Should You Start Making Fashion Films? Moving Image in Fashion Photography

You may or may not have noticed that I’m trying to * slowly * start incorporating more fashion film in my work. I met a wonderful cinematographer called Fraser Stephen just over a year ago, and we’ve been collaborating on moving image projects ever since! But why? Do you need to be a director as well as a photographer in 2021? Let’s discuss.

For the last few years, especially since DSLRs have had video making capabilities, the demand for photographers to also make fashion films has vastly increased. Add the growth of the internet to that, and social media and it means that brands now also want to feature video just as much as images. Video is engaging - we all know that! My university degree was thankfully quite forward thinking, and in our second year we did spend a whole term studying video alongside photography, because they knew that video would be in demand by our clients.

And they were totally right. These days it’s not unusual for a client to ask in an email: “Do you do video as well?”

For years, I’d dodge the question, or just say “No I don’t” and hope that they’d not need it too much.

But after a while, you can’t really ignore the fact that it’s something clients need, and I can’t deliver it.

So at the start of 2020, I decided that I’d try to find a “video solution.” It all started totally by chance when I was planning an editorial for a magazine. I was on The Dots, and at the last minute just a few days before the shoot thought: “I wonder if I could find a cinematographer who would be interested in joining us on the shoot day?” So I put a call out on the platform, pretty much just on a whim.

It worked!

A lovely man called Fraser Stephen replied and said that he was free and would love to join us. He asked me what I was looking for, and honestly I didn’t know what to tell him. Up until that point, I’d never worked with anyone doing video alongside my shoots… ever. So I was winging it completely (but I didn’t want anyone else to know that, lol).

The shoot day went super well, and Fraser and I worked incredibly well together. It was perfect - he handled the camera, and brought all the kit. I gave him a few pointers of what I was looking for in the shots, he shared his ideas, and together we made a really lovely short film, which you can see here:

Then lockdown happened. I told myself that I’d watch loads of Youtube videos and finally learn what I needed to learn, but it just never happened. I have too much to think about with still images as it is! Videography is totally, totally different to photography. The way the camera works is different, the way you brain needs to think is different… it’s all really different. So I pretty much gave up learning how to do it myself.

Up until October 2020, there wasn’t much video being produced at all. I was in Cornwall until August, COVID got in in the way of most production, and all the shoots that I did, didn’t require video. It wasn’t until I moved to Berkshire in August, and began to shoot again that I called Fraser up.

I was shooting an editorial for Tirade Magazine, and asked him if he’d like to come along. Once again he agreed (this is a recurring theme with Fraser, he’s amazing! Always so keen). That shoot went so well, and you can see the video that we created, this time alongside editor Alicja Rymarowicz and colourist Marty Webb, right here:

After creating this all together, I really began to see how beautifully the videos were complimenting the imagery. I also began to receive more and more feedback from clients that they loved the videos - and did I have any more?

Fraser and I have since created one more fashion film (out soon) and have plans for loads more. I’ve got to say, I’m absolutely loving directing and bringing in an element of moving image, even more so when I get to collaborate with such talented and lovely people.

So should you start to incorporate video into your work?

Honestly if you can, I really would recommend it. It’s highly in demand at the moment, and makes you stand out massively. Clients’ eyes really brighten up when I now tell them that I can offer them video as well as photography, so to me it’s been totally worth the investment. I’m choosing to go down the route of directing, and collaborating with a team like Fraser, Alicja and Marty. But you don’t have to do the same as me. If you’re feeling drawn to learn the mechanics and want to be the person doing the whole process, go for it! Personally, I don’t have the additional energy at the moment. I’d rather focus on what I’m good at (concept creation, planning, direction and photography) and leave the technical stuff to the real experts.

The beauty of working with such skilled people is that I automatically learn new things each time I shoot with them. Without fail, whenever I’m on set with Fraser or any other cinematographer, I learn something new, and I love that! I’m also just so excited about what this means for the future, and how much I know I’ll be able to bring to my clients now that I have this as an additional offering.

So how do you feel about moving image? Is it something you’re doing already, or want to start doing? Or are you not even going to think about it? I’d love to know!