Whether you are a budding photographer or a designer wanting to produce your own professional images for your collection this unique insight into the world of photography is exactly what you need. Rod guides you through an in-depth process on all his top tips and useful advice picked up over his many years in the industry.

Here's a sneak preview of just 2 of the 24 top tips. Members will have access to the full article.

Organisation, organisation, organisation’ – you think you want to be a fashion photographer – then tell me, how tidy is your bedroom; how tidy is your headroom.

Talent will get you fifty percent of the way, but organisation will make you rich, so tidy up your mind and throw away your crap.

Here is a camera that is almost the same as the one David Bailey used to photograph Twiggy forty years ago.

Here is a camera that I use now – the main difference is that the image is recorded digitally.

There are three main types of utility fashion photography and they overlap:

Portfolio, Catwalk and Advertising.

The first type is the one you are most likely to encounter as a post grad student and it will probably be for aspiring friends and fellow students.

If you pass this test, then you may be invited to do the second type and finally the third, so good luck.

Model Portfolio

1) The Model: Don’t egg it, if she/he is too short, too fat, too… you are just boosting your ego and she/he will be disappointed – remember it is often the less obvious person who is more photogenic. You may meet such a person anywhere and they may be completely unaware how good they look in camera. The biggest mistake is to imagine because you fancy some one then they must look good in camera – love (lust) is in the eye of the beholder. Fashion is a much more public and objective statement, so cultivate the eye and don’t mix the two. Also the sort of beauty demanded by fashion changes from year to year, so keep up to date and also explore your own avenues of aestheticism. Some say that the face should be neutral to be right for fashion, but there are obvious exceptions.

2) The Brief: Talk over what the model wants and make intelligent choices about who to use for make up and hair and where to shoot the portfolio, and in what style - don’t compromise, your reputation is too important. Things to watch out for – too static – too contrived – too stereotyped – too smothered in style – and also, if you have to copy a magazine, you should not be doing photography!



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