Fashion Photography

 Fashion photography has been around for an extremely long time, the first recorded set of fashion images were in 1856, by a photographer named Adolphe Braun, He published a book of 288 images which enter the category we know now as fashion photography.

Adolphe Braun captured the images that set off the fashion advertising and creative side of fashion and extreme clothing. His images included a model named Virginia Oldoini, a noblewoman of Tuscany. Braun’s images resemble what fashion is in this modern age, with the subject dressed in exemplary clothes, showing off their top class line of fashion.

With Braun introducing fashion photography, his models were not what they are today. Without the option of editing the image after it was taken, he had to capture the image in the utmost natural form without altering it. Braun used woman in any shape of form, not being picky on their appearance, this could be because for one; he did not intend to set off a revolution of a new style in photography. Two; he possibly had intentions to create portraits for higher classed people in the era.

A few years later, a photographer named Martin Munkacsi started using woman to model in various locations to show off the fashion line/ clothing. He was most known for getting woman to model around beaches, in different positions and stances. This took place in the year 1936, after people began to notice the unique and somewhat ‘sassy’ look that fashion photography introduced, it fully blew up and was most recognised by men.

Rich and higher classed men would all go out and by themselves a camera so they could compete with top class photographers and get joy out of capturing women posing for them.

Once recognised, fashion photography became one of the highest selling sub categories of photography leading to Fashion magazines.

Fashion photography has become a harsh and renowned type of imagery. Leaving ideas in people’s heads on what is good, and what is not, this can be seen in two lights.

Fashion photography has made the world create their own ideology on what a ‘beautiful’ woman should be, how much she should weigh, what colour hair she should have, what height she is and what type of clothes she should wear.

Obviously with such a controversy stationing itself into people’s minds is creating a very stereotypical world. Making men and woman think twice about what a woman/ man should be. Leaving judgment all to looks.

When is an image a portrait or when is a fashion photograph?

Difficult? Yes, with such a broad set of photography ideas in the modern age, it is hard to tell the difference in some circumstances.

Portraits have been mixed in with what people should look like.

The certain trait portraits have over a fashion image is in essence of capturing the individual and their personal traits, regardless if they have makeup of specially designed clothes, the motivation behind aportrait shoot is to capture a person in their own form. 

Fashion Photography has a different approach on people, it is solely to market and show off items that are often for wholesale; such as clothes, make-up, jewellery, handbags, perfume's etc. 

The most contridictive aspect of fashion photography is that the models all have to be exact to the criteria, 'size 0' waist women. With this, it obviously gives off an impression that in order to have these products, you need to be the 'perfect' woman, judgeing people is only one of the traits people in the modern day have grasped due to the media showing off what a person should look like, not what or who they are. Fashion photography targets the audience who believe that with the marketed products, you can be that beautiful, there is no doubt this is a lie though.

an example of a portrait image, solely to capture a person's essence can be taken from a photographer called Diane Arbus, there is more information about her in my Portrait Photography article.

A good example of a fashion photographer is Thomas Kettner, he is a modern day 'artist' creating amazing images for fashion. Kettner aims to give every image he takes it's own personality. He attempts to create a unique image everytime he clicks the capture button on his camera.

Kettner was raised in South Africa, then moving back to germany a few years later.






One of the biggest Fashion magazines in the world is Vogue, With a massive franchise all over the world, they are the lead headliners for the fashion industry. What they aprove of, is what the world should see as fashion.

Vogue started out in 1892 by a man called Arthur Baldwin Turnure, he soon died a few years later, Vogue was first a weekly magazine that was solely for America. Vogue only really kicked off in the s'sexual revolution' as it appealed to all the men and boys at the time due to the women, at the same time, the fashion for women provided something for them to look at and maybe even be a part of in order to please their man.