fashion blogger
Last week I had a shoot with my friend Sydney Dauter on Grosse Ile in Michigan. This is my first real shoot in a month or so and it felt great. I was feeling very uninspired the last few months and decided to do a shoot just for me. I wanted it to feel “dreamlike”.
This shoot has inspired a project called Dream Sequence which I will continue throughout the next year.
There is something about fashion photography that calls out to many photographers. For me it was holding the images in physically published medium that just made it seem so official and therefore became a goal of mine. I started to get more into fashion photography a few years ago, starting with fashion bloggers.
When I first started out I just used my friends as models and experimented with different lighting, editing, and angles. Then I started reaching out to local fashion bloggers to collaborate with. Eventually those free shoots turned into paid shoots. Here are some tips I've learned while growing my fashion blogger client list.
Every fashion blogger is different. It's very important to give them images that align with their feed and that they will actually use. This will help you become a regular photographer and a paid photographer with them. A lot of times photographers collaborate with fashion bloggers for free in order to gain traffic, but the bloggers never use their images. Why? Because their images don't fit with the blogger's feed.
Ask yourself the following questions before you go on the shoot:
• What colors do they use/how are these photos edited?
• How do they usually fill the frame?
• What backgrounds do they usually go with?
• What orientation do the photos usually have? Portrait, landscape, square?
• Most important: WHAT IS THE THEME?
Example: Tori Radday. Below is a screenshot of Tori's feed. Most of these photos were taken by me, but what is her theme? What makes this Insta account unique? First thing, color. There is lots of color throughout these photos. Second, she fills the frame and the background is secondary to her. Third (you have to click on the photos to see, but trust me) none of them are horizontal. They are all either square or portrait.
Okay, so now you know what style of images the fashion blogger is looking for. It's time to give them variety. Think about what a fashion blogger's goals could be. Usually it is to promote products that they are wearing or give outfit inspo. This requires full length and detail shots. I usually will ask the blogger if there are any details that they want to highlight. This way I can focus on getting shots they are interested in.
Making small changes can do a lot for adding variety to the images. Something as simple as adding or removing sunglasses can completely change the look of the images. Usually when I shoot with Tori, she brings about three pairs of sunglasses and switching them throughout the shoot. Look at the images below and notice the change in sunglasses.
Changing the background of a shot can also add variety to a shoot. You just need to turn the model around, cross the street, or walk down the block to get a different background. You don't necessarily need to drive 20 minutes to a different location to get the effect.
Another great way to switch up the shoot is to have the blogger sit down. Either on the ground or on a step always makes the images more interesting. Bloggers are usually good with posing themselves, however everyone needs a little direction at times. Some bloggers stand in the same position as you snap a few photos and don't move. There is no need to get more than two or three photos of one position. Encourage them to move around, raise their arms up, or tilt their head.
Bloggers do not want to use the same photos over and over on their feed, so you need to provide options so they can get the most out of the shoot. This is one 30-45 minute shoot that utilizes the space correctly which providing variety.
There is nothing worse than working with a photographer who is nervous or who is awkward. It makes the subject feel uncomfortable and it comes through in the photos. I have extreme anxiety and believe me, you just have to power through it. FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT. I've gone to so many shoots where I feel like I'm about to have a panic attack while driving there. You just have to take a deep breath and get the job done.
The best advice I can give is to have a bunch of questions lined up in your head to ask or put them on your phone. For example, When did you start your blog? What inspires you as a blogger? What are your favorite places to shoot? Do you have any fun collaborations coming up? Are you from this area originally?. JUST KEEP ASKING. Get them talking. It takes the pressure off of you and makes it an enjoyable experience.
Make sure you shoot in RAW. Okay I mean, you don't have to but it makes your life a lot easier if you forget to change your manual settings for a few shots and that shot happens to be the best one. Believe me. It happens. This just helps keep the quality of the photos while you edit them.
I usually shoot with my ratio at 2:3, but remember Instagram only allows for a 4:5 ratio. This means that if I'm filling the frame to the edges while shooting at 2:3, a lot will be cut off once it gets to Instagram. If you are shooting in 2:3, remember to leave space for the change in ratio. This is something that I am still working on remembering. I hate when shoes get cut off or the top of the hair has to get cut off because of this restricted ratio. The first image below is in 4:5 ratio that I cropped in Lightroom. The second is 2:3.
Shoot portrait, not landscape. Trust me. There is a reason why it is called portrait and landscape. You're not shooting mountains, you're shooting a blogger. Go to your favorite fashion blogger's Instagram. Look at the top nine photos. They are either portrait orientation or a square. Shooting from a lower angle in portrait will help you capture more of a fashion vibe.
This is just customer service 101, but somehow a lot of people don't know how to do this. Let the blogger know how you are going to give them the images, about how many images you will give them, when they should expect to receive the images, and your expectations of credit. I always let bloggers know that I do not allow any editing of my photos (no filters) before I give them the images. I also let them know that they must tag me in the photos and write *photo emoji* by @rrracheldwyer or shot by @rrracheldwyer. Contracts are your friend.
Shooting with fashion bloggers is a great way to get your name as a photographer out there and grow your fashion portfolio. These tips are not necessarily the *right* way to do it, but have helped me a lot throughout my shoots. Nothing can beat practice as far as improving, but having some foundational help is important too.
Photography - Me! Rachel Dwyer Photography - website - instagram
Model - Tori Radday - website - instagram
Best, Instagram Worthy Photo Locations for Fashion Bloggers in Richmond VA
Read MoreI have been traveling a lot... I mean a lot. Between Michigan, Richmond, vacation, and all work trips I have barely spent more than 10 days in one spot. Between weddings and engagement shoots I have barely have had time to do some fashion blogger/content creating shoots. Not to mention that this constant travel has caused me to be a under the weather. Oh yeah, and I'm moving. What a fun time!
Thankfully I mustarded up the strength to go out and shoot with Tori Radday on Sunday. I fly back to Michigan on Wednesday so I wanted to make sure to shoot with her before I leave. I had her meet me at the new place off of Cary. We shot two different outfits around Carytown.
Below are photos of her second outfit.
I finally took a break from editing all of my weddings and engagement images to do a shoot with Tori Radday. Tori and I have been working together for a while now and she is always one of my favorite people to photograph. As a blogger, you really should know the importance of good photography. If you want to make your blog look profession, it has to have quality images.
Tori and I work together once or twice a month doing about 2 or 3 outfits every time. This is a great way to optimize time and your money with a photographer. She also switches out different glasses for looks which really creates a nice diversity in her Instagram posts while wearing the same outfit.
This is one of my favorite looks she has done. It is such a retro and frankly, a much more sexy look, than I am used to shooting. She rocks it too. I always say my job would be too shoot for Free People or Urban... or really any female-based brand. I think these last few images really show that off.
Model/Stylist - Tori Radday
Photographer - Me! Rachel Dwyer
After my trip to Georgia and Michigan, I got together with Richmond's own Tori Radday. When she first sent me a picture of this dress, I immediately thought of this pink... I want to say barn door? but that's not right.. this big pink door, whatever its nature may be. After taking some full length shots at this location we just walked around Church Hill, RVA.
Pro tip for bloggers: Same outfit, different glasses or accessories. This can go a long way in creating diversity throughout your shoot, especially if you only get one outfit with the photographer. Photos are expensive, so make all of them count! This little bit of variety is great for Instagram feeds. They change just enough to make the photos new and interesting. Another great tip is to scout out a few different locations within walking distance. Changing the background and accessories can make it look like a whole new outfit or a completely different day in which you shot this "new" look.
Model: Tori Radday
Photographer: Me! Rachel Dwyer
On Memorial Day weekend I went home to visit my parents on Grosse Ile. I reached out to Alba (Instagram - @albaslyf) via Instagram to see if she wanted to collaborate on a shoot while I was there. She was down and we decided to meet up at my old high school. Lately I've been feeling very uninspired and feeling like my shoots have been very similar. The only images that I could find that I found interesting were at a tennis court. I'm not usually one for chainlink fences, but I'm very happy with the results.
I graduated from this high school in 2008 and I really haven't been to the property since. I'm happy to see that not much has changed and that I was able to remember where to go for these separate locations. With such a sporty location, we wanted to go for more a relaxed look. We did not want to use gym clothes, but we wanted the attire to look appropriate in the location. Alba woke up early and ran to Target and bought the clothes. She kept the tags on so she could return them after. LOL
I had originally planned the shoot to be around 9:30am, but it didn't start until about 11:00am. This made it extremely difficult to shoot. The light was almost directly above us so I had to make sure she was turned away from the light in a lot of the photos to get the right lighting. Always shoot in the morning or at night. Even 11:00am in late May is too harsh. (Yeah, I know, I can put the model in the shadows, but it's way more fun to play with the light)
I teamed up with Tori Radday from Fashion Trends & More to collaborate on a fashion inspired photoshoot. This was my first real shoot in Richmond, VA so I was very excited to see what Tori had in mind. She suggested that we meet up in Carytown. This was such a great idea. Carytown is filled with murals and colorful walls that make the perfect backdrop for any fashion shoot.
Tori was so great to work with and I'm so excited to work with her again on future shoots. She has such an inviting personality and feels very comfortable in front of the camera. I believe our styles blended perfectly together.
