Fashion Photography: What it Takes to Make the Grade, Part 2
In celebration of the Fall segment of New York Fashion Week 2014, which runs from September 4-11, we interviewed three more professional fashion photographers for our second and final installment on fashion photography to provide a clear picture of what it’s like to be a fashion photographer, as well as some cogent hints and tips for those considering entering this glamorous, but challenging field. New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is a really big deal, and its scale and economics are staggering. There will be over 50 runway shows and the production costs for lighting alone at one of the Lincoln Center shows can easily top $100k. The total cost for just one of these extravaganzas can easily top $1M, which breaks down to about $1,750 a second! According to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, NYFW rakes in about $850M for the city, double the amount for the Super Bowl. Fashion Week events will be held all over New York City and you may rest assured that the world’s top fashion designers and scads of celebrities will be there, along with a profusion of fashion fans, aspiring fashionistas, and, of course, hordes of photographers.
With her mother as her first business partner, Lindsay Adler began shooting professionally at the age of 15, or about half her life (she’s now 29). She has since established herself as one of the leading fashion photographers in the city and works out of her studio in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. “It took me a long time to get into fashion,” Lindsay recalls, “and I explored many different genres, including nature photography with my family, shooting senior portraits in high school to make money, and eventually branching out into shooting weddings. What really inspired my transition to fashion was taking a fashion photography course in college and being exposed to some of the most exquisite photography I had ever seen. For about two years afterward I ran a portrait business in upstate Binghamton, New York, traveling to New York City frequently to build a network of fashion photography connections. Eventually I had enough contacts and a clear concept of what was needed to put on a successful fashion shoot, and in 2009 I moved to New York City and opened my studio, where I specialize in fashion photography and fashion-style portraiture.
Fortunately, I also have a talent for marketing so when I moved to New York I not only made extensive connections in the fashion world, but also in fashion photography education. As a result I teach all over the world at many major platforms, including, in the USA at WPPI, Photo Plus, Photoshop World, and I also give one-off classes at universities.” Lindsay Adler’s editorials and images have appeared in numerous fashion and photography publications including Noise, Marie Claire, Bullett Magazine, Zink Magazine, Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, and her pictures have been used in countless ad campaigns, TV promos, and on billboards. She is the author of four books on photography and is always working on new ways to share her passion and knowledge with others.
“I think what defines my style is that it’s clean, bold, and graphic,” says Lindsay. “It’s not casual, and it’s not rigid, but it is structured, and it’s graphic and bold in the sense of being colorful and high contrast. In other words, it’s arresting and eye-catching, not subtle—it kind of grabs you by the eyeballs. I shoot women primarily unless I have specific clients that want me to shoot men. My male partner specializes in shooting men and when people approach me for that kind of assignment I recommend him. My clients include Marie Claire, Essence, and InStyle magazines, and my book publisher is Peachpit, a division of Pearson Publishing. I’ve also been included in a number of online lists of ‘people under 30 to watch.’”
Lindsay’s Advice for up-and-coming fashion shooters:
“My primary suggestion for emerging fashion photographers is to bring together a strong team,” says Lindsay, “because it’s your creative team that makes you successful. That team should include hair stylists, makeup, and wardrobe people that have a good synergy, a genuine team spirit, and can work together harmoniously. Another important thing to remember is that rejection is part of your career—don’t take it personally, try to learn something from it, and move forward. Finally, you need to get hands-on experience. In fashion photography in particular there’s nothing like working on a fashion set to learn what fashion photography is all about. If you can sign on as an assistant pick a photographer that you admire both for their work and their business practices because those two things together are what makes a successful photographer. Even if you start out just running errands or moving equipment, you will learn something and eventually move up. And whatever you to, keep on shooting.”
