Marissa Elman | Fashion & Photography

Marissa Elman is a lifelong lover of fashion and photography.

5 Iconic Fashion Designers

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The fascination with fashion has been around for centuries. When Cleopatra reigned, she was considered a fashion icon, as was Marie Antoinette, and in more modern times Duchesses Kate and Megan, but the real stars are the designers behind the fashions and their incredible talent that melds fashion into art. Here are five of the most iconic designers.

 

Coco Chanel

The name is synonymous with fashion, and even those who don’t follow fashion recognize the name. Coco Chanel created styles still used by the fashion house today, including the quilted bag and tweed suit. She is also responsible for creating one of the most Famous perfumes of all time, Chanel No. 5, used by icons such as Marilyn Monroe.

 

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen’s designs can be recognized even without a logo. There is a thin line between fashion and art in his designs. His shows were just as complex, sometimes even shocking, but always memorable in their theatrical displays. His collections had a clear theme and story. His designs featuring skulls are some of his most popular and beloved.

 

Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent began as an apprentice to the famed Christian Dior. Yves Saint Laurent blended art and fashion with his Mondrian collection, featuring striped color-blocked dresses that became famous in the 1960s. He also made created the Le Smoking suit. a menswear-inspired suit tailored for women. Today, his fashion house is still considered the epitome of style.

 

Oscar De La Renta

Famed for his feminine, elegant designs that have been worn by a myriad of celebrities, royals and dignitaries. His fame catapulted in the 1960s when he dressed Jacqueline Kennedy. He would go on to design several more dresses for the First Ladies of the United States. In 2014 he designed Amal Clooney’s French lace wedding gown.

 

Diane Von Furstenberg

Diane Von Furstenberg rose to fame after she married a German Prince, but she is now most known for changing dresses forever with her iconic jersey wrap dress design. She has always understood that women want flattering clothes that make them feel powerful. The wrap dress remains popular today and is the one item heralded time and time again as the article a woman must have in her wardrobe.

What Is The Best Time of Day to Take Pictures?

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The ideal time to take pictures varies for each individual because aesthetic taste differs from person to person. Apart from artistic taste, it also depends on the photographer’s artistic preference and any significance they wish to convey through lighting effects. While cloudy skies may have a melancholic effect on some, cloudy weather may bring back long cherished jocund childhood memories for others. This subjective view can influence both the photographer’s preference and the viewer’s interpretation.

 

An objective view, however, considers the photogenic significance of a particular hour of the day to determine what could be the best time of the day to take pictures. For instance, some believe that “Golden Hour,” which occurs at sunrise or sunset, is better suited to take pictures while others favor “Blue Hour,” which occurs a little after dawn before the sun is fully visible on the horizon.

 

Advocates of Golden Hour consider it best to take pictures in the golden glow of early morning and sunset when the landscapes are suffused with warm radiant colors. Obviously, the radiant sunlight makes it an ideal time to take pictures, but some of its drawbacks make people consider other options. For example, during Golden Hour, light changes swiftly and constantly which often leaves a speculative artistic mind disconcerted. Because of its short duration, the better your time management in Golden Hour, the better the shot.

 

Alternatively, Blue Hour is a favorite with many people when the colors are permeated with extra blue hue. Contrary to the bright colors of the Golden Hour, the light at this hour is relatively softer. As the light from the sun falls indirectly on the subject, this time is best suited to make some natural objects in a landscape striking and others shadowed. If you choose this hour, be assured that this is the best time to capture natural beauty but be warned that its duration is even shorter than the Golden Hour.

 

Shooting pictures during the daytime mostly needs tricky manipulation of daylight and shadows to produce the best photographic effects. Shooting on a cloudy day or in the shadow of a building will let you have even light to capture a perfect shot of your subject’s features. On the contrary, taking pictures in the broad daylight may disappoint you by creating unwanted shadows of prominent features like nose, ears, or even eyes. There are many factors that play into the best time of day for your purposes, so considering all options and making an appropriate choice can help improve your photography!

Photography Editing Tips for the Digital Age

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With smartphones, everyone has a high-quality camera in their pockets these days. Some professional photographers even use cellphones to do their work. However, even with a great camera, not all pictures look great. When it comes to professional photography, the editing process can make a world of difference.

 

Editing Apps

Rather than wait to download photos from your phone, you can edit them on the same device! From the built-in editing app (which has some great capabilities) to the multitude of third-party apps available, photo editing apps can enhance the quality of your pictures. There are limitations to the app programmed on your device, so using multiple apps can benefit you. Whether you want to touch up blemishes, adjust the contrast, or add a filter, apps are a great advanced way to edit your pictures.

 

Layers

Tools like Photoshop and Lightroom are great for editing pictures, but knowing how to use them is part of the challenge. For the best results, it’s important that you recognize the function and benefits of layers. Layers can help you make temporary changes to color, tint, contrast, and more; if you decide you don’t like the effect, it’s easy to simply delete the layer and start over. Using layer masks also enables you to make edits like color swaps to only selected areas of the image. When making multiple small edits and trying new effects, knowing how to use layers can be a lifesaver.

 

Dodge & Burn

When editing your pictures on a device, this is a great technique for adjusting the lighting to your own specifications. Based on darkroom methods, dodging and burning aids in making the subject of your picture stand out. Using this method can help even out skin tones, create a sense of depth, and balance out contrast.

 

Consistency

By using the same program(s) to edit all your pictures, you can create a standard for yourself and your customers. However, if you want to really establish yourself, consistency is key. What this means depends on the photographer. Maybe you want all your images to have a similar palette or the same temperate. It’s also important that you ensure consistency across your subjects. If you are photographing the same individual or setting multiple times, you should strive to edit them in a similar fashion; if the shade of your subject’s skin or the hue of your focal scenery varies too greatly without artistic purpose across pictures, this could reflect poorly on your editing skills.

 

Editing your pictures is much easier with the aid of digital tools, and you should learn how to best utilize them to get the best pictures for your portfolio and clientele.

3 Secret Cheats for Powerful Fashion Photography

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Marissa Elman: Fashion Photography

3 Secret Cheats for Powerful Fashion Photography

If you’ve ever tried your hand at fashion photography, you’ve probably discovered that it’s not quite as easy and intuitive as you might have thought. Anyone can dress up and have their picture taken, but fashion photography is about something more — capturing the drama and movement, the mood and impression, of a wearable art form in a static image. That’s not easy, especially when beautiful clothes are made to interact with the wearer as they move about their daily lives. To produce an image that is true to the spirit of the clothes and therefore makes them interesting and desirable to the viewer, you’re going to need to think creatively and pull out all your best tricks. Here are a few simple tips that have served me well:

1. Eye Contact

The model doesn’t need to be sustaining eye contact with the viewer, but they do need to be making eye contact with something. Think about the emotional reaction you want to elicit. A model looking straight into the camera is arresting because it creates an engagement between them and the viewer. Powerful eye contact almost breaks the “fourth wall” and connects the viewer directly with the image, drawing them in.

You can also have your model look off screen, focused on something in the distance. Make sure, however, that they are actually focusing on something, no matter what it is. Viewers can tell the difference between a meaningful look and unfocused, bored eyes. Looking out of the shot creates a sense of mystery and intrigue, forcing the viewer to wonder what they see.

You can also have two models look at each other. This creates a story inside the image, and the viewer feels they are witnessing an interaction in process and must read the emotions passing between the models. It can even be somewhat voyeuristic, but it’s certainly engaging.

2. Play with the Angle

The classic fashion shot puts the photographer on a lower level, looking up at the model. This elongates the model’s body, slimming and lengthening her. It’s a great go-to shot, and a good one to have in your back pocket. Still, rules are made to be broken. The shot works well, but that means we’re also used to seeing it. Don’t be afraid to switch it up and experiment a little. Shoot from a side angle, or get up above your model on a ladder. Try having them on the edge of the shot, almost out of the frame. It’s always worth it to try, you may just hit on something great!

3. Get Moving

Remember what I said about clothes interacting with your daily movements? The best shots manage to capture that interaction in a static image. Try having your model move. They can walk, run, jump around, or just change positions and let you catch them in the act. There will be a lot of duds, but the shots that work will be much more engaging than those of a posed model. Even if you are doing a posed shot, have the model constantly shift slightly, turning their head or moving their arms and changing their expression. The viewer will get a sense of that movement, and since the model is less able to control their pose at all times, there will be a touch of candidness to the shot.

 
To keep learning how to take beautiful fashion photos, check out this 101 resource.