Getting the Best Fashion Show Pictures without a Press Pass

No matter if you’re a blogger, an intern or launching your own fashion brand, the more pictures you can take, the better, right? Fashion shows are notorious for showcasing incredible theater that is moving, memorable and painfully hard to shoot. Overhead lighting, sweaty dressing rooms and the blur of a million other flashes can make even your best-laid plans for snapping a few fantastic shots impossible. But don’t let the fashion police fool you: not only can you go to fashion shows, you can get some great pics that you’ll own the rights to for use down the road.

Wear the Right Outfit

No matter how cute your little lazy day sundress is or how much you really don’t want to put on pants, remember that so many people would kill for the opportunity to be part of such a lucrative and creative industry, so dress accordingly. You should have elements of the cutting edge of fashion mixed unexpectedly with wardrobe staples that do not have to be expensive. But they do have to fit like a glove. Check your local Goodwill and find a good seamstress for the occasional alteration. The beauty in wearing vintage is you know that no one else will be wearing the same. For a dressier event, consider Rent the Runway.

Bring the Best Camera

Even your most vintage, hipster-looking camera is most likely not allowed without a press pass. If you don’t have one, make sure you have the best phone possible for taking the highest resolution pics possible. Samsung phones — both the Galaxy Note 5 or S6 Edge — have a 16 megapixel camera allowing you to zoom in and see couture details no matter how many rows back your seats are.

Beat the Blur with Video Effects

Go slow motion with your favorite look of the night or the final walk for a refreshing alternative to blurry action shots. Slow motion is especially awesome when the garment incorporates a lot of movement or is very structured. The Galaxy S6 is killing the fast action game right now too with a downloadable sports setting that is aimed to give you less blur and more Burberry in live-action shots.

Don’t Borrow for Your Blog

Be super careful when posting pics of the event. Resist the urge to borrow better pics from social media especially to avoid serious fines down the line. Even if you’re not making money off the photos, even if you take them down immediately after learning that it was under copyright, it can still cost you stressful and expensive litigation. Blogher.com has a great reference for when you’re iffy on the source of an image you want to share.

Get Your OOTN without a Selfie Stick

Even if you have a plus one, you must resist the temptation to just head straight the bar and not take any pictures. You got this dressed up, you need to document it to get the full return on your investment! Selfie sticks stick out like a sore thumb with the fashion set; they are synonymous with trying too hard. And besides, asking a total stranger standing nearby is a great networking tool! You never know who you’ll end up talking to. And don’t forget to offer to take a photo of them and their date in return. It’s the little niceties that people remember.

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