very portrait photographer receives an occasional request to do a commercial or fashion shot, but no matter how good they are at portraiture, portrait photographers are seldom able to transfer their photographic skills to these very different markets. It's really quite simple if you understand a few basics.

In my seminars, I use photographs of a rose to explain these principles. The blossom represents the face and the stem is the clothing. Which of these photographs is a portrait shot and which is a fashion shot? The one that shows off the blossom (1A) is the portrait because it is the face that counts when photographing personalities. But in fashion, the clothing details are more important than the model's face. Therefore, Illustration 1B is more appropriate because the stem draws more attention than the blossom. It's all about drawing the viewer's eye to the proper place.

Minority Attracts Attention
A white dot on a black background draws attention. The same is true of the reverse. So how can we apply this to photography? We make sure that the most important picture element is in the minority, so it doesn't get lost in the crowd.

Color Strength Focuses Attention
Each color has its own "strength." If there were a scale, for example, from one to 10, a bright yellow might rate a nine because the eye sees it first. Bright red might be a seven, while blues are at the lower end of the scale. Sometimes this concept is explained by referring to colors that "enlarge" or "recede." By carefully considering the color balance in composing a shot, you can use the stronger colors to bring attention to the most important element of the shot. Or you can use the idea in reverse and neutralize the unimportant areas through the use of receding colors.

Contrast Draws Attention
My trademark in photography is the use of a warm light source on the subject while the rest of the photograph remains "cool." "Hunting High and Low" is a striking example of this principle. This photograph actually uses all the principles discussed here. The subject was photographed at twilight, with a warm tungsten light for illumination. The twilight makes everything blue (neutralizing principle) when using a neutral daylight film (5,500 K), and blue is a receding color (color strength principle). I chose to use a full aperture opening (f/2.5) to obtain the minimum depth of field. The shutter speed was slow enough to show movement in the water, further softening the unessential details. As a result, the sharpness of the subject contrasts with everything else (contrast principle).
I then used a warm tungsten light source (3,300 K), which is a hard light source, to further accentuate and separate the model from the soft, cold background (about 12,000 K). The warm tungsten light is then in the minority, and it is the complementary color of the extraordinary twilight blue; in Norway we call twilight "the blue hour."

Reflections
Many portrait photographers condemn flat lighting, yet we all know there are great shots taken with flat light. The fashion photographer who chooses to use flat light also chooses to use a makeup artist. Instead of forming the face with light, he forms it with makeup. As most of the fashion magazine cover shots throughout the world attest, when it comes to light, flat equals flattering more often than not.
Fashion photography of this decade is directed toward lifestyle photography, something I find fascinating. Influenced by this trend, we have added a whole new Lifestyle line to our portrait and wedding studio. We try to be open and influenced by all the branches of photography. It keeps life interesting.

Olav Kenneth Linge, M.Photog.Cr.,PPA Certified, of Sandefjord, Norway, is an award-winning portrait photographer whose roots are in fashion, cinema, and theater photography. A member of the XXV, he owns and operates Fotograf Linge with his wife Mary Lyn, and teaches seminars on fashion, wedding, and portrait photography.