Basic Fashion Photography Equipment

Discover the different cameras and lenses you need for photo shoots, plus Viridiana’s favorite accessories

Viridiana is a very successful fashion photographer specialized in publishing, whose clients include Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan. Her photos all reflect her experiences, which creates incredibly expressive images.

She uses a range of analogue and digital cameras, along with other items and accessories, including reflectors. This video teaches you everything she knows about the equipment you need for fashion photography.

My Favorite Equipment for Fashion Photo Shoots, by Viridiana

1. Canon 6D Mark II

This is the photographer’s faithful companion and main piece of kit. It’s a reflex camera, which allows her to increase the ISO (for example when shooting in low light), without making the image too grainy. And its lenses are compatible with her other cameras.

2. 24-70 mm Lens

This is another must-have. Its range allows Viridiana to shoot models, create portraits and also to capture the setting and take shots at a distance.

3. 50 mm Lens

This luminous lens allows her to get close to the subject.

4. Batteries and memory cards

Photo shoots often take place outside where there’s no access to electricity. Viridiana affirms that it’s essential to keep your camera batteries fully charged, and to carry more than one with you whenever you can. You also need more than one memory card so you don’t have to worry about counting your shots.

5. Analogue cameras

Talking about batteries, memory cards and an electricity supply reminds Viridiana of the obvious. You can always use a traditional analogue camera to avoid any issues. Analogue devices will also give you much more personal, artistic results.

Cameras that use 35 mm film are always a good choice. Viridiana also loves her Polaroid 440, which uses FP100 paper.

6. Olympus EE-2

Splitting a 35 mm negative into two gives you really interesting effects, like fragmented shots, blurred light and other surprising results.

Viridiana also uses disposable cameras, which give her a variety of results over which she doesn’t have much control.

7. Medium format Argus

Viridiana saves this treasure for special occasions. Because it’s almost impossible to find film for it. She loves the overhead viewfinder as it helps her see things from another perspective.

8. Reflectors

Viridiana uses a 5 in 1 model with a diffuser, a white reflector, a silver reflector, a golden reflector and a black reflector to cover a range of photo shoot situations.

Love Viridiana’s list? Remember you can learn how to create a fashion story, from mood board, to photo shoot, to the edit, in Viridiana’s online course: Editorial Fashion Photography Step by Step.

English version by @studiogaunt

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- Fine Art Fashion Photography, a course by Jvdas Berra
- Directing Models for Photography, a course by Eduardo Gómez (Alter Imago)
- Silenced Bodies: The Photographer Capturing Female Beauty
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