10 top tips for shooting fashion photography

Ukrainian fashion and commercial photographer Jaroslav Monchak specialises in tightly composed, superbly lit and stylish portraits infused with nuanced storytelling. His clients include international brands and top fashion magazines and, in order to deliver the high-end shots they demand, he needs to be on top of his game technically, particularly when it comes to lighting.

Based in Lviv, Ukraine, the Canon Ambassador started taking photographs in 2005, shooting mostly landscapes and macro images. "When I eventually tried portraits, I discovered they always offered me something new – new emotions, new people, new energy," he says. "I enjoyed it so much, I decided to take it to the next level and bought my first DSLR and a 50mm lens. After a while, I was able to turn pro and open my studio, where I taught myself how to work with light. Once you've mastered how to work with light, as well as how to handle the camera, everything else falls into place."

When it comes to capturing the essence of high fashion today, the Canon EOS R5 is the only camera for Jaroslav. "The overall fantastic image quality makes it possible to give the photos to the client immediately after the photo session, without even processing them!" he says. Jaroslav switches between the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM lens, which allows him to shoot with a wide aperture – ideal for scenes cloaked in low light – and the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM, which affords him the quality of a prime with the versatility of a zoom.

Jaroslav's photography school, Lighthouse, has helped thousands of students, so he knows a thing or two about getting the best out of both models and photographers. "I tell my students to start with a close-up, and encourage them to gradually pull out to include hands, shoulders, hips and legs in the frame. But always gradually; there's never a need to rush," he says. "Do not regret a single click! This method helps to gradually encourage a person's natural behaviour, behind, as well as in front of the camera."

Here, Jaroslav explains his techniques for fashion photography and shares 10 tips for capturing pro-level beauty and fashion shots.

"I prefer to work on location but sometimes it is necessary to work in a studio environment. If you want to create a studio environment, I recommend making the space as dark as possible, as it's important that daylight doesn't interfere with your scene. Use a strobe light or a Canon Speedlite to focus interest on the model, and the light from a pilot lamp to focus and see where the shadows and highlights are. In the studio, I usually shoot at shutter speeds of about 1/125 sec."

"I prefer to use a constant studio light or a studio strobe, but a ring light – usually a single circular fluorescent bulb or several connected small LED lights in the shape of a circle – can also be useful for shooting fashion and beauty. Lighting accessories, such as softboxes, umbrellas and reflectors, can affect the look and intensity of the light. Another useful technique is to play with the direction of the light and the distance between it and the model. All of these choices affect the character of the light that you create – and the best way to learn what works and what doesn't is to experiment. For soft light, I position large softboxes close to the model; for hard light, I use standard reflectors, 15-20cm in diameter, or a tube – although that can be harder to work with because it casts harsh shadows. The larger the softbox, the softer the light will be; the smaller the area, the harsher the light.

"If I'm out on location, or shooting in the street, I sometimes pair a 60 x 60cm portable softbox with a Canon Speedlite 430EX portable flash (now succeeded by the Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT), which gives me interesting light in places where there is no access to mains power."

"Modern Canon cameras, like the Canon EOS R5, make it possible to get accurate colours immediately, which do not require processing or filters. That said, I still recommend photographers make all possible and optimal exposure and white balance settings before and during the photo shoot. For example, one of the first things you need to do before you begin shooting is adjust the white balance, and reset it each time you move to a new location. The colours you see in real life will then be the same as the colours you see on screen and in print. The camera reproduces colours faithfully, but if you're in a scene where the light is particularly warm or cool, or with lighting from several sources, things can get tricky. If you're new to fashion photography, the camera presets are useful, but to shoot like a pro, take a shot of a grey card and tell the camera to set the white balance using the Custom WB setting."

"Choosing the right camera is just as important as lighting. I need cameras that can perform in all conditions and deliver high-quality results. When I need that extra high resolution, I opt for the 45MP resolution EOS R5. The image quality and colours produced are incredible and so true to life.

"For video shooting, I love how the EOS R5 gives me the opportunity to shoot in 4K and change the proportions in the finished video. For example, I can make a horizontal video vertical for social media, with minimal loss of quality."

"For fashion and beauty shoots, I used to prefer the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. It was my first ever zoom and I'm just as happy with it today as I was the day I bought it. But nowadays, I usually prefer the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM. This lens is incredible because it's kind of a mix of a fixed and a zoom lens. The f/2 aperture is almost like that of a prime, but at the same time it offers a really flexible range of focal lengths. These qualities make it convenient for all sorts of photography, not only fashion shoots.

"I'll also use the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM because it's a lens that has very good sharpness and blurs the background at the same time. I get a good opportunity to highlight the model or the main object from the background.

"When it comes to composing the shot, I recommend experimenting with all the focal lengths you have at your disposal, which is especially convenient if you have zoom lenses. It's also a good idea to play with angles for something more unusual. For a more traditional shot, learn the basic rules of composition – the rule of thirds or the golden ratio, for example, but don't forget about creativity where breaking the rules can also produce an interesting result. Photography is creativity!"

"When you're shooting fashion and beauty photography, the focus, more often than not, should be on the model. That might mean a full body shot if you're highlighting an outfit on a fashion shoot, or just part of the model if you're shooting shoes, accessories or make-up. Autofocus is helpful, and fantastically reliable on the Canon EOS R5. If your subject is moving – jumping, walking away or dancing, for example – switching to Eye Detection and Tracking AF helps you to follow the model and keep them in focus. Autofocus speed is important in fashion photography, because you often have to take dynamic photos and the speed of autofocus becomes decisive, which is why features like eye tracking are so useful."

You can also use the Touch & drag AF settings on your EOS R5 which allow you to use your finger to change the focus point on the camera's LCD screen.

"I once photographed a female psychologist and told her to relax and not worry. After that, she advised me never to say to models in such situations, 'Relax, you're tense', because this makes the effect even worse, and the model starts to tense up even more. Instead, just start with some nice, simple natural poses and tell the model that everything is going great. After a few minutes, you will see how the model starts to pose and look more natural.

"Some photographers prefer to use fast continuous fire modes, but this is too fast for my style. I prefer to create photos with an interval of 2-3 photos for one second. This creates a more considered, calm approach, which also helps to settle the model."

Starting with a longer lens could also procvide a little more space for the model, and once you've gained more confidence, you could use a shorter lens with a wide aperture.

"If you, as the photographer, are the initiator of the project, then it has to be your responsibility and goal to motivate your team as much as possible. Stylists, make-up artists, the model, your assistants, everyone! You need to inspire them and convince them how important it is that everyone invests their energy to make the project happen, exactly as you want it. The whole team needs to be on the same page, and that comes down to you and how you manage your team. The easy thing here is you can pick your team – people you trust to do the job. To do this, I recommend you know what you want to get out of the photo shoot in advance. In many fashion projects, the process of preparation is very important. Make a mood board so you can communicate exactly what you want and need with the rest of the team. These visual aids will really help you to explain your vision.

"Other times, usually on big commercial projects for a creative agency that has been commissioned by a particular brand, the agency will pick the team – a large team consisting of contractors who you don't always know and who work for the creative agency, rather than you. But you still have to be able to lead and inspire people. Unfortunately, just taking good photos is not enough; you need to be a leader too."

"And that's it. Once you know how to work with light, the camera, the model and the team, you've got it!"