It might seem obvious, but the key to fashion photography is, well, the fashion. Too often I see young SA photographers that aspire to be fashion photographers, posting beautiful images of models, with little to no thought as to how the clothing is shown off. If you want to work on campaigns and big commercial shoots, the key is to make the clothing look amazing. Surely no one wants to do agency portfolio tests for their entire lives?
In this Rorschach shot of mine, I had an idea of the composite image I wanted to create, but I knew before even considering the post production, I needed to nail a main shot of the model and outfit looking amazing, once I had that I was able to build the rest of the shot around it. I wanted to make it look like a skull, but as the name suggests, I love that everyone has a different interpretation of it.
Never blame your gear, this is shot with a single light in my garage studio. People often feel a white background is limited, yet pick up a Vogue and I will practically bet my camera that there will be shots in there shot on white. Add mood and emotion with your lighting, your composition, and you can create an emotive image on a white background. Less is almost always more.
I feel it is very important to have your own unique idea in your head before you start shooting, but don’t be afraid to adapt the idea around the circumstances on the shoot. If you have complete control over the creation of an image, then often the result can look static and a bit lifeless. I am at my best when I have an idea, and then I allow the fashion, the model, and each member of my creative team, to have an input. That’s one of the reasons why I love shooting on location. We are at our most creative when we have to adapt.
Tim’s creative team for this shoot:
Model – Jes Forber from Boss Models Johannesburg
Stylist – Conrad Roselt
Makeup artist – Maria De Vos
Connect with Tim online!
www.timhulme.co.za
www.facebook.com/timhulmephotography
www.instagram.com/timhulmephoto
www.twitter.com/timhulmephoto
Interested in which Nikon gear Tim uses for his fashion shoots? 
Check out the list below:
Nikon F501
Nikon F
Nikon D750
Nikon D800
Nikon D500 with Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 lens
Nikon 80-200 f2.8
2 x Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRII
Nikon 24-70 f2.8 VR
Nikon 24-70 f2.8
Nikon 105mm f2.8 macro
Nikon 50mm f1.4D (Tim’s favourite lens)
Nikon 28mm f2.8D
2 x Nikon SB900
Nikon 24-120 f4
(click on the image to enlarge)