In 1856 Adolphe Braun published photographs of Countess di Castiglione, an Italian courtesan known to be a mistress of Emperor Napoleon III. The Countess commissioned photographs of herself in various signature poses, often fully garbed in court attire. The photographs are widely viewed as the first examples of fashion photography with Countess di Castiglione as the first fashion model. At this point in history photography was emerging as an exciting new way to document events. More creative minds saw the artistic potential. The Countess saw an opportunity to feed her narcissistic needs by showing, sharing and loving her apparent rare beauty. She used her feminine instinct for flattering dress and sensual movements as a tool in creating groundbreaking images for Adolphe Braun (and others) to photograph. The rush of adrenaline the Countess must have felt upon viewing the photos must have been intoxicating, as she spent her entire personal fortune on the pursuit of re-creating moments in her life.

The story of the Countess di Castiglione is very indicative of the power of photography and its effects on the subject to be photographed. Narcissistic or not, it is quite an experience to see oneself from a different point of view and in a flattering manner. Our self-esteem is heightened, our ego becomes even slightly inflated and perhaps we find ourselves walking a little taller. Let us turn to the photographer. The person behind the camera is as necessary as the subject. He or she knows how to manipulate the subject, either physically or emotionally in order to achieve that one single moment of perfection and capture it on film. Even with technology, there is a great amount of skill involved. Beyond lighting, location and coloring, there are the rare and hidden skills of making your subjects feel at ease, bringing out the best in them and finding their inner spark. Then to be able to bring it all together in a breathtaking series of photographs is truly an art. Like any artist, there is an intensely powerful appreciation for one’s work. He or she has taken a person, some clothing and a setting, and transformed it into an image that speaks a thousand words in a thousand different languages to millions of people – without making a sound. That is a powerful talent.

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The fashion industry and especially the modeling industry in big cities like Toronto would not be the same if fashion photographers downed their tools and declared that fashion photography were no more. This genre is very important as it devotes itself to displaying clothing and other fashion items and trends. Fashion photography is important in the modeling industry because whenever designers need to display their collections they usually enlist the services of fashion photographers to take pictures of models dressed in their clothes. People who do not go to runaways usually get the fashion via fashion magazines as they look for trendy designs. These people would otherwise not appreciate fashion in its raw form were it not for fashion photography.

Fashion photography is an art and fashion photographers have helped designers sell their clothes and items by taking good pictures of models wearing the clothes and posing in various positions at exotic locations. When aspiring models and especially those in Toronto want to have their pictures taken, usually get fashion photographers to take their pictures. Pictures taken by fashion photographers have been known to propel the careers of some models to dizzying heights.

Some people living in cities like Toronto often wonder what the requirements needed to fulfill their aspirations to break into the industry. Since fashion photography is an art, one needs to have artistic skill to ensure efficacy in their work. A natural sense of style and a knack to portray clothes artistically are some of the necessities for one to join successfully this field. One should also have an artistic inclination in regards to composition and modeling. Ethics and etiquette are other requirements a fashion photographer should posses, as they would need to travel widely to meet many people in their line of work. An additional element needed is for one to have is technical ability; as this will help one know how to work with the equipment used for this type of activity. An entrepreneurship spirit and skills can help one get ahead in this field especially if they live in fashion cities like Toronto. Another mandatory requirement is the basic equipment for one to flourish in these endeavors. One cannot break into the field if they do not have an ideal camera.
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Magazines such as Allure, Vogue and Vanity Fair are known to display some of the best fashion photography that you will ever come across. Photography is a way of showcasing models wearing the trends in clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, hairstyles, necklaces, shoes and other items. The first known record of fashion photography was the portfolio of the Countess de Castiglione, Virginia Oldoini in 1856. The world’s first fashion photographer was Adolphe Braun, as he was the one responsible for shooting the first fashion model. Spark and color were added to fashion magazines once halftone printing was introduced to the fashion photography industry. The first magazines to make use of fashion photography were the French magazines Les Mode and La Mode Practique.

At first, fashion photography consisted of staging the shoots in natural environments using natural poses. Baron Adolf de Meyer was the person who first developed and adopted this practice. In the first part of the 20the century, the magazines that were the leaders were Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. The moguls of the industry still pay tribute to the likes of Yva, Edward Steichen and Cecil Beaton, and George Hoyningen Huene. These were the individuals who help to establish fashion photography in Europe. Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Martin Munkacsi made significant contributions after World War II.

A majority of the artists of earlier times deserted their adopted forms, and took on a more independent and natural style. 1936 was the year that models were first photographed at the beach in different poses, by Martin Munkacsi. After World War II, fashion photography became quite popular among young men who loved to hold a camera in their hands, and among young women who had the ideal body type of a fashion model. Today, fashion photography has evolved into a life of its own. Models and photographers are now seen as international celebrities, and enjoy the lifestyle of the rich and glamorous. But make no mistake this it is no easier for the photographer then it is the models, only a small percentage of those trying to make it actually succeed.

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