Top Portfolio: Best Fashion Photographer in Delhi

Okay, so you are looking for the best photographer in Delhi or anywhere else in the world for that matter, I sincerely hope that this post helps you in your pursuit.

First things first, finding the best photographer for your portfolio or project can be quite a task. You ask why? There’s nothing like the best artist in the first place. There are a bunch of variables and you would need to zero on a photographer while keeping your shortlist within all the practical constraints. Here are a few pointers that might just help:

1. Settle on a genre: The first and the foremost thing to do is to settle on the genre. The idea is not to choose the genre that goes best with the brief of the project and not by what your company goes usually with. So if you are a high fashion brand looking to give your end customers a peek into the production process of the fabric you use, I would suggest you get a documentary photographer for the project. Most photographers have their work spread into two or three of the following, any more than than and you risk hiring a jack of all trades, master of you know what.

a. Fashion Photographers: Apart from the obvious fashion portfolios and look books for fashion designers, a lot of fashion photographers also excel in shooting glamorous ad campaigns.

b. Documentary Style Photographers: These are your go to photographers when you need to communicate a story, mostly through a series of pictures. Documentary photographers are brilliant wedding photographers too. Almost all of the good wedding photographers I know have that eye thanks to the dozens of documentary photography projects they have executed with finesse.

c. Portrait Photographer: Although most fashion photographers would love to do portraits too, but the best portrait photographers are usually not the fashion photographers. They are a different breed, they are used to working with people and not models. The make you throw those expressions and flirt with the camera, which come like second nature to the best of the models and actors. Get yourself shot with a good portrait artist and you would be amazed to say the least. And in case you live in Delhi, consider your self lucky as there seem to be a bunch of best photographers in Delhi who specialize in portrait photography.

d. Travel Photographers: Travel photography requires a very different skill set. Many amazing travel photographers that I know are not professional photographers at all, does that take away any credit? Not at all, in fact I envy a bunch of them. Travel photographers have the patience to wait for long hours, days at times, to get that perfect shot. And an eye to spot that shot, which can be matched, if at all, by the documentary photographer.

e. Still Life Photographers: Still life photographers are usually extremely specialized too. Ever seen those jewellery photos with that impeccable sparkle, yeah you got it right, its them.

f. Commercial Photographers: Most ad campaigns in Delhi are shot by best photographers who specialise in commercial photography. Again, having said that you should definitely take a call based on what your project calls for and not go with a commercial photographer just because its your flagship print campaign.

g. Food Photographers: Food photographers have the skill and the eye to make pretty much anything look drool-worthy. They often use non-edible oils and other ingredients to get that look in photographs.

2. Know what you are looking for: This is by far the most important question you can ask yourself. If you look at the work of a photographer and completely imagine yourself in it, that’s the guy you want to shoot your portfolio. If you need black and white portraits for yourself, it would be amazing to commission a photographer who has a bunch of beautifully shot black and whites in his pictures.

3. What gear does he/she use?: Don’t even give it a thought. No amount of fancy gear can make a monkey take brilliant pictures. Does it help? For sure it does, but probably not as much as you would want it to. Well, there’s certainly a hygiene factor that needs to be there, but beyond that its all the same. For example, you should never commission a billboard campaign to an amateur photographer with a 15 megapixel entry level DSLR, but beyond that its irrelevant.

4. Budgets: That’s important. Since there’s no set rate card when it comes to photographers, things get a little tricky. You should definitely have a budget in mind and shoudn’t exceed that as far as possible.

5. Production Logistics: I advise all my clients to be actively involved in the production process. When I go out for a photoshoot there’s certainly my fee involved which depends on how much time it takes for me to plan and execute the shoot, but a lot also depends on other production calls. Would you like to do it in a fancy location 300 kms from here or would a white background in the studio just work well? Would you like the new celebrity supermodel in your campaign or would a pretty looking model work equally well? These are questions that again impact the overall budget and timelines for the project, it would be great if you can think that through. Plus, your photographer is going to love you for that.

6. Locational Constraints:

Think ahead in terms of how you want the shoot to look like. If you think you would need a beach in the shot and the shoot is just meant for your next instagram or facebook campaign, it might just turn out a lot cheaper to get a model and a photographer in Goa than flying a fashion photographer from Delhi along with his crew of three assistants and two models to a beach location. Again, it completely depends on the kind of project and what’s at stake.

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