11.08.09
Catwalk Photography Secrets Revealed
When shooting catwalk I have two set-ups in my hand: a Canon EOS-1Ds MkIII with a 70-200mm f/4 and a Canon EOS-1Ds MkIII with either a 16-35mm or a 24-70mm and an 85mm f/1.2 or a 50mm f/1.2 for backstage portraits. I prefer the 50mm purely because it’s so tight backstage and it allows you to get a bit more leeway over the 85mm. I also have two EOS 5D MkII cameras with a 300mm f/2.8 on one and something a bit different on the other, maybe a tilt & shift.
I use a set of Pocket Wizards, set up as a remote somewhere on the catwalk, to shoot an angle I wouldn’t be able to access while shooting. I like to set up a remote at the very end of the catwalk, as the models pose and turn. This is either a low angle on a fisheye lens or up high on a wide, to capture the whole catwalk scene.
The other option I like to use is to set up the Pocket Wizards to trigger a flash somewhere in the picture, to add a catch flash moment or a flash burst to create something different. I like to have lots of different gear to create interesting pictures, something that makes someone say ‘Wow, how did you do that?’. As long as I get this feedback during fashion week, I’m a happy guy.
I don’t use flash when I’m shooting catwalk unless it’s on a remote. I personally don’t really see the need, unless you are shooting details or if the light is shocking; but my advice is leave it off the camera.
I use Lexar Professional 2GB and 4GB CompactFlash cards and also a few SD cards in the MkIIIs for backup. I have one card in each camera and then one extra per body, so six if I’m running three cameras. As long as time permits, these will be downloaded after every show onto my laptop into a program Getty Images developed called GIFT (Getty Images Field Tool). Each show or event we do is categorised by an MEID (Media Event ID) which is a unique number separating the jobs. GIFT allows us to download, select, edit and ftp our images back to Getty Images.
I usually shoot about six shows a day! The trick is, as soon as the show has finished you need to get back to the photographers’ centre and start working on the images from that show and aim to get as many sent to the office as you can. When I get home in the evening, I do a second edit of each show. I also shoot any celebrities who attend the shows and any big name models on the catwalk such as Lily Cole. I need to get these to the desk asap so they can get them to the newspapers.
I don’t really do that much post production. Getty Images’ policy on what we are allowed to do is very strict. We are allowed to do basic darkroom techniques – crop, levels, sharpen and curves and the odd bit of dodging and burning. We can convert the images to black & white, but we must send in the colour version as well, so customers have the choice of both.
I like to stay between ISO 320 and 400. It all depends on the light at the shows, but the main thing you need to watch is your white-balance. It is critical. It makes or breaks your pictures! It is a basic rule that you must understand when shooting catwalk. Learn to understand Kelvin when shooting different light sources: that’s my secret for people. Auto white-balance is great, but if the show is lit by tungsten lights or daylight, use the correct white-balance. Kelvin is really the best way of fine-tuning a white-balance shooting catwalk, but be sure to understand how to use it and it will make your pictures stand out.
My catwalk images are used everywhere, in newspapers, magazines and also online. For me I try to aim for next day usage in the newspapers, but there are a lot of photographers and agencies so you really have to think about creating something different, which will catch a good picture editor’s eye.
The great thing about how I shoot is that Getty Images allows me to shoot pretty much what I want, so the first thing we do in the run-up to London Fashion Week is decide which shows we will cover as we don’t cover all of them. We average about six shows a day and we try to keep photographers in the same area for those shows. One guy will stay at the BFC tent for the day, while the other two will do the off-site shows around London. The guy at the tent has the best deal, as he can set his laptop up in the photographers’ centre, he has his position all sorted and he doesn’t have to lug all his gear around London from show to show. That’s the easiest place to be, but it’s also the craziest when the shows kick off.
If I’m at the tent all day and the first show is at 9.30 (the show will definitely not start at 9.30 – everything in fashion runs late, so by the end of the day if you have a show at 9.30pm you can guarantee it will be over an hour late!), I get there about an hour and a half before the show starts to get a good spot in the photographers’ pit and to check on my spot.
The spots at London Fashion Week are decided by agency, photographer and a list. Spots are usually allocated the day before fashion week starts. A list is drawn up and it is down to photographers to get their names added to that list as this is the order they will be allowed in to mark up their spot.
The main catwalk shooters will have their spots dead centre and these spots are pre-allocated. Over the years, everyone has shot from the same spot and it’s just a rule that he goes there, so-and-so goes there and I go there, because that’s just how it is, and how it’s always been.
Once the main guys have done their marking up, the others are allowed in to get their spot. I have shot from the same spot for the last seven years and other photographers, who I am good friends with, have sat next to me – we all know our spots.
My advice to anyone wanting to shoot catwalk for the first time is to learn from the guys who have been doing it a long time as you will have to work around them. I had to do it and I learnt a lot from watching certain photographers work, seeing how they operate.
Before the show starts, I like to head backstage and see if there are any shots to be had there. Models getting ready and hair and make-up being done always make great pictures. The designers will usually always do a run-through before the show and you get to see the light that will be used, where the models will stop at the end of the catwalk and, more importantly, if they walk down the centre of the catwalk or to the left. This run-through also makes for good pictures; you have a bit more freedom to walk around, which you don’t have when the actual show starts.
Just before the show starts a few of us will wait to see if there are any celebrities attending and shoot them on the front row. To me this is really important, as the papers and magazines will run these sometimes over the show itself!
So we will shoot about six shows and then after that it’s straight home to do a second edit of the day’s work before getting to bed in the early hours of the morning. I try to grab as much sleep as I can before it all starts again in a few hours.
I wouldn’t say that the photographers’ pit is aggressive; it gets tense, but amongst the guys who have been shooting a long time, there is a great deal of respect. You have to respect the guys who have been doing it longer and I suppose there is a hierarchy of shooters. The worst part is when other photographers try and push into spots which aren’t theirs, or at the last minute when the lights go down, they run in and sit on the floor in front of you, but security usually deals with them. The odd photographer has been known to be thrown a few feet past you as the show is just starting.
For me the most essential thing to have with me is a good box to sit on – something that’s comfortable, as you spend many hours sitting down.
A lot of guys use a monopod, but I find it easier without. I like the freedom of switching bodies and I don’t use my
70-20mm f/2.8, I prefer an f/4. It’s so light, it’s great to handhold.
Finally, you have to have a good attitude; you may need to get a PR to help you get backstage, so there is no point in being demanding with her if your name is not on the list. You need them to be on your side and to want to help you.
If it’s your first time shooting catwalk or you have been a few times and are not shooting to a brief, just totally think outside the box. Unless you have to shoot each look on every model, try a different angle. Shoot from up high, shoot from the side, use a long lens like a 300mm or a 400mm for total detail, shoot in between the photographers from behind them to create a totally black frame with just the model in detail. There are endless angles. Try something different: explore what is around you rather than following the group.
Catwalk photographer banter is second to none, it’s incredible! It’s the best job in the world and even though I’m one of the youngest photographers shooting, I get to shoot alongside the best catwalk photographers in the world and we are all really good friends. I used to watch these guys work when I was younger. To now regard them as my friends and have them respect my work as much as I respect theirs is a great feeling.
- Average Article Rating 5 Stars
-
Your Rating
Login Required!
Sorry - You must be a registered user & logged in to rate this.
Login | Register
Back to Categories