Men’s fashion continues to shift and evolve. Now there are more types of men in fashion magazines, doing campaigns for retail stores, and on the runway. Taking pictures of these men is all about finding and creating the best lighting.
When you’re on the go, trying to do photoshoots in multiple locations, you need convenient and portable lighting to ensure you get the best images. Additionally, it’s essential to learn how to use and manipulate all the lighting available. Here are five ways to get the best lighting for men’s fashion on the go.
Use Portable Lighting Kits for Men’s Fashion
Photography requires many different skills and a creative eye to make fashion come alive on a page effectively. Using the correct lighting kits for men’s fashion means that you can go into almost any venue and get the look you want and need. Ring lighting has come a long way in recent years, and for some fashion photographers, they are the only lights they need.
Because of their design, ring lights flood a scene with just the right amount of light to ensure the model and his clothes are lit in all the right places. You want the clothes to shine and the model to look his best. The great thing about using portable lighting kits like ring lights is that they often include rechargeable batteries instead of requiring access to a plug. This makes it much easier to create the looks you want whether you’re in a studio or on the streets of London.
Manipulate Lighting to Highlight a Man’s Strongest Features
Fashion photography will take you anywhere from men in their underwear to photos of them in high-end suits and shoes. Amid this truth, models are chosen because of their unique features. Perhaps a man has an alluring smile. Maybe he has a fit body that looks great in the newest underwear. Or perhaps his strong jawline adds the perception of strength.
You can manipulate lights to highlight models’ features in fashion photography. While the clothes are what you’re trying to sell, the man’s look will help them sell. It’s why fashion designers choose specific models for a clothing line.
Try Various Angles of Lighting to Ensure Men’s Clothing Looks Great
Lighting is the most critical aspect of photography. It would be best to consider things like the brightness and directionality when you create a lighting setup for men’s fashion. While it’s regarded as a faux pax to light or take photographs from a low angle, these rules go out the door in fashion photography.
The most important thing to consider is whether the clothing in the image looks the way you want. If you want something bright, light, and airy, lighting from the front and a good fill light to wash out shadows is a great option. If you want moody and broody, you might have one strong light coming from a specific side of the model.
Pick the Right Venues for Men’s Fashion
Men’s fashion has a way of looking strong, bold, and powerful. Choose a venue that highlights these qualities. Architecture with strong details, solid lines, and even saturated color can be used to complement men’s fashion. The lighting at these venues should consider how you want the overall image to look in the end.
Additionally, photographing on a backdrop in a studio or another on-location venue can create simplicity in men’s fashion photography. It’s essential that the lighting and use of portable lighting match what you need in any of these venues.
Leverage Natural Lighting When Possible
Many photography beginners mistakenly think that natural lighting is the best lighting. The truth is the best lighting is the lighting that gives you the photograph you want. Natural lighting, however, makes a tremendous overall fill light no matter what you are doing.
Men’s fashion needs a combination of lighting sources, especially something from the front and sides, to ensure the clothing product is adequately highlighted and well lit. Too harsh front lighting without any back or fill light can create harsh shadows that may or may not be wanted—leverage natural lighting whether you are indoors or outdoors. Take photographs near large windows indoors or outdoors during the day to take advantage of natural fill lighting.
