London now, street photography gives me a reason to explore this city I call home. It also lets me scout new outdoor locations, practice shooting candidly for my lifestyle photography, find inspiration from other photography sources, and keep up to date on fashion trends worn around London.

If you’re interested in adding street photography to your weekly photography routine and find a new outlet that breaks your old habits, check out my article: Mastering Street Photography: Tips and Techniques for Overcoming Awkwardness.

8. Location Scouting and Prop Selection: Bringing Your Vision to Life

Scouting the right locations and choosing the perfect props can elevate your fashion shoots. Whether you’re in the heart of the city or the outskirts, work backward from your location. Props can add an extra layer of creativity and storytelling to your images. Be thoughtful and intentional in your selections to create a cohesive visual narrative.

Everyone brings a unique perspective to the city, especially London. Who you have relationships with, no matter what career path they’re in, enables different knowledge of locations and areas. It’s rewarding to capture the “Where was this taken?” feeling in an image.

For example, one of my favourite locations I’ve shot at is the abandoned Coors factory in Vancouver. Today, it’s used as a film set for Batman and the likes of superhero movies. Simply asking, making a proposal, and offering my photos to them to use to attract future shoots enabled me to have free access to the location.

While subscribing to the mindset that it’s easier to ask forgiveness, rather than permission, when it comes to shooting outdoors in unique spots, always have a backup plan. Especially with commercial shoots, locations can sue if their location is recognizable in the published images and letters of permission are required. Nonetheless, the excuse of saying it is a school project has never failed me.

The key to having a great repertoire of locations to recommend comes from always being on the lookout for cool spots day to day, especially when not shooting.

Make a Google Maps list on your phone of all the locations you find. You can save pins on a map and leave detailed comments for yourself to save interesting spots as you see them.

Especially in a city like London with so many corners, write detailed comments about what you see and take photos every time you’re out! Keep those photos in a separate folder so they’re easy to access, and keep your GPS tracking on so you can easily see where you shot it.

When it comes to props outdoors, your environment is your best friend. Find ways to seat your subjects or prop them up. While it may be difficult to bring your own props onset outdoors, indoors is where probs thrive.

My favourite, simple prop is a wooden bar stool. It creates a flattering posture for everyone and it is easy to raise or lower people’s heads in group model images. A stool for myself, as a short person, lets me capture more flattering angles from above.

Other props include acrylic mirror boards cut into unique shapes, pieces of glass with paint or other additions put in front of the camera and shot through, and other wardrobe pieces. What I’ve found most effective and the most organic feeling, meaning it does not feel too forced, are plants and other natural objects.

Think of dried flowers or dried plants, tall potted plants to put around your subject, and bouquets of flowers. These do not require you to have a high budget and they’re readily available. Plus they add a splash of colour to your frame. Whether you’re a top-level photography or someone starting, often, the plants you use will be ubiquitous and accessible between the two worlds.

9. Embracing Diversity in Your Portfolio

Diversity is more than just a trend; it’s a reflection of the world we live in. Your portfolio should showcase a wide range of models, celebrating different body types, ethnicities, and genders. This not only broadens your appeal to clients but also aligns with the inclusive values that many brands are striving to represent.

In 2024, this is what clients and creative team members look for. To build your portfolio, show a wide variety of representations to show that you are versatile, you see inspiration in all people, and that you’re a worthy candidate for a commercial campaign without bias.

10. The Art of Imperfection in Fashion Photography

Finally, don’t be afraid to embrace imperfection. In fashion photography, sometimes it’s the unplanned, blurry shot or the use of a cheap filter that adds character to your work. It can be the laughing while looking off-camera with a smile or a natural look that you capture in between prompts. These are the unrepeatable moments that only a comfortable and trusting photography set can produce.

Experiment with slow shutter speeds, creative lighting, and unconventional angles. These elements can inject personality into your portfolio and make your work stand out in a crowded market. In 2024, it has become more accessible than ever to capture a tack-sharp, highly-produced image. It is the organic feeling moments that go against the grain of highly produced scenes that are on trend with brands today.

Especially for those new to fashion photography, don’t be quick to ignore the mistaken shots you’ve taken in a shoot. In digital photography, it often feels like a constant battle for perfection, whereas film photography, on the other hand, is a battle of imperfection. This is because you cannot see the results right away, and what you’re left with after the shoot following the developing process is for you to appreciate and accept.

This is what makes film photography and its looks so desirable today. The grain, blur, light leaks, and flares were unavoidable in the past and people strived to perfect them, but now we see the beauty in candid occurrences. I explore the art and appreciation of this more in my article What is lifestyle photography?

11. Sharing your fashion photography portfolio with the world

Now that you’ve begun to build a body of fashion photography work that’s relevant to London or the city you call home, it’s time to begin sharing this and becoming discoverable.

That said, don’t wait until your fashion photography portfolio is “complete” before you begin sharing it. It will ALWAYS be a work in progress.

Six months from now, you may cringe at the photos you take today. Six months from then, the cycle will repeat. I find this with my work, and it’s a healthy sign that you’re growing and improving. The important part is getting the process of improvement started as early as possible, so you can learn and adapt.

While quality is better than quantity when it comes to showing your work, quantity builds quality when it comes to creating work worth showing.

When arranging your work, use it to tell a story. The order of your images matters and keeps your viewer engaged. Vary the angle, how close or how far your subject is, who your subject is, the colour, whether shot indoors or outdoors and the mood.

Now, how do you show it? Instagram is a great place to start and likely the channel you’ll use to communicate and chat with others. Start here and start early. You will be disappointed by your engagement at some point, so treat it like a journal and a website. Put it out there for you. When you make photography work you’re proud of, it won’t matter what others think. You need to intrinsically value what you’re putting out.

Next, start a website. This is especially important to start as early as you can. This is because, if you want brands and commercial photography clients to find you, Google may often be their best bet. Google values websites that are older and have other relevant websites linking to it. This establishes that your site is important, other important sites value it, and that while many photographers may come and go, you stand the test of time.

Constantly update your website and tweak it. I personally love SquareSpace and I’ve used it for 10 years because it’s easy for me to update and tweak. Be sure to accurately title everything and make it engaging. Use other websites and portfolios to draw inspiration from (you’re welcome to use my portfolio if you find it helpful).

If learning about getting discovered by brands is important for you and a goal for your photography work, read my article 10 Tips For Starting a Photography Business Side Hustle to understand more about the mechanics of being visible to those searching for photographers.

12. Conclusion

Building a fashion photography portfolio from scratch in London is both challenging and rewarding. It requires passion, persistence, and a commitment to honing your craft. It’s up to you to create your own opportunities. By focusing on collaboration, creativity, and clear communication, you can create a body of work that not only reflects your unique style but also resonates with clients and collaborators in the fashion industry.

If you are to walk away from this article remember just these things, I would feel I’ve made an impact writing it:

“Shoot what you love until someone pays you for it”
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”
“One for the wallet, one for the heart”
“If you show up on time, are nice to everyone, and do what you say you’re going to do, you’ll be better than 99% of people”
Show, don’t tell: communicate your photographic vision with mood boards and inspiration images rather than essays
Embrace shooting outdoors and bring the studio world outside with you to stand out
You don’t need a big budget to create images that make people wonder how you did it
“Quantity builds quality”
It’s up to you to create your opportunity

I hope this helps emerging photographers navigate the competitive landscape of London’s fashion photography scene – or wherever you call home. By incorporating these strategies and emphasizing the importance of building strong relationships, you can set yourself on the path to success while staying true to your artistic vision.

If you’re a designer, agency, or brand who’s exploring fashion photography for your vision, please check out my editorial and commercial fashion photography services in London, UK, and around the world.

If you’ve found these lessons I’ve shared helpful, I invite you to follow my most recent work on Instagram, check out my other guides, and join my email newsletter below for infrequent updates on new resources I publish and the work I produce.

Thank you for stopping by, and I encourage you to share this with a photographer you think would benefit from it!

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