Seven tips on photography

5. Consider a Monopod and a Bracket

Holding a DSLR and a heavy lens — or perhaps two, depending on the situation — can get heavy. There's not enough room at the end of the runway for tripods, but sometimes you might be able to bring a monopod to support and stabilize your camera. Runway photographers often also mount their speedlights on a bracket, so if you'll be doing a lot of this type of fashion photography, that might be a great addition to your kit.

6. Fast Lenses

You won't be controlling the light level, and may find this is a situation where a fast lens — a lens with a widest aperture of F1.4, F2.0, or F2.8 — may help you keep a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. Also, shooting at an aperture like F2.8 or F4 can let you create an image with the model sharply focused and the background thrown out of focus — a good effect in some situations.

7. Take Verticals

Runway photography means vertical shots. You are framing the model from shoes to hat, so turn your camera sideways. As well, this suits the pages of fashion magazines, especially if your goal is the cover. Most DSLR cameras have the option to add a vertical grip — which will make it easy to operate your camera in a vertical position. (Usually, they also let you add a second battery, which may be useful as well. It wouldn't be a good idea to run out of power in the middle of the fashion show.)

Did we mention: get there early, early, early?

To learn more about fashion photography, don't miss our article "Life at the End of the Runway".