Do you feel stuck with the same idea? Learning all about fashion photography can be thrilling, yet it can also be tough when thinking about new concepts that will blow away clients. I'm sharing some of the fashion shoot ideas I created as a professional photographer to motivate your craft.
Fashion Shoot Ideas
Some of the fashion shoot ideas I've come up with include high-end editorial and aesthetic-based concepts. Another theme is to do an experimental dress-up or a feature story for a celebrity. You can also play with camera slow shutter camera settings to have lighting effects on the clothes.
Planning a fashion shoot is an essential skill to become a successful photographer. Being a highly visual industry, you need creative concepts to attract clients and sell your services. Take inspiration from these photoshoot ideas, and maybe you can try them in your next session.
Ghost Story-Inspired High-End Editorial
The primary idea of this high-end editorial is to tell a ghost story with twins. A little back story, I developed the concept with the intent of submitting it to a magazine for publishing, and LADYGUNN Magazine published it.
As you can see in the photos, this is an aesthetic-based fashion shoot with twins as the subjects. My friend, Angela Solouki, a famous stylist in Los Angeles, prepared 8 to 12 looks for a whole-day shoot.
Location: I found a captivating white greenhouse that reminded me of England's high-class aesthetic. The fashion shoot plan was to make the theme look as if it's winter, even if we were actually shooting at about 120 degrees inside!
Angles and poses: I instructed playful mirror images. I didn't want many expressions since I was telling a ghost story. I guided the models to look emotionless, both in movement and facial expressions.
Post-processing: I did the editing myself, and I enhanced the shots using cooler and desaturated colors.
Experimental Fashion Shoot
One of the things I appreciate about being a fashion photographer is that I get to do experimental sessions as well. Like for this shoot, the idea revolves around girls staying in a hotel playing dress-up.
For this location-based shoot, I had the great opportunity to have fun and play. I love this fashion shoot idea because it teaches you to trust yourself, work at the moment, and use what you have or are available in the location.
Location: An eccentric hotel in West Hollywood with vintage rooms, elegant rooftop. I was allowed to shoot anywhere in the hotel!
Angles and poses: The angles and poses are totally unscripted. No strict direction from me, purely experimental. The shoot is all about being playful, like running around or jumping on the bed. Even the styling is all over the place, from avant-garde classy dresses and heels to casual and goofball clothes.
Post-processing: While I didn't submit this shoot for publishing, my post-processing and layout followed magazine-style editing.
Sophisticated Magazine Editorial for a Celebrity
I developed an editorial concept for Hey, Beauti Magazine's #GoodMen series cover shoot of Steve Howey from the television show, Shameless. The goal is to capture the essence of Steve's image while breaking the rules. Unlike the other ideas, this one focuses on the subject rather than the clothes.
My stylist prepared a mixture of clothes, from formal to casual garments. As you can see, I went for a minimalist Bohemian chic style, which has nothing to do with Shameless or who you might think Steve is as a person.
Location: A clean, sophisticated house up in the hills.
Angles and poses: I was able to form a bond with Steve which, helped Steve become playful in poses, like throwing cards at the camera or posing on the couch while holding a bottle of beer.
Post-processing: I applied professional editing that would be appropriate for the magazine's style guide.
Slow Shutter Speed-Inspired Fashion Shoot
Some inspirations for fashion photoshoots may come from the unlikeliest places. In this case, the idea came from the technical skill of simply dragging the camera's shutter button.
I used very slow shutter speed at night, freezing the subject, and everything around the model became a lighting streak of varying patterns.
Location: Shot in Downtown Los Angeles without a permit, so we maximized the streets.
Angles and poses: I wanted an edgy look where the model freely expressed herself. I even let the model bring her own clothes and style herself.
Post-processing: All about colors! The post-processing enhanced the lighting streaks.
Final Tips When Creating a Fashion Shoot Concept
There's so much photography out there because of social media. So, the challenge is: what hasn't been done? How can you shoot using the same background, lighting, and models?
The US commercial photography market covers 23% of the photography market, and this includes specialty areas like fashion photography. There are several industries that employ fashion photographers. About 39% are retail, 18% from Fortune 500 companies, 8% from the hospitality market, and 6% from manufacturing.
With different industries to work for, this also opens opportunities to combine your imagination and technical skills to come up with an eye-catching fashion shoot concept.
In my early days, I've been a victim of the mindset that everyone's shooting again with a particular backdrop or type of image, so perhaps I should do the same. Alas, you would feel sort of empty doing that.
Over the years, I learned that if a fashion shoot idea doesn't make sense to you, don't do it unless a client pays you to do it. However, if it's for a personal subject, find something that you can bring a part of yourself to the concept.
Photoshoot ideas can stem from anywhere and anything. Sometimes, even the most mundane thing can be an artistic inspiration. Look at paintings or even old trends for inspiration.
Change the composition, camera settings, or lighting source until you find 100 ways to shoot a seemingly ordinary idea.
At the end of the day, trust your instincts in every shoot.
Conclusion
Keep your eyes peeled in your surroundings as you can find inspiration for fashion photography anywhere. It's also vital you learn the different fashion photography categories to help find your voice in the field. Research, plan the concept, hire the right people, and your skills will reflect on the photos!