Blog

Scale New Heights in Your Career with Fashion Photography Certification Courses

14-Mar-2022 AUTHOR - New Delhi YMCA

Blogs

Photography in the contemporary world is a part and parcel of the media as well as the advertising industry.  It is one of the most important and effective tools for mass communication. Photography has not only changed the way we consume media but also brought a drastic change in the buying as well as common behavior of people. In a world where different social media channels have become an inseparable part of people’s lives, imagining life without photographs is almost impossible. Be it online shopping sites, mega shopping malls, or billboards, all will become meaningless if we remove photographs from them.

Over the past 20 years with the advent of high-speed internet services, the world has become globalized. This progression has impacted the media and entertainment industry in a very positive light giving rise to an unprecedented potential in the field of photography careers. This blog will shed light on the career prospects in fashion photography and different fashion photography certification courses.

Fashion photography: an overview

Fashion photography can be termed as the genre of photography that primarily deals with fashion and associated events. This form of photography has carved a niche for itself across the world and has emerged as the most glamorous and promising career option. The principal motto of fashion photography is to encourage fashion and endorse fashion accessories. Reputed fashion houses and designers often look for competent fashion photographers trained through a studio photography course.

 

Types of fashion photography

  1. Lookbook photography
  2. Advertising fashion
  3. Glamour fashion 
  4. Editorial fashion
  5. High-fashion
  6. Street fashion
  7. Catalog fashion

 

Who this career is for?

 

Fashion photography calls for a creative spark of the highest order. A random approach takes you nowhere. Any individual who is interested in becoming a fashion photographer need to have a knack for creativity. What’s more, technology plays its own role in this field. Those interested in becoming a fashion photographer need to have the following:

 

  1. Good knowledge about lighting
  2. Awareness of fashion trends
  3. Different styles of composition and sharpness
  4. Good social skills to interact with different people
  5. Ability to translate what they envision
  6. Willingness to experiment with different techniques
  7. Creativity to make their pictures stand out
  8. Ability to be organized with an artistic sensibility
  9. Ability to deal with pressure.

 

Eligibility Criteria

 

As far as the educational qualification for being a fashion photographer is concerned, you don’t need to be a postgraduate or graduate to be a professional fashion photographer. As discussed at the outset, fashion photography is all about creativity and passion for details. You need to be only a 10+2 pass certificate holder for admission in the fashion photography certification courses. What matters most is your artistic sensitivity, power to imagine, and ability to work in odd hours and difficult conditions. You can learn all the necessary skills by joining the course.

Again, the most important thing to mention is that fashion photography is a highly creative field and only those who have a creative spark can do better in it. The college or institution that you are going to join can only sharpen your skills. So make sure you have a strong visual imagination as well as an eye for detail before applying for admission. 

 

Areas of work for fashion photographers

Fashion photography is one of the best career options for those who love to be creative and want to take on any challenge when it comes to the visual imagination. After completing a studio photography course from any institution of repute, fashion photographers can find an opportunity to work in different domains. Some of them include the following:

  1. Clothes catalogs of reputed national and international brands
  2. Event management companies
  3. Renowned fashion studios
  4. Freelance photography projects
  5. Fashion labels
  6. Per hour-based assignments
  7. Fashion shows and exhibitions
  8. Fashion portals, websites, magazines, and
  9. Advertising agencies.

 

Some top independent agencies and companies also hire professional fashion photographers who have completed fashion photography certification courses from a good institution. Some of such entities include Vogue India, Lakme, Femina, Myntra, Elle, Tanishq, Malabar, and Verva.

 

Some of the best fashion photography books to be a fashion photographer

  1. Horst: Photographer of Style, by Anna Wintour and Susanna Brown
  2. Avedon Fashion 1944-2000, by Richard Avedon
  3. Harper’s Bazaar: First in Fashion, by Marianne Le Galliard
  4. On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography, by Bill Cunningham
  5. Annie Leibovitz at Work (Hardcover), by Annie Leibovitz
  6. Peter Lindbergh. On Fashion Photography, by Peter Lindbergh
  7. Irving Penn: A Career In Photography, by Irving Penn
  8. I Can Make You Feel Good, by Tyler Mitchell
  9. The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion By Antwaun Sargent, Addy Campbell, Arielle Bobb-Willis
  10. Vogue: The Covers (Updated Edition), by Dodie Kazanjian.

 

How to make a start as a fashion photographer?

Choosing fashion photography as a career is a little bit unconventional. But if you have a passion for it, there are limitless opportunities for you out there. First of all, you get professionally trained by joining fashion photography certification courses, and then make a start. The most basic thing to possess is an unquenchable quest to make your mark in this field.

 

Generally, fashion photographers are hired based on the work they have accomplished. Therefore, make a portfolio as good as you can. It is necessary because your portfolio will act as your passport to name and fame. These days, fashion photographers display the best of their works online through a well-built website to get noticed and get work. A good portfolio will help you establish yourself within the industry.

 

Concluding Remarks

New Delhi YMCA launched the Centre for Mass Media (CMM) in the year 1984 to conduct post-graduate diploma courses in Public Relations and Advertising and Journalism under the able guidance of Mr. Wilfred Lazarus, a reputed journalist. The CMM was rechristened as Institute for Media Studies and Information Technology (IMSIT) and then it launched a large number of new job-oriented courses aiming at empowering the youth of India. Currently, it is offering a studio photography course and other fashion photography certification courses. Today IMSIT runs around twenty + courses in Media studies and Information Technology. The institute aims at increasing expertise, proficiency, competence, and employability.