Giveaway Ended: Lindsay’s Creative Studio Lighting Guide and a Kelly Moore Bag!! The winner is commenter #48, Lyndsey McDougall!
in demand NYC fashion photographer
I can remember the first time I found Lindsay’s website! I was like a kid in a candy store! She was perfect, her images were perfect, and I was mesmerized at the way she captured her subjects. And then I had the chance to meet her!
If I had a few words to describe her: hard worker, talented, down-to-earth, hustle! Lindsay’s work ethic and drive for her craft is inspiring. I have watched her over the years become the best in the business!
I love that she also doesn’t just keep it for herself, but she has a passion for teaching others how to be great as well. I’m so excited for you to meet her!
how did you discover that fashion photography was your ultimate passion?
Throughout my years photographing, I have tried all different types of photography. I’ve tried nature photography, photojournalism, family portraits, weddings, and much more. While I explored the different facets of this beautiful art form, I was always in love with photography but my heart and creativity never felt ‘at home’ until I found fashion photography.
I’ve always been driven to clean, bold and graphic imagery. I love rich colors, extremely graphic compositions, and images that demand a second look. Fashion photography was able to bring this all together for me. I took a class in college about the masters of fashion photography– Penn, Avedon, Watson, and dozens more. Their work truly spoke to me, enlightened me, and made me fall in love with photography all over again.
tip for you: don’t be afraid to experiment with different photography topics and read up on your favorite photography masters, it helps you to know what you really want to be photographing
Today’s Giveaway! Lindsay will be randomly answering 20 questions in the comments today! TO ENTER: Make sure you leave your questions or your favorite tip or inspiration you got from Lindsay’s words today in the comments. The winner will be selected from the comments. Lindsay is giving away her incredible Creative Studio Lighting Guide that shows you EXACTLY how to set up studio lights to achieve incredible results. We are also giving away a Kelly Moore Bag! You don’t want to miss this giveaway. If you know someone who has been wanting to master off camera lighting, make sure to forward this post to them!
you speak all over the world and have been named one
of the top 10 best fashion photographers in the world. It’s easy to look at someone who has ‘made it’ and say they were an overnight success. Typically, the truth of the matter is that there were years and years of hard work that led to being an ‘overnight success. What did your overnight success years look like?
I’ve officially been in business more than 15 years, and I experimented with a variety of fields of photography before I finally discovered my true passion in fashion photography. I started with a portrait studio in a small town in upstate NY with a business that photographed a wide range of subjects; families, weddings, senior portraits, children, and more. I ran this studio while also attention college and saved up enough money to finally move to NYC to pursue my passions. I’ve been in NYC 6 years now, and slowly I have been building connections, stronger editorials, growing my business and improving my work.
Seldom have there been times or incidents that I consider something that really helped me career to jump forward. Instead, it was a lot of little steps, tenacity and constant passion.
tip for you: it takes time to build a successful business, if you’re frustrated, keep going!
what three tips do you have for photographers who would like to break into the fashion photography world?
Build your network: The more people you work with, the more connections you have. Build a strong creative team of talented and business-minded hair stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe stylists and more. Each of these individuals not only strengthen your work, but they also help increase your reach to potential clients through their contacts and relationships.
Target people, not businesses: When you are trying to capture the attention of a particular client (even a big business), remember you are targeting an individual. Even if your client is technically the business, it is the people who hire the photographers. Figure out who the decision makers or influencers are, and then do your best to capture their attention or forge relationships with them.
Find and define your style: Having a defined style helps to make you memorable, and is extremely useful when marketing yourself. Figure out your key subject area, common visual threads throughout your own, and a common mood/feel to your imagery. Use these elements to help craft a cohesive style and body of work. This helps make you memorable to potential clients and gives your portfolio impact.
tip for you: choose one of the above tips and make it happen this week in whatever realm you are working in
Your work is so clean and bold and colorful.
you’ve achieved your own style that is so recognizable! How did you do that?
I recommend that photographers take a close look at their own body of work. What speaks to them most about it? What are common threads amongst their favorite images.
When I looked at my favorite images, I found that they were all fashion/beauty images. They all were clean, graphic and bold. When color was used, it was employed for cohesion, emotion and impact– typically a very saturated use of color.
Once I decided common elements in my favorite work, I gave myself assignments to shoot using these elements. Every time I would shoot I would think ‘clean, bold, graphic’ as I planned and execute the concept.
I recommend others try something similar. What is your favorite work? What do those piece have in common? Is there common subject matter, color palette, emotion, or other visual elements? When you discover common themes in your most powerful work, challenge yourself to utilize these tools and themes often in future shoots.
tip for you: to find your own style, choose your favorite 20 images that you’ve ever shot, look for the patterns and emotions you notice in each of them, ask someone else to do the exact same things with your photos
What would you tell a beginning photographer who would like to start shooting fashion work?
You will face a lot of rejection of your work. There is no doubt of it, no matter how good you are. Sometimes your work is not a good fit for a publication. Perhaps it doesn’t fit a particular clients brand. Remember that rejection is not failure. If you’ve been rejected, take it as a learning experience or perhaps that it wasn’t a ‘right fit’. Don’t let it slow you down. Don’t let it hold you back.
tip for you: if you’re being rejected, it doesn’t mean you’re a terrible photographer, it means you’re learning and it is NOT failure!
What are three things you’re thinking while you’re shooting?
1.What is the goal or main point of this image? What is the main concept, item or story that this image is about.
2. Are all the photographic elements of this image working together to further at goal? Is the posing, lighting, styling, lens choice, angle and composition all working together to emphasize or draw attention to the main concept of the photograph?
3. How could I add extra impact to this image? What extra little touches could give my images that extra ‘pop’. Could I use color, movement, styling or another element to add just a bit more drama and immediate impact to my photograph?
tip for you: be more intentional when you’re shooting, choose one of these questions to ask yourself at your next session or opportunity to photograph
How do you keep from freaking out when you have
someone famous in front of your lens or you’re doing work for a world renowned client? What was it like for you the first time you photographed someone famous?
I like to test out lighting or a set as much as possible before a bit shoot or photographing an important client. I try to remove as many variables as possible so I have control, confidence and cool on my set.
When photographic someone famous or of particular import, I try to have someone knowledgeable about their life and career on set to help them feel at ease and at home. I feel it is important to try to get to know your subject and make them feel welcome in the environment you have created to photograph them.
tip for you: find out more about your clients before they show up for a photoshoot
you have a lot going on in your life! you travel the world
teaching, photographing, and creating amazing programs for conferences, and CreativeLive along with your own tutorials on your site. What are your three tips for keeping up with such a busy schedule?
1. There is time for work, and there is time for play. When I am working, I work extremely hard, focused and for long hours. But when I play, I really reward myself. Certainly I have goals, but life is not just about the destination… it’s about the journey as well.
2. Outsource tasks that are not your strengths. As soon as I could afford to, I outsourced things like my taxes and bookkeeping. The time I spent focusing on them before meant less time dedicated to marketing and photographing.
3. Surround yourself with people that build you up. Get rid of the negative influences and people that are sucking your time and energy. This will make the absolute biggest difference in your life.
tip for you: declutter your life of things and energy
How do you use your Kelly Moore Bags?
How do you use your Kelly Moore Bags?I personally own several Kelly Moore Bags, and I use them throughout my life. As I travel the world, my Kate Bag is a fantastic carry-on to carry my laptop, camera essentials and the must-haves for international travel. Of course if I need a little bit more room for gear, I’ll select my Jude bag, which has the same gorgeous feel. I use both of these bags at photoshoots, for traveling to teach, and business meetings. I also use my B-Hobo bag when I want to just carry a camera and a lens for going out and about in NYC!
What Kelly Moore Bag is your go-to bag?
My Kate bag is my go-to Kelly Moore bag. I love its texture, sturdiness, stylishness, and ability to carry both my laptop and essential camera gear. It isn’t too big for me too manage, nor too small to fit the gear I cannot live without.
Join creative lighting master Lindsay Adler as she opens up an entirely new world of lighting and shares her favorite creative techniques. Gels, grids, and unusual modifiers — you’ll find it all here. High key, low key, dramatic, or glowing light — there is a wide range of light styles to fit whatever mood you want to bring to life with your lighting.
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of guides on studio lighting but none give you this range of creative looks with the exact information needed to recreate them. From beginner to advanced lighting, there are creative solutions in this guide that will work for you whether you have 2, 3, or 4 strobes at your disposal.
remember to enter
the giveaway for Lindsay’s Creative Studio Lighting Guide and a Kelly Moore Bag, share your questions or favorite tips from Lindsay in the comments below. Also, to get more awesome info from Lindsay and Kelly, make sure to leave your email address below. (When you sign up you’ll be added to both Lindsay and Kelly’s email lists.)