Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
A Very Short but Effective Primer
I have been asked on several occasions "what gear would I need to get started in fashion/beauty photography?"
That is really dependent on what kind of stuff you want to shoot, but what I will try to do here is give you a pretty good base that will allow you to attack most challenges.
Camera:
An entry or intermediate level DSLR with at least 8 megapixels. Must have a hot shoe to allow for attaching either a sync module or dedicated flash (which I do not recommend) Some DSLR's will have a dedicated sync port which is preferable.
Lenses:
I suggest the following. A reasonably good medium wide angle to medium telephoto lens i.e. 18-55, 17-50, 17-40, 16-50 type that will allow you to work in relatively tight spaces. A fixed focal length 50mm lens with an aperture of f1.8 or faster i.e. f1.4, 1.2. This will allow you to shoot in lower light conditions and makes a great all round fashion and beauty lens in the APSC format of DSLR's. I would also recommend a reasonable macro lens for the occasional macro beauty shoots. Finally and this is for those who like shooting telephoto fashion, a 50-200, 70-300 or a variation of this type of medium telephoto to telephoto zoom lens.
Flash & Light Meter:
A reasonably good flash/light meter like Seconic for example.
Strobes:
Two or three mono bloc studio flash units. Most will do the job. Most strobe kits come with strobe trigger devices that attach to the hotshot of the camera.
Continuous Light:
A couple of 500 watt halogen lights with barn door modifiers.
Accessories:
A couple of umbrella’s, a light box or two, a few 7″ bowls with honeycomb grid modifiers and a couple of snoots. If in a studio type space, a few Styrofoam 4′ x 8′ panels, seamless paper support stands and a few colors like white, gray, black and what ever else pleases your fancy.
Oh and a reasonably recent laptop with Photoshop or similar program for doing post prod work at least on a cursory level to commence with.
With this gear, you will have enough to do pretty much anything that your imagination can throw at you. What will be the biggest challenge of all? Not being afraid of the possibilities.
Have a Ball
A lot must depend on what you want to do with the pix when they've been captured.
If you want to get work published in the top mags like Vogue, whether editorial or as part of an ad, you'll need a lot more than 8 meg. The regulars use 40 meg as a minmimum, which means medium format. Although the cost is into 5 figures, it can be hired.
Studio flash needs to have very fast recycling. Broncolor designed special "Fashion" packs but the new Scoro packs will do much the same job. Again, the investment would be painful for all but the wealthiest beginner.
If a newbie gets the kit listed in the original post, the pix will be fine for showing at the local camera club, but probably won't be a lot of use anywhere else. It seems much more sensible to use whatever kit he or she already has and also to observe or assist an established fashion photographer. Then to get the proper high-end kit if the fashion bug really bites.
The most practical suggestion is to hire somewhere like the new Hasselblad studio in London which comes equipped with all the right kit at a surprisingly modest price.
I have been published in major magazines with as little as 6 megapixels:
http://www.pbase.com/benjikan/image/80243236
An 8-megapixel camera will, at normal magazine requirements (300dpi) give you a 12"x8" photo.... about A4 size. If you need to go larger than this, you will normally have to interpolate.
But.......... with even entry level DSLRs (like the Canon 550D) offering 18 megapixels, it is really academic. 18Mp will give you about 18"x12" (or a little larger than A3) at 300dpi. That's big enough for a double-page spread.
I think Benji is suggesting what you might need, if you are doing fashion photography for fun - rather than plunging straight into the Vogue end of the market! 
I thought he was suggesting that a collection of lighting equipment was at least as important as the camera gear.
If the fashion photography is just for fun, then a beginner might as well tag along with a more experienced member of the camera club and use his or her kit.
There's one big danger of a beginner buying a lot of kit - it's very likely to be the wrong kit and buying again is going to be expensive.
When She-who-must-be-obeyed joined the wedding business, she used company kit until she'd gained a firm idea of what she liked and disliked. The company kit was all top-quality and appropriate for the job, but it was somebody else's choice. When she took over as principal photographer, she chose and bought her new and different kit.
When a photographer makes an informed choice of equipment, he or she will happily use the kit for years and just get on with creating great images. There won't be any bleating about the "need to upgrade".
With the greatest respect to the OP, nobody can really suggest what another photohrapher should buy. It has to be a personal choice.
Quote: There's one big danger of a beginner buying a lot of kit - it's very likely to be the wrong kit and buying again is going to be expensive.
LOL I though there was a rule that you only ever get the kit you need at the third attempt. I know that seems to be true for me with Tripods and telephoto zooms 
Quote: There's one big danger of a beginner buying a lot of kit - it's very likely to be the wrong kit and buying again is going to be expensive.
LOL I though there was a rule that you only ever get the kit you need at the third attempt. I know that seems to be true for me with Tripods and telephoto zooms
Heh very true - its easy to make what you think is the right choice when you've little to no actual hands on experience of the tools. Then a month or two down the line you start to find the little problems with the "ideal" gear and suddenly something (generally more expensive though not always) comes up that solves all those problems.
In the end I think one who is very keen will end up with a range of various setups and devices - each with their own niche of use for that person. How far they take things will determine how many niches they'll end up with. A weekend macro shooter might end up with one flash setup - whilst a crazed maniac might end up with a whole range of different setups (heck they might even risk natural light stuff too! )
Quote: What Equipment for the Beginner Fashion/Beauty Photographer?
Lighting kit should be way down the list, and closely followed by the camera. I would have put vision as the most important bit of equipment.
Quote: Not one that is readily available though, or do you have a supplier who can source me a set of eyes and return me to 20/20 vision
Should have gone to spec savers 
To be fair to Ben it makes for an interesting read. I have no ability to check for the wisdom of the advice though 
Quote: Should have gone to spec savers Tongue
I was not sugesting material things
I was thinking more like this
Fashion photography is an insidious profession. In art, it is what sex-appeal is to love. Artifice can be a dangerous thing; when misapplied, the results are vulgar and tawdry. Its correct use depends on instinct. It is up to the fashion photographer to create an illusion. In doing so, he is not behaving with dishonesty, but when properly invoked, the result is not merely an illusion; rather, it makes the observer see what he wishes to see. (C. Beaton and G. Buckland, The Magic Image, 1975)
John, its 35 years old but still holds true today.
Add a Comment
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.
Login or Join Now
New to ePHOTOzine? Join ePHOTOzine for free!
Join Our Free Newsletter
Awards
Current Competitions
foliopic 'Movement' Competition
1st May 2012 - 31st May 2012
This month's competition theme is 'Movement' which can be interpreted in a number of ways. You could photograph an animal running, a person walking or a car speeding...Featured e2 Photo
Featured Directory Listing
May's Photo Month
Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.
Interact
Photography Gallery Photography Forums Recent Forum Activity Members' Meetings Members' BlogsSearch ePHOTOzine
Having trouble or would like to make a suggestion? Create a report
Calibrate your monitor so you can see 16 different shades.
ePHOTOzine © 2001 - 2012 Magezine Publishing | Contact Us | Site Map | Top