5 THINGS EVERY FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD KNOWIN ORDER TO GET PUBLISHED IN A MAGAZINEOn January 1, 2013 by Natalia Borecka for www.lonewolfmag.com

There is a lot of mystery around magazine submissions. “How do I get published?” you ask, “I’ve

tried everything I could think of and my fashion pictures are just not getting picked up by

magazines.” Here are five great photography tips, so you can produce the best editorials you’re

capable of and have your photographs finally published by a fashion publication.

1. Unless you’re shooting fine art, remember to always work with only the very best (agency

represented) models. You’re shooting editorial photography, which calls for an extraordinary

subject. So choose a model that has an otherworldly essence. We know your

sister/friend/neighbour is a beautiful girl, but is she so beautiful she kind of looks like something

from another planet? Casting the right model is an integral step in getting your pictures

published.

2. Switch up the wardrobe and submit at least 8 images! Frequently photographers submit 6

images, half of which feature the same outfit. Which means half of those images are unusable

from a publication’s perspective. If you’re running low on clothes, we advise that you broaden the

scope of your shoot. Why not photograph your models hands? Her feet? Why not grab a shot of

the location? Sometimes these “non fashion” images carry a story in beautiful ways you never

would have expected.

3. Get a hair stylist. There is nothing like a pro hair stylist to add that perfection to a shoot. Let’s

face it, from a photographer’s perspective, makeup and/or skin is easy to “fix” in photoshop, but

hair is next to impossible. A holy truth about humans is that we are endlessly fascinated with

good hair. This is in part because it is such a rare thing to see in reality, and partly because it is

incredibly difficult to achieve without the help of a professional. When you see a beautiful

hairstyle you instinctively know how hard it would be to pull off on your own hair. Make sure your

model has “difficult to achieve hair” and you’re guaranteed to have editors gushing over your

photos.

4. Be cohesive! Your approach to every editorial should be similar to a movie director’s. Each

shot helps to tell the overall story. This is what we mean by “fashion editorial photography” – a

series of cohesive images that serve some kind of narrative, usually fashion related. Sometimes

things don’t work out the way you planned – it happens! So carefully edit out any wardrobe and

makeup looks from your shoot that don’t flow with the rest of your theme.

5. Editor’s love nothing more than the good old analog camera and film combo. Throw in some

pretty clothes and a beautiful model and you’re ready for publication. It’s sort of fool­proof

strategy. There’s something irresistible about the texture and gritty quality of images that were

taken the old school way. As we all know, in the age of digital photography shooting film can be

such a pain in the ass. But keep in mind that, generally speaking, the more effort you put into

your images, the more that effort is reflected in the quality of the art produced. Above all others,

this is the golden rule for getting your work into a magazine: The harder you had to work for your

images, the more likely that they will get published. Simple as that.

ALSO WORTH NOTING: there are exceptions to every rule, but if you want to play it safe we

advise steering clear of the following fashion cliches: Flower wreaths in hair (every month we

receive hundreds of photography submissions with this accessory featured throughout);

Bathtubs (especially with flowers floating in them); Train­tracks; HDR: Broken Doll; Black

balloons on a rooftop overlooking a city/empty parking lot; Model­as­magical­woodland­creature

in H&M clothes.