Fashion Catalog Photography
Fashion catalog is different from hardware store catalogs: you are selling style, vision and image, not just function. You’ll need good understanding of style you are offering and what vision would be appropriate to market your products to the target audience. An effective catalog must blend two flavors described below with some creative twists.
Editorial/lyrical flavor
Suggest a lifestyle solution using your products—-don’t just describe your products. Realistic but still one level above reality, a simple and effective message can be sent through an image of your product on model (or set) on location, with carefully planned production. The images in this category can be finished in a range of styles, such as dramatic, dreamy, etc., and they are an excellent choice for your website landing page (front page), the top page of each product category, and cover pages of your printed catalogues.
In case of small items, this goal can be achieved by still life photographs with styling for context. Don’t show the item in isolation, but show a group of items arranged creatively, to suggest a style or simply reinforce the brand image.
Literal/descriptive images
J.Crew, Eileen Fisher, and a wide range of internet/mail order clothing catalogues use the simple and elegant “catalog look” for a very good reason. It does show fabric texture, shape and color in a very accurate and appealing way. Small products, such as bags, shoes, other accessories and jewelry are typically photographed on tabletop for this purpose. The most basic style is to photograph them in isolation, usually against a white background or a shadowless white background.
Ordering process
Due to the nature of custom work, the work typically starts with initial consultation, followed by cost estimation. Please figure out the approximate number of total items, images per item, and images in each of the three categories above. The estimate will be based on these numbers, the nature of products, the nature of styling work required, and other relevant factors.
