Behind the Scenes - Fashion photography with Canon
How do you actually organize a professional fashion shoot? How does the whole thing work? We were able to accompany D?sseldorf fashion photographer Silke an Mey on one of her shoots and take an exclusive look behind the scenes of a fashion editorial photo shoot.
From the initial idea to the finished concept
Good preparation is incredibly important to ensure that nothing is left to chance on the day of the shoot. A mood board can be extremely helpful in collecting and sorting initial ideas from everyone involved and then developing a coherent concept to which everything can be coordinated.
For the fashion editorial, the choice fell on a floral concept entitled Magic Florals.
From the first idea to the finished concept
To ensure that nothing is left to chance on the day of the shoot, good preparation is incredibly important. A mood board can be extremely helpful in collecting and sorting the initial ideas of everyone involved and then developing a coherent concept to which everything can be aligned.
For the fashion editorial, the choice fell on a floral concept entitled Magic Florals.
Finding the perfect team
In most cases, a professional fashion shoot involves a whole team to ensure that everything runs smoothly: In addition to Silke as photographer, model Linnea Thoennes, hair & make-up artist Sarah Magdalena R?enholl and stylist Gianna Beine were on site for the Magic Florals shoot. All the outfits were coordinated with fashion designer Jessy Stuchly and the floral elements were made from real flowers by florist Susanne Schmitt.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II + RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon EOS R6 Mark II + RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USMSelf-made backgrounds
Silke and Gianna built the backgrounds for two of the four sets themselves from rolls of wallpaper. The backgrounds work great both with an open look and with pictures with a little more depth of field.
Homemade backgrounds
Silke and Gianna built the backgrounds for two of the four sets themselves from rolls of wallpaper. The backgrounds work great for an open-blind look as well as for images with a bit more depth of field.
The right location
As soon as the concept and the composition of the team have been decided, the search for a suitable location for the shoot can begin. In the case of the Magic Florals shoot, this was quickly found: The Touch up Academy of hair & make-up artist Sarah R?enholl. As the studio is flooded with light, it made sense to work with daylight.
The right location
As soon as the concept and the composition of the team have been decided, the search for a suitable location for the shoot can begin. In the case of the Magic Florals shoot, this was quickly found: The Touch up Academy of hair & make-up artist Sarah R?enholl. Since the studio is very flooded with light, it was obvious to work with daylight.
The equipment:
Canon EOS R 8 and EOS R 6 Mark II
The new Canon EOS R8 was one of the cameras used for the Magic Florals shoot. This camera is perfect for getting started with full format and impresses with its extremely powerful autofocus, thanks to which the perfect moment cannot be missed.
The EOS R8 is equipped with the same sensor as the EOS R6 Mark II, which means that both cameras create a similar image look and can therefore complement each other perfectly. Both cameras also have a tilting display, which makes shooting from different angles much easier.
Canon EOS R8 + RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Canon EOS R8 + RF 50mm f/1.8 STMLenses: it doesn't always have to be the most expensive one
You don't always need the most expensive lens to get images of true professional quality. Many of the images from the fashion shoot were taken with the compact RF 50mm F/1.8 STM, which is perfect for portraits and partial body images.
Silke used the RF 24-70mm F/2.8 L IS USM, which is a real all-rounder among lenses and therefore perfect for a fashion photo shoot.
Of course, the team also wanted to work with some unusual lenses, so the RF 85mm f/1.2L USM in the DS version and the RF 50mm f/1.2L USM were also used.
Lenses: It doesn't always have to be the most expensive one
To get images of true professional quality, you don't always need the most expensive lens. Many of the pictures in the fashion shoot were taken with the compact RF 50mm F/1.8 STM, which is perfect for portraits and partial body shots.
As a second lens, Silke used the RF 24-70mm F/2.8 L IS USM, which is a real all-rounder among lenses and therefore perfect for a fashion photo shoot.
Naturally, the team also wanted to work with somewhat unusual lenses, so the RF 85mm f/1.2L USM in the DS variant, as well as the RF 50mm f/1.2L USM were also used.
Tethered shooting with Capture One 23
Especially when - as in a fashion shoot - many people are involved, tethered shooting, such as with Capture One, is incredibly helpful. This allows everyone involved to follow the images live on screen and check once again whether everything is right.
Tethered shooting with Capture One 23
Especially when - as in a fashion shoot - many people are involved, tethered shooting, such as with Capture One, is incredibly helpful. This way, everyone involved can follow the images directly live on the screen and check once again whether everything is coherent.
Flashing with Profoto
When it came to the flash system, Silke chose the Profoto system, which impresses above all with its extreme reliability, excellent white balance and high-quality workmanship right down to the softboxes. The Profoto system is also easy and intuitive to use, making it the perfect companion for complex photo shoots. The Profoto B10X Plus was used in this shoot.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II + RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS
Canon EOS R6 Mark II + RF 50mm f/1.2L USMThe flash setups looked very different. From a soft light from just one large Octabox to a light setup with three flashes that illuminate the background, among other things, everything is included here.
The flash setups looked very different. From a soft light from only one large Octabox, to a light setup with three flashes, which among other things illuminate the background, everything is here.
A certain degree of spontaneity
But even if everything is planned down to the last detail, it can always happen that something goes wrong on the day of the shoot or at least goes differently than planned. Especially when you are dependent on the weather playing along or - as in our shoot - working with natural materials. So a certain amount of spontaneity and creativity should always be part of the equation.
If you're now interested in fashion photography and want to find out more, why not take a look at our live workshops with Silke at the Fototage 2022:
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