To start, I just want to say that I’m not writing this because I consider myself a success in the fashion industry.  While I am quite possibly a failure at being fashionable, I am not actually in the fashion industry right now, and arguably never did “work” in fashion (see: #5).

So what qualifies me to write about this industry? I would describe myself as a formerly aspiring fashion photographer, a part-time video marketing entrepreneur with some retail clients (in The Advocates), and a full-time advertising Producer (read: my beloved day job). I was  inspired to write about my experiences in fashion because I was recently asked for advice by a university student on breaking in to the industry.  In the process, I realized how much I know and how tough it is to know where to start.  I offered this aspiring young stylist, who identified her career goal as becoming the next Grace Coddington (Vogue’s Creative Director), as much realistic but hopefully helpful advice as I could.   Having met with her, I wish to do the same for you, dear reader!

Although my examples come from my fashion experience in Toronto, they are aimed at aspiring creative freelance professionals everywhere — photographers, stylists, make-up artists — and hopefully will be useful to you no matter where you plan to offer your creative talents.

#1. Go for Giselle and the Point and Shoot

I heard this once, and it really stuck with me as a way to sum up the importance of models: if forced to choose between the BEST photography equipment available, but photographing an unexceptional model, vs. a dollar store point-and-shoot camera, and having Giselle as your model – go for Giselle.

Giselle, by Mario Testino for Vanity Fair

OK, look at the above photo. Now imagine a friend standing over this city vista instead of Giselle. I don’t know about you, but I’m picturing something like a tourist snap.

While photography technique is still important (see Tip #4), don’t forget this: no technique can make a photo “fashion” for you. By contrast, a good model who moves well can make it fashion for you, just about all by her damn little smokin-hot-Brazilian-self. Mario Testino is known for low-fi photography, so I don’t think there’s any fancy technique being overlooked in the above photo.

So what does this mean to you, dear aspiring creative freelancer? Make sure you’re building your book with real models AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

Most of you will probably have to get started by networking with non-professionals like yourself (stylists, make-up artists and girls who want pictures taken of themselves) to get a few creatives under your belt, possibly via www.modelmayhem.com. Model Mayhem is very useful, but don’t get stuck in the Model Mayhem vortex of thinking you’re not good enough to move on, or that there’s “not really that big a difference between these girls and agency models anyways.” Is that your fear talking?

As soon as you feel you might have a shot, go to the modeling agencies and show them what you’ve got.  I’ve always thought www.nextmodels.ca was good people and quite supportive of new artists. Keep visiting a few agencies every 6 months until you get a “Yes” to using their models. Once one says yes, the rest of the agencies will start to say yes. Once they say yes – throw out all your old pictures and start building a real book. (On that note, don’t invest $ into your pre-agency model photo shoots, e.g. on locations.)

A caveat: though a model makes a shot, fashion is ultimately about selling clothes. So for photographers, although maybe photographing people is the most interesting part for us, best remember to practice making clothes look good from the beginning (well lit, flattering to the model, showing texture, showing the movement – pay attention to all that stuff).

#2. Make Sure Your Work Has That Certain “Je Ne Sais Quoi”

I sometimes I see beautiful portraits of beautiful models by aspiring fashion photographers, that somehow just don’t look like a fashion image.  What’s the missing element?

Some might argue it’s the clothes, but I’m not so sure that’s it.

Kate Moss by Peter Lindbergh

The above photo of Kate Moss is a very memorable fashion image to me.  Who cares that she’s wearing overalls?  To me there’s something about this  juxtaposition of suggested agricultural poverty + this beautiful but sort of plain girl that is just cool. It’s artistic, a cultural context or something. Maybe art is in the tension.

If you’re not sure whether or not your photographs are cool, you might be in trouble. It’s a bad problem to have, because it’s a tough problem to fix. I’m always much more optimistic about the careers of photographers who have limited technical ability, but styley-ness coming out of their eyeballs (hellooo Terry Richardson).

That brings me to the next stop you’ll need to make after you’ve started working with the modeling agencies: the creative agencies. Try to hook up ASAP with Jr. make-up artists and stylists from creative agencies (in Toronto it’s www.plutinogroup.com or www.judyinc.com). A good team can elevate a photographer by bringing fashion, and equally importantly, creative vision to the table.

# 3. Be the Right Person for the Job

One thing I’ve learned (from the creative side, and in my role as an advertising Producer) is that when clients are selecting artistic talent to produce original work for them, they like to feel they know what they’re buying. A defined, known commodity. I know… not how artists like to think of themselves. But this is the business of fashion.

Clients feel confident when they can say to themselves (or to their boss), “Yes, I’ve picked a person who specializes in masculine portraits of men” or “fashion surrealism” or “candid street style.”

Remember, to get hired, you don’t need to be the best overall artistic talent – you just need to be able to perform consistently at what the client wants you for. To that end, always remember that in your potential client’s eyes, you’re only as a good as the worst image in your book. (They’re thinking, hmm, “I could get this here. But I could get thaaat there.”) I don’t think it’s a problem if clients or the industry sees you evolve your skills over time. But it is a problem if YOU don’t recognize when some of your work isn’t great, or isn’t up to your current snuff, and you’re still using it to represent your service offering. So, be ruthless with your portfolio editing. It’s better to show even just 4 good stories (3-6 images per story) than 30 images with some crap mixed in.

Differentiating yourself is a fine balance – show too narrow of a range in your portfolio and you won’t be considered for enough opportunities. Show too broad, and someone else may be seen as a better “fit.”

Hopefully you are extremely talented and your style just flows out of you all natural-like, and you won’t have to think about icky marketing. But if it’s not quite so for you, it’s a good idea to position yourself by looking at a combination of your competitors offerings, market demand and your strengths. Practice describing your differentiating style in 1 sentence, and don’t be afraid to let it evolve.

I think in some ways my starting The Advocates with Angela was a matter of surveying the competition and picking a focus. There’s a lot fewer players in video than in photography, for now, and even fewer who have an affinity for fashion. That allowed us to start working paid jobs with brands like Harry Rosen a whole heck of a lot faster than if I had been pursuing photography.

#4. Don’t Let Your Weakness Be Your “Thing”

Although you may need to differentiate yourself to get hired (see #3), when it comes to actually doing the job, you’ll be expected to be a well-rounded professional, prepared to handle a variety of demands that may come up.

Even if your weakness ultimately informs your strengths (i.e. “I suck at accessorizing, so I’ll make clean androgyny style my thing”), don’t be a moron about it and not work on your weaknesses anyway. I would especially direct that towards the self-taught school like myself who can miss important basics. You don’t want to end up in a position where you’re asked to do something that someone of your experience level should know how to do, and you choke.

An Embarrassing Story About Me For Your Amusement

I love natural light photography and got into the field thinking that rather than try to compete with the masters at studio photography, I’d just make natural light photography my “thing.” I did practice with strobe studio lights here and there and could get by, sort of.  However in my limited studio experience, one thing I hadn’t happened to do is rig a seamless paper background (I always shot against a white wall in a loft I used to live in, or used set-up spaces).

As it goes, a few years ago, my biggest break yet in photography came in the form of a last minute referral to replace a photographer for a magazine editorial.  It was to be shot in studio with two models, and the job would require me to provide a large, seamless paper backdrop. Setting up the backdrop seemed so straightforward to me that it didn’t even rate as a concern for the shoot. Put the paper roll on stand, hoist it up, done.

While on set, I began hoisting up the bar that the paper roll sits on. To my horror and confusion, a “runaway toilet paper” effect started to occur – the paper would not stop unrolling, building up a lot of momentum, until nearly all the paper was on the floor.

After stepping away from the clients for some frantic phone dialing, I found out (from the first photographer friend that I could get a hold of) that these seamless paper rolls need to be clipped (see below) at the desired stopping point. I didn’t have any clips, though I did figure something out. Had I done some in studio photography assisting to buff up my studio skills (as I had always been meaning to do), this never would have happened.

#5.  Hang in There. It’s Not Quite as Hard as Becoming a Rock Star (or is it?)

So, you’ve mastered your craft. You’ve differentiated yourself. You’ve shot editorials for a couple of magazines even – amazing!!! You have a solid book and have been at it for maybe 2, or 3 years.

But NOW is when it gets hard, because you’re STILL not making much money at it, and you’re not sure what your next steps should be.

Here’s the rub with working in fashion: until you break into the upper crust – the circle of people who “Work” – the creatives that elite brands want, and trust, to sell their products – there’s basically no money to be made.

By the numbers, I’d guess there are thousands of aspiring fashion photographers in Canada (if you can count the ones who’ve never set foot in an agency – see #1), and only approximately 10 photographers who book MOST of the paying fashion brand work. There is an even smaller group of stylists who get all the work. So wow… I actually can think of more Canadian musicians who’ve made it big than I can photographers.

I think the (well known) reason for a lack of paid work for middle of the road photographers is that competition is so stiff, most people will take on anything resembling an “opportunity” for next to no money (or free). And I’ve seen a million photographers, like this guy, cry about it. But to that I say, sir, I promise you  – there are some photographers making money. Just not you.  Don’t whine about people undervaluing your work. Look at the reality (it’s called a free market) and decide if the sweat and tears of pursuing this career is worth it for you.

It’s no coincidence that most of the successful photographers have a  bit of gray hair. It’s because they’re old… j/k. But really, even if you’re very good, to get somewhere you will (possibly secretly) work other jobs year after year to make ends meet, and network like crazy. Until suddenly – BOOM – you’re “in!” I know a great stylist who for years was struggling, but she kept at it, and just this year it seems like all of a sudden the dawn has broken for her. She has entered (or is very near to entering) “the circle.”

I don’t know as much about the experiences of those looking to work at an agency or magazine, but I do know that the starting salary for modeling or creative agencies, offered to the minority of people who are lucky enough to get a job after interning, is a grand total of about $25K.  And you’ll be expected to work hard and increase the agency’s bottom line for it, because while it may not seem like much to you, it’s a lot of money out of a small business owner’s pocket in an industry with tight margins. You’ll need to be a star to stay employed.

One Last Thing: There’s Always Geoff

I have to point out that some talented f*ckers are virtually overnight successes, like photographer Geoff Barrenger. Here’s how Elle.com describes the start of his career: “A tall, lanky kid in regular jeans and a grey T-shirt, his hair grown midway into a ‘fro, walks into a modelling agency with a portfolio of pictures (schoolmates and the odd vacation shot) — not too promising a scenario. But for then 21-year-old Geoff Barrenger, it was the tipping point that launched him into the world of fashion.”  So hey, you can always just warm your heart to the thought of Geoff if things are seeming a bit frightening. It could happen for you too.

Have something to add? Agree /  disagree? Helpful / not helpful? Or if you just actually read this whole thing – let me know!

Thanks for reading.

Alice