Fashion Archives - Page 7 of 9 - TimeLine Media Blog

May 8, 2015

Event, Fashion, Photography, Sports | 0 comment

Ice-Skating Fashion Show

Tysons Corner Center

If anyone asked me if I would ever photograph and ice-skating fashion show, I would ask them to check their globes. This sounds like something that would happen in Canada or Norway, not in metropolitan DC. But here I was last January covering a fashion show held on the ice rink on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center.

If any of the models look like they are cold, they were! I know because I was extremely cold. And with the large buildings going up around the Plaza, the wind was also a player in the extreme weather! These models were definitely troopers going through with the show in these conditions like they were out on a beach in the Caribbean.

While the models were changing and getting a little blood back into their extremities, the audience was treated to some talented ice skaters! They have a similar look to the ballroom dancers that I have a lot of experience covering, but they move so much faster! They have beautiful lines and lifts that look so daring from the sidelines. I tried to keep up with the skaters, but I would love the chance to photograph them again now that I know a little more of what to expect.

When I was given this assignment, I definitely went in with only a small amount of confidence that I would be able to pull it off. I had a few more frames that were not worth keeping. I should not think of it as a failure as I know my percentage of ‘keeper’ photos was much smaller from the ice skaters. That is the challenge of doing action photography. There are so many difference conditions and circumstances that you would not have the opportunity to set things up perfectly for the camera. But you bring as much knowledge as you can as the music starts to play, and you do your best. I’m still looking for the next time to be much better.

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May 15, 2014

Event, Fashion, Photography, Portrait, Technology | 0 comment

Simplifying Backgrounds

The rules of composition for photography mirror the rules of composition for writing. If you think back to writing class, the best stories are ones where the subject is clear. All of the distracting elements of extraneous words, or descriptions that do not directly contribute to the narration. The same is true in photography. In an image, you have a subject, and the surrounding foreground and background. When composing images, simplifying your background will make your subject stand out, and will generally make for a stronger photograph.

Seagull at the end of the pier - ©TimeLine Media — Seagull at the end of the pier – ©TimeLine Media

When I am working a scene, I am always conscious of the background when placing the subject in the frame. If there is an easy way to position myself so that I can anticipate where the action will pass through an area with a non-distracting background that is where I will position the camera. In the seagull on the pier photos, the distant shoreline is far enough away that it is out of focus. It helps that the bird is tilting his head in a funny way!

To further simplify the image, I moved in closer to the bird, and zoomed in as far as it would go. This removed the dark green line of the shoreline, and makes the background only two colors – the water and the pier planks.

In another scene this dachshund was walking on a sunny driveway. With lots of cars, trash cans, toys, and other distracting things in the area, I waited until she moved to a clear area before making the exposure.

At the recent fashion show, having a nice clean “step and repeat” background covers up the storefronts, and other people in the area. You can help separate the subject by waiting until the model is at the end of the runway which is as far away from the back as possible, and opening the aperture as far as it will go before releasing the shutter. Now, the clothes will easily draw the viewer’s eye due to the brightness and sharpness of the subject.

Fashion Show - ©TimeLine Media — Fashion Show – ©TimeLine Media

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703-864-8208

May 12, 2014

Event, Fashion, Photography | 0 comment

District Fete – Pentagon City Fashion Show

Brooke Ryan hosting the Pentagon City Fashion Show - ©TimeLine Media

Arlington, Virginia

The photos from today’s post were from a fashion show produced by District Fete at the Pentagon City Mall as part of the “Indulge” event for mothers as a celebration of Mother’s Day. I have worked with them before on other shows, and they always have a professional setup with stylists, makeup artists, and models. On this occasion there were many professionals working hard to put on a good show. Consequently, I tried my best to make good representative photos of the looks on display.

Pentagon City Fashion Show - ©TimeLine Media — Pentagon City Fashion Show – ©TimeLine Media

Since I had lots of space at the front of the stage, I setup two flashes pointed towards the runway. Many of these shows are photographed with available light. This works when there is a lot of bright constant light setup. For this show, there was no additional light from the ambient light of the mall interior. The addition of the flashes helps to make the colors really stay true to the clothing, and makes for a much cleaner image.

Runway Fashion Show

The show was hosted by Brooke Ryan from Mix 107.3. She kept the show flowing with description of all the looks as the models walked the runway. The models for this show did a great job showing the fashions, giving me lots of opportunities and different poses with each outfit. I had to adjust my shooting position between shows since I was a bit close to get a good composition without having distracting backgrounds to take away from the models.

For the second show, I did have a good shooting position. I was able to keep the models in front of the mostly black mall banner. This really helped to pop them out from the background, and it made it easier for me to keep them in frame. It was also easier for them to see me, and look right into the lens as they walked.

Thanks again to District Fete for producing such a professional showcase! I hope to work with them again on future projects. Pentagon City Mall is a great venue to host fashion shows with their beautiful open spaces and many stores available to pick up the fashions on display. I would enjoy the opportunity to make more photos there again.

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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Runway Fashion Show

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