Camera gears are important in every field of photography. But it all depends on the photographer what kind of photography he/she wants to take. So, here it is about fashion photography gears.
Getting started in photography is mind-blogging. Just imagine a child walking into the Hamley’s toy store and being told to only choose one thing. “That’s none other than you figuring out what photography equipment you needed.” There are several great camera brands to choose from which includes various kinds of lenses also.
The biggest mistake most people make is that they put all their money on the camera body. And so little on the lens. Which is not a wise decision.
Any camera body will do i.e, either DSLR or Mirrorless. Or in other words half-frame or full-frame, it doesn’t really matter for fashion shoots. All that matters is your lens. So, invest more in the lens. Now, if you are ready with the camera body, here are some practical suggestions for you for choosing a high-quality lens.
In general, a prime lens is the most recommended lens in fashion shoots. Which are listed further:
- 35mm: also known as storytelling lens. Because it is the closest to the focal composition of the human eye. Moreover, its focal length also provides close proximity to the subject as if they are close enough to touch. Moreover, they are known for having excellent versatility. This means with one lens, you can tackle any genres of photography.
- 50mm: also known as nifty fifties. It’s an all-time favorite lens for photographers. Because they are great for taking photos when lighting is low. Moreover, it captures full-body images in tighter spaces with adequate details.
- 85mm: also known as the classic portrait lens. Because its focal length has a very flattering, slimming look on the face which is perfect for any compositions. Moreover, they have an incredible depth of field when shooting wide open.
And other than these lenses, one can use a 70-200 telephoto zoom lens in order to capture the model from a long distance and creatively create the soft background required for the scene.
And now comes the all-time misconceptions which usually happen in this field. That is photography is all about camera and lenses. A big NO to that. Photography is about drawing with light in which camera and lenses are just a part of it. Thereupon, the most important skill needed for a professional photographer is that: he/she should be able to control, create, and capture the light.
Fashion photography gears include both studio and location shoots. For the shoots, specific lighting equipment is needed. And, one such lighting equipment is “STROBES”. Because they are the most consistent and strong enough to cover other environmental lights. The companies which provide are Godox, Elinchrom, Profoto, etc.
Hence, after knowing the basics factors, one can ensure that the shoots solely depend on the types of equipment you are using to frame a particular genre in fashion.
So, in a nutshell, we can conclude the basic equipment required to be a fashion photographer:
- Camera
- Lenses (according to the genre of shoots)
- SD cards
- Reflector
- Flash Gun
- Laptop
- Graphic Tablet
- Softwares (to post-process the images)
- Studio Flash Kits: which includes modifiers & diffusers such as Beauty Dish, Snoot, Octagon, Softbox, Umbrella, etc
- Backdrop Paper and Stand
- External Hardware
- Tripod
- Extension Board