How to Hire a Fashion Photographer (In Austin, Texas or elsewhere)

This blog post is for the brands out there in Austin, Texas (or anywhere for that matter) looking to hire a photographer for their brand. Seeing a lot of talented photographers doing great work, but don't know how to choose? 

Here are some helpful steps for brands looking to hire a fashion photographer:

1. Define your brand’s aesthetic.
   • What kind of brand are you? What kind of vibe do you give off? Are your products edgy, bold and minimal, or are they brightly colored and full of patterns?
2. Match that aesthetic with a style of photography. 
   1. Lifestyle - Lifestyle photography generally uses natural light. Models aren’t stylized or posed, but generally in action, looking like they’re having fun and smiling. Models also tend to look more “normal” as opposed to more edgy looking high-fashion models. There are many photographers who claim to shoot “fashion,” when in reality they shoot lifestyle images.
   2. Fashion - This type of fashion photography you’d find in an issue of Vogue, generally more couture or high-end. These images often use bold colors, strong lighting, or hard shadows. They can range from looking more formal to down-right strange. These images require a photographer with strong, creative concepts.
   3. Studio - Maybe you don’t need a lifestyle image on a beach or a haut couture model on the runway. You need product shots or models against a plain backdrop so customers can see how the clothes fit on a real person. Studio shots are best for this, and usually require a photographer with strong technical lighting skills.
3. Find photographers whose portfolios show the types of images you want. 
   • Like any great artist, a great photographer isn't the jack-of-all-trades. They specialize, choosing to focus on their unique style. If you need perfectly lit studio images, it’s probably best to avoid the natural-light lifestyle photographer, unless he or she shows you they can shoot both. Look at their portfolios and determine if those are the type of images you’d be happy with.
4. Speak with them!
   • You’re most likely spending a full day, if not multiple days, with your photographer, and that can quickly turn into a nightmare if your photographer acts unprofessionally. How do they handle themselves? How do they handle stress? How do they treat their clients, the models, the assistants? How organized are they and how well do they communicate? It’s important to feel confident you’re dealing with a professional, and usually that can be quickly assessed with a phone call.

Once you’ve followed all of these steps, you should be well on your way to finding a fashion photographer. If you’re in Texas looking for a fashion photographer, please feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I’d love to chat, and answer any questions I can. Cheers!