How to shoot fashion
Fashion
ICe series
How did I shoot the fashion series “Ice Series”? I really enjoyed working on this project. I have assembled a great team of people and I am very happy that I could work with talented Liberec designers Anička Střídová (dresses) and Denisa Markova (jewellery), students of the Master’s degree at the Technical University in Liberec. Violeta provided the perfect make-up and hairstyle, and Marek Pěkný and Tomáš Bonhard helped a lot in the studio. The talented model Kateřina Procházková, represented by Elite Model Prague, had an absolutely perfect performance.
Team
Violeta Silver
Kateřina Procházková
Anička Střídová
Denisa Marková
Marek Pěkný
Tomas Bonhard
Zuzana Fajmonova
Category
Fashion
Backstage
How did this series come about?
Every project of mine is preceded by quite a complex preparation and planning. I’ve put together a few tips for you on how to put a project like this together.
Before I start planning, I need a good idea. And this is, of course, the most difficult part. But thanks to jewelry designer Denise, I was almost served. Deny has produced a series of glass jewellery pieces that resemble ice in their production method. She sent me her yearbook annotation for the set, describing the jewelry as if it were real pieces of ice. The cold, the freezing of her hands, knuckles and face in the winter was her inspiration for making jewellery. When I consulted with her, I figured I’d flesh out her idea. And I could start planning.
Moodboard
A moodboard is actually a visual plan of what you’re going to shoot. Today I can’t even go on a small photo shoot without it. Thanks to it, I not only know what I’m going to shoot, but I also know how the whole scene will look, how I’m going to light it, what poses I want the model to strike, I know the color scheme, the space, what to bring and other necessary information.
I create Moodboard mainly as a kind of brainstorming. I save ideas for a long time and when the time is right, I start pulling them out and stacking them side by side. I usually use Pinterest or Instagram as a source of inspiration. I put the photos side by side and in the end I know exactly what the final project will look like.
Sketches
I make sketches for a lot of projects. I draw pictures from which no one can understand what will be photographed. For me, however, this is a sufficient point from which I can move away when implementing an idea.
team
For a larger shoot, a team of people is really an indispensable item. Until recently, I did everything myself. Yes, it can be done, but eventually you just can’t do enough. You don’t strike a pose, you don’t hold your own light, you don’t do your makeup as perfect as a pro. Start looking in your neighborhood. I often work with Mark and Tom. They are my former classmates from the photography studio. They’re guys, so they have power, they’re technical and they see what I don’t see.
Implementation
I decided to take this series of photos in an ice cube. I made it in my newly set up small studio from tin foil. If it weren’t for Mark and Tom, I don’t think I could do it alone. Sometimes my idea is beyond my ability to realize it :-). That’s why you need a team of people. A small studio was plenty for a photo shoot. I was shining flashes combined with a steady light. That’s how we can paint with light. It’s light alchemy, but incredibly fun!
ice jewellery
Denisa’s ice jewellery is simply original. That’s why I chose an original look for them. We painted the model with silver body paint to make the coolness of the photo even more apparent. I also deliberately chose a cold light colour. But sometimes I’ve done a few combinations with a warmer shade.
Tip No.1
Try shining only a hand-held, but powerful, flashlight.
Tip 2
Try unconventional poses.
Tip No.3
Play around with the colour.
backstage
Nowadays, video is perhaps more important than the photo itself. Spin if you can. During the half-day shoot, a short but still impressive video can be shot, which works as a perfect promo for all those who collaborated on the project.
They wrote about me!
They wrote a nice post about me on Czech Industry! I was very pleased that this ensemble was chosen by this organization that supports Czech artists.
This sentence is just amazing:
“Zuzka, as can be seen, is a great hope for the Czech fashion industry and we predict a promising future for her in photographic cooperation with companies that produce fashion or prepare the pages of fashion magazines.”
other projects
Are you interested in other creative projects that you can be inspired by?
do you want to work with me too?
Write to me!
I will create a project tailored to your needs.