What it takes to be a fashion photographer
Image: Ikmal Awfar (left), WInston Gomez (right)
In terms of technique, a fashion photographer needs to possess knowledge and skills in photography techniques, angles, lighting, props, colour, concept and editing. In real life practice where there are millions of photographers out there who also master the techniques, there are intangible factors that determine the success of a fashion photographer.
For Ikmal Awfar, going through process is one of the factors. “The cost of overexposure is everyone thinking that it is easy to enter the fashion industry. Just because someone does something weird, they are regarded as a good photographer.”
His first stint in fashion was running an e-magazine with a friend during university. The first issue of the e-magazine garnered thousands of readers. “I developed the concept for the photoshoot, paid for models and studio.” Unfortunately, they had to fold it due to scheduling problem, among the contributors.
The effort didn’t go to waste. The magazine photoshoot landed him editorial work at a magazine. One job leads to another. He has shot for high-end brands, commercial, magazines – DEW magazine, Clara and Marie Claire to name a few.
“It’s important for a photographer to develop a taste, how you see things,” as he realises his passion lies in fashion editorial photography.
The challenge of high fashion shot is that it’s catered to a niche market. Therefore, the number of jobs is rather limited in Indonesia compared to commercial shot, not to mention the lower amount of pay.
Most photography jobs come from commercial fashion and beauty, be it brand lookbooks, magazine cover, or billboard. It’s straight to the point, hard sell and easy to digest.
This is where high fashion photographers usually struggle if they don’t know how to find middle ground between personal and business.
The logic behind it is the same as running a fashion house: ready-to-wear collection to amass the revenue and couture collection to increase the profile of the house. Highly conceptual shot is to showcase and prove the creativity of a photographer in interpreting certain themes.
But despite a larger pool of clients, the competition is even tougher in the commercial segment because it’s where photographers from novice to professional make the bank.
Winston Gomez from 11.11 Studio who specialises in commercial shot stated that in the commercial segment, it’s about who you have shot. “If you take extremely good photos, people probably take notice, but after being in this industry for quite a while, having influencers and celebrities reposted your pictures is still the most effective. If a client doesn’t know the brand or the person you shoot, they are going to doubt you.”
His portfolio is filled with celebrities like Nia Ramadhani, Nadine Chandrawinata, Daniel Mananta and Rianti Cartwright, as well as the country’s high-profile figures like Erick Thohir. Household names like Supermi and Telkomsel help boost his credibility in the industry.
Winston started his career as a full time photographer at MRA Group in 2015. A year later, he quit his job to do freelance jobs, with which he signed hundreds of clients. This allows him to pursue his dreams of opening an agency.
He opened his advertising agency, WG Creatives, in 2018. “What makes me different is I have in-house production with videographers and photographers,” said Winston. He also rent out his photo studio, 11.11 Studio.
The type of work Winston does runs at a different pace to Ikmal’s. Commercial has to be fast and direct, while conceptual should not be too literal in delivery; it has to leave some space for imagination. Commercial has to command attention in 3 seconds.
Regardless of those differences, both photographers have similar basic rules.
1. Know who you are and always do research
Many people try to fit into the crowd by adjusting their style to the current trend. Winston knows from the very beginning that he is into advertising. He understands the style that his client needs. The product is the forefront of the photo.
Ikmal, on the other hand, loves developing concept. “I am more interested in personal point of view and women. I want to know more about women’s characteristics.”
Above all, no matter how experienced a photographer is, doing research is mandatory according to both photographers. “Taking picture without any point of view is different from taking picture with a point of view. You have to be responsible for what you are creating,” said Ikmal.
2. Maintain good relationship
Having contacts in the industry opens many doors, but attitude speaks more volume. ‘Know how to treat your team’ is an advice from Ikmal. “Clients rarely go to your website to flip through your portfolio. They are referrals from people you have worked with.”
“Be humble because you are going to meet a lot of people in this industry. Don’t ruin your mood during photoshoot,” Winston said.
3. Focus on the outcome
Let’s face it, landing an ideal client is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Extremely rare, most likely cease to exist.
“Like it or not, the client is king. You have to finish your job whatever the issue is,” Ikmal said. “I’ve had client who gave approval one day before deadline. My team had 12 hours to find the props. When the photos were done and sent, the client wanted to change the backdrop to gold. We didn’t have time to look for a gold backdrop, so I spent the night editing the photos. In the end, though, it is delivered on time.”
For Winston, challenge comes from environment. “One time, when I was shooting outdoor, heavy wind appeared all of the sudden. I had to change my softbox to metal ones. Even the model couldn’t pose properly because of the wind blowing on her hair and outfit. When the wind briefly stopped, we finished the job as quick as possible.”
4. Find your middle ground
The truth is, idealism doesn’t always pay the bills. As Winston said, “I don’t always get what you want but I cannot be too idealistic as a commercial photographer.”
However, it also doesn’t mean that one has to sacrifice integrity to please everyone. There are things that should never be tolerated. In Ikmal’s book, there has to be a valid reason to strip off the entire concept and story or before dismissing an entire photoshoot.
5. Set the right price
How much do you value yourself? There are people offering photography services under $5 per photo on social media. According to Winston, those services will never survive the industry.
“People who price themselves that low do not appreciate art. It’s not just about shooting photos. It’s about your style, your mood and yourself. Not to mention the equipment and the people in your team. They usually do not survive for long because you can’t compare their photos to professional’s.”
“If you want to be a photographer, I’m pretty sure you have value and you won’t be selling yourself that cheap when you have process from zero. That means you don’t appreciate yourself,” said Ikmal.
6. Update your social media
Both Winston and Ikmal stated that social media is more influential than magazine.
7. Rome wasn’t built in a day
Both photographers plunged into photography since high school. That was more than a decade ago. Winston learnt multiple skills from photography, videography and website during his college in an effort to pursue his goal. Ikmal’s first endeavour in magazine didn’t work out but he didn’t give up right away and continue producing work.
As Ikmal says, “People want to get into this industry but they forgot the process. When you don’t have process, you’ll just do whatever you want without deeper consideration.”