Paris Fashion Week through the iPhone lens

As the Fall 2019 collections continue to be revealed at this year’s fashion season, we’ve asked fashion photography expert Patrick Sawaya, photographer to share his top tips to capture all the best highlights from the runway using iPhone.

Patrick shares "Fashion photography stands out more than any other kind of photography in our insta-life, especially during fashion weeks. From the runway to the alleys and streets of Paris, there are so many fashion icons, stylish outfits, and inspiring trends to capture.”

Tip 1: Look out for a light source: That is the first rule. If it’s an indoor fashion show, look out for a light source and have your model stand towards the light, not behind it. If you’re shooting outside, have your model pointing towards the sun.

Tip 2: Compose your shot: You want to build character into your photos. To do that, try putting your subject in front of an interesting background. Clean, plain background or interesting architectural walls would make the perfect shot to showcase fashion looks.

Tip 3: Play with the angle: Ever wondered why the models in your photos might look short or slightly unflattering? Experiment with different heights in which you capture people. I personally recommend positioning your phone towards your waist line. The silhouette will look flattering as if taken by a professional.

Tip 4: Choose an orientation: Portrait or landscape: Fashion pictures are mostly shot vertically. Besides the models being beautiful, so does the runway itself. I always recommend capturing the closing shot of every fashion show with a horizontal shot as you get to see all the models walking down the runway with the set built for that particular show.
Tip 5: Portrait Mode: An amazing feature to use for close-ups on your iPhone is Portrait mode. Experiment with it for all the makeup or jewelry shots. Use the Studio Light to brighten facial features. I also recommend Stage Light to isolate your subject in the spotlight for a more dramatic look and feel. You can even adjust the background blur with Depth Control.
Tip 6: Smart HDR: One of the features that helped me get great shots in high contrast settings and retain more vibrant details and colors from the thematic runways is Smart HDR. This is a built in feature in your iPhone XS and iPhone XR, and it works across your photos.