Composition Tips for Better Fashion Photography

In most situations, there are many rules to apply for fashion photography. Fashion photography is a genre of photography witch is devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items.

Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines. 

Learn the Rule of Thirds

The rule of third is a crucial guideline in making sure your composition is on point. Firstly, mentally divide your frame into nine squares of equal sizes-much like a tic-tac-toe grid.

To achieve a balanced composition, put your object in any of the points where the lines intersect.

Place Your Subject in the Center

Sometimes, you can even ignore the rule of thirds completely and put your subject right in the center. If you do it correctly, you will realise that this style works perfectly for fashion portraits. 

Additionally, you can have the model lean slightly to the side ti make them look less stiff. 

You cam ask the model to look either left or right would make people think something is going on off-camera. 

Create a Counterbalance

Sometimes, you're forced to place your subjects in unusual places. If this happens, you can use a counterbalance to correct your composition.

Counterbalance involves using another component in the frame to create harmony in your image.

If the woman sitting on the cart below was by herself, the composition would look lopsided because she's in the center. 

Adding another model to push her from behind leads to balance.7. Tell a Story

When you browse through a fashion magazine, you'll notice that there's a theme that connects the photos. 

Although they don't necessarily have words describing what's happening, they often provide clues about what's going on. 

These types of images grab attention. They force the viewer to focus on the narrative they're trying to tell. 

Your theme doesn't necessarily have to have a real story with a beginning and an end. 

For instance, when you're shooting a model exploring the city, you can have them walk around the street or visit a cafe.

Use the elements in the surroundings to provide hints.

Bring Props

Props are helpful in creating a more coherent theme in your fashion photography. 

They not only work well in providing the context clues to your images but also add dimension to your composition.

If there's nothing much going on in your scene, you can also use props to make it look more interesting.

You can even create surrealistic scenes by arranging unusual things around your subject.

The photo below would't have been as interesting if it wasn't for the oranges that surround the model. The oranges direct the viewer's eyes to the center where the model is.

Highlight the Fashion

What separates fashion photographers from regular portrait photographers is that they know how to emphasise the clothes in their images. 

So no matter what you do, always prioritise how you want to present the outfit. It's your job to make sure the viewers see the selling point of the product.