Editorial Photography Portfolio Collection for Fashion Magazines

This report discusses the complexities of developing professional photos for premium fashion magazines, including beauty shots, collection shots, and macro shots. It highlights the signature styles of Vogue, I-D, and Harper’s Bazaar, and the digital editing techniques used to create striking images.

Editorial portfolio
collection

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY......................................................................................................................................3
Beauty Shot for I-D magazine..................................................................................................3
Collection Shot for Vogue magazine........................................................................................6
Macro shot.................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................11
INTRODUCTION
When it comes to photography and shooting professional shots of models or high profile
fashion magazines, one must possess a special set of skills needed to ensure that the work is of the
best possible quality (Caldeira, 2020). In order to create a proper portfolio of striking images that
displays a quality snap which adheres to a premium or predetermined theme, there are various

digital technologies that must be carefully practised and mastered over time in order to make the
best possible impression on people. Simply clicking a stylish photograph is no longer enough to
make a noticeable splash in the industry and the natural looks of the people who are getting framed
in these pictures must be supplemented with proper make-up skills, quality lighting tools and
knowing the art of picture composition (Pattman and Bhana, 2021). This report will highlight the
processes involved in developing photos for high profile magazines detailing the major work that
goes behind undertaking such complex tasks.
MAIN BODY
Beauty Shot for I-D magazine
This type of photography are often made with the view of showcasing the face cut and the
facial features of the model and it is typically done with focusing on the head and shoulders portrait
of the model in question (Martineau, 2018). Such photographs are often taken with the help of
quality focused cameras and the models are often made to create unique facial expressions or use
prosthetics and inspired memorabilia to create a unique photograph (Sargent and Sargent, 2019).
The first task that will be executed in this report is the beauty shot for I-D magazine which is a
major fashion magazine launched by Terry Jones in 1980 and has gained major dominance over the
fashion magazine industry over the years and has influenced great things (Moore, 2021). The
magazine specializes in beauty shots and captures the various models in the most unique ways
possible through great and quirky facial impressions, strong and socially defiant and empowering
makeup and the magazine looks to blur the line between masculinity and perceived feminist to
make its magazine photos as inclusive as possible (Keist, 2018). In order to develop a photo for
magazine I-D, the following points must be duly met which was taken into consideration with
urgency.
 The magazine uses minimal but extremely alluring and attractive makeup which makes the
face pop in beauty shots and enhances the faces of the models
 The elements of lighting used by the magazine are often contrasting in nature and brings out
the best in the models
 The beauty shots taken by magazine I-D are very innovative in nature and serve as a great
introduction to photography for beginners which is why simple digital techniques must be
used
 The beauty shots for magazine ID contain natural flair and environmental props to give
subliminal messages about natural beauty and sustainability which must be included

Through rigorous market research, it was found that the target audience of magazine I-D is
15 to 24 year old females which are looking forward to seeing innovative aesthetically pleasing
photographs which feel great to the eyes. To create this photo, I decided to use a male model with a
sharp and elongated face cut with a classic modern hairstyle with front styled bangs which served as
a unique aesthetic and a hook to attract the people who read the magazine and come across the
photo (Anastassakis, 2022). The model was made to dress in a plain white shirt which is a classic
that goes with every photo theme and I also created natural contrast of the shirt with minimal
lighting used with a background which is fitting for the style of magazine I-D (Long, 2019). The
model was also made to use butterfly props wherein one of his eyes were covered for a great natural
aesthetic that should appeal to the target audience of magazine I-D(Wu, Liu and Chen, 2018). As far
as the makeup was concerned, it was made personally and was used to give a minimal shine to the
model's face and make their eyelashes pop which creates attraction appeal. After the photo was shot,
it went through a series of digitally made edits which consisted of some adjustments made via
Photoshop and the final result has been displayed herein which is sure to serve as a great tribute to
magazine I-D (Gómez Cruz, 2020).

Figure 1 Final Beauty shot for I-D magazine

Collection Shot for Vogue magazine
The collection shots are special photographs which are full body shots showcasing the entire
body of the model and the whole look of the dress they wear and their personal look which are all a
part of one comprehensive package (Kurkdjian, 2019). A fashion line is different from collection as
it refers to all the clothing which fashion designers develop for one specific theme or category of
their business. However a collection on the other hand refers to the different styles which a designer
produces seasonally as a part of a special event or Photo-shoot for the purpose of aesthetic
magazine covers (Crawford Camiciottoli, 2020). Vogue magazine is one of the most popular
publications on a global scale which deals in the domain of lifestyle and fashion content and
photography and is world repowered for the premium showcases it does through celebrity
partnerships and luxury brand collaborations. Established in 1892 as a weekly, newspaper, the
company has come a long way to becoming regionally available in 26 countries and being a pillar
of the fashion and photography industry (Lebovic, 2019). When it comes to the target audience of
Vogue, it is mostly comprised of young people, mostly women aged between 20 to 40 years who are
very ell educated and trendy and love to acquire in-depth knowledge about the latest trends and
happenings in the world of fashion and lifestyle (Welters, 2020). The collection photo shoots of
Vogue are built around a major theme which is not necessarily tied to seasons but explores the
journey of a celebrity or helps counter perceived notions of society (Dennin, and Lee, 2018). One of
the best examples being that of Harry Styles whose photo shoot with Vogue create major headlines
and controversies as he was dressed elegantly in a skirt which is against everything that a
heteronormative society views of men. By making such a major celebrity dress and shot like that,
Vogue captures social media points, hype all the while creating brand awareness (Fardouly, and
Rapee, 2019).
In order to create the perfect photo for Vogue which is applicable to its standards, I was
inspired by what the magazine did with Harry Styles and went for the same route and the finished
result is presented herein.

Figure 2 Final Collection shot for Vogue magazine
This look fits the recent Vogue trend which focuses on presenting the softer and more
sensitive side of men which often gets ridiculed in broader society in the veil of homophobia and
bigotry (Wright, and Matusik, 2018). The clothing was kept in a classic colour combination with
floral prints running through the frock and the upper attire which matches the unique style of vogue
which is vibrant yet suave and comfortable at the same time (Bonds, 2019). Special attention was
paid to the hair of the model with forward bangs providing a modern look with minimalistic length
and as far as makeup is concerned, lip glosses, eye brow flickers, eyeshadows by beautybay and
glow highlighters were used to make the photo look as ‘Vogue-like’ as possible (Rudd,and House,
2018). The photo went through minor touch-ups in the post photography phase with minor
backgrounds and lighting adjustments as the contrast was way better this way and the final result
was both true in sense to the coolness and social empowerment that is the signature of Vogue
(Ritland, 2018).

Macro shot
This final category of portfolio which was developed as a part of this project was unlike any
other as compared to beauty shot and collection shot, macro shots are extremely different and
require a whole new set of skills and imaginative capacity to pull off (A.M. and Apugo, 2020).
Macro shots are extreme close-ups of body parts and anatomy to focus on one particular element
such as eyes, lips and mouth in order to develop a very different type of effect for the intended
audience to see and grasp (Fang, and et.al.,2020). Macro shots are often used by fashion magazines
to showcase their stylishness and creative flair to win over audiences or to attract their attention a
particular piece of content or information. When it comes to the major fashion magazines around
the world, one of the best ones that comes from the United States of America is Harper’s Bazaar
which is a monthly fashion magazine which exclusively targets the female audience (Long, 2019).
The legacy of Harper’s Bazaar is longstanding as it was first published in 1867 and has gone on to
define the high profile female fashionista market niche as its company philosophy is to be the best
fashion source for women who are the first to purchase the best, from both casual and couture
(Bishop, 2021). It is evident from its company philosophy that the target market for this magazine is
women of varied age spectrum ranging from 20 all the way to 60 who are well studied, love
travelling and like to spend money on obtaining luxury goods and experiencing luxury experiences
(Pasternak, 2020). When it comes to replicating the signature style of Harper’s Bazaar who has a
great legacy lasting multiple decades, a close inspection reveals that most of its photographs and the
style of capturing people and their views is sophisticated, elegant and provocative as one of the best
ways to survive and thrive this long in the hyper competitive fashion industry requires controversial
and bold outlooks (Hux, and Dinnes, 2019). In order to recreate the style of Harper’s Bazaar to
capture a macro shot, I chose to focus on lips as they are a very provocative part of the human
anatomy and glamorizing them through digital photography produced great results, the final version
of which is listed below (Talemwa, 2018).

Figure 3 Macro shot for Harper's Bazaar magazine
The first decision that influenced the development of this photo was to use a person of
colour as the model as Harper’s Bazaar has recently committed towards undergoing massive pushes
towards inclusion and sustainability and fashion industry is notorious for not giving women
belonging to minority backgrounds and melanin rich skin tones a chance to showcase their beauty
(Oliver-Smith, 2018). The use of heavy and glamorously shiny shade of black goes well and creates
a provocative and bold combination with the skin which has minimal makeup out on to focus on the
natural skin beauty instead (Davies, 2020). This photo was also digitally altered to smoothen and
flatten out some rough patches in the skin and perform final clean-ups to make the lips pop out in
the frame as they are the centre of attraction and just like Harper’s Bazaar, are built to steal the
spotlight (Johinke, 2019).
CONCLUSION
The above report went into detail regarding the various complexities which are a part of
developing professional photos for premium fashion magazines which are all catering to different
market segments and have their own trademark style and approach of taking photos for their outlets.
This report included various types of photos which went into separate portfolios which were then

subjected to various forms of digital editing. The report included beauty shots which cover the
heads and shoulders of models, collection shot which is a full body photo shoot and a macro shot
which consists of extreme close-up’s. It was concluded from the report that all magazines which
dominate the fashion industry such as Vogue, I-D and Harper’s Bazaar all have their signature style
which is very tough to replicate without using proper digital photon editors and software’s.

REFERENCES
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Talemwa, M., 2018. Analysis on the use of photography (phone camera) by MTSIFA students in the
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