[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default”][vc_column_text]This article is a part of the blog series titled Board Members Give Back. This series features many of the ASMP Board members sharing their expertise on a topic they are passionate about. Here we have Frank Rocco passing along some of his knowledge about fashion photography.
ASMP Board Member and photographer Frank Rocco developed his New York fashion savvy by gradually taking classes so he could have access to the school’s dark rooms. Through classes on nights and weekends where he developed a body of work, his fashion portfolio became extensive as did his network of stylists, designers, makeup artists and models. When I spoke with him a couple weeks ago he was gearing up for New York’s Fall Fashion Week which officially starts February 9th. This will be a crazy week for him and he uses the bi-annual event as a marketing platform for the rest of the year. If he’s not working until all hours, he’s networking at parties and events.
Ethics and Personal Branding
Since the nature of fashion is to evolve and change all the time, it’s important for photographers to stay aware of those trends and reflect them back into their work in order to be current. One recent trend Frank has noticed is toward sustainable fashion. Designers are capitalizing on the idea that “disposable” fashion is hard on the environment. ”Sustainable fashion will be huge bringing new styles and a lot of people that have, up until now, not been involved in the space” says Rocco. Conversely, some photographers stipulate that they DON’T shoot potentially objectionable things like fur, leather or smoking-related work.
The niches you carve for yourself become part of your personal brand. “Platon became known for his lighting style and portraits that showed a lot of texture in the skin” says Rocco. One way he stays up on current trends is by following fashion influencers on Instagram or Tumbler. “I think it’s more important to know what’s happening with the images than with the actual brands and designers” says Rocco.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default”][carousel script=”carouFredSel” easing=”linear” carousel_title=”Frank Rocco for myCULTURE Magazine”][item id=”1486569198-1-86″ tab_id=”1486569367765-1″ title=”Item”][vc_column_text]
Frank Rocco’s shoot for myCulture Magazine
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Trends in Fashion Photography Project Budgets
“Everybody and their mother wants to be a fashion photographer and because of that, fashion shooters are often approached with projects that offer little or no money” says Rocco.
He advises that you must be strategic about what projects you accept. If it’s something that rounds out your portfolio, then taking the work without being paid isn’t a bad idea. Rocco was inspired after seeing Sante D’orazio speak at the School of Visual Arts about the first time he shot for Vogue Italia. Sante said that he wasn’t paid for that work. Rocco asked him if he is more likely to get paid now? “Sante told me they still don’t pay, but you shoot a spread in Italian Vogue and then you get the Armani campaign – that’s how it works” Rocco shared.
Budgets for assistants and crews seem to be trending down. Rocco is firm on the point that “I won’t use interns for clients that can’t pay for assistants. I’m not bringing free labor to a shoot. I don’t think that’s right. I’d rather work with one assistant or do the work myself”.
Rocco has also noticed that, more often than not, the client tells him what they are willing to pay for a shoot as opposed to him telling them what it will cost. He then has to decide if that project makes sense. “I’ve learned to clarify what’s included in my budget because I’ve been in situations where the budget seems reasonable only to find out that I’m also expected to provide a makeup artist and stylist. Every situation is different and maybe with experience it becomes easier to figure out which (if any) low-pay or no-pay jobs to take” says Rocco.
Fashion Personalities
We always hear stories about temperamental people in fashion, but Rocco is sure that there are similar challenges with any type of client situation. The difference when shooting models is that you can be more experimental, especially with lighting. Rocco’s experience with “regular” people is they are very self-conscious. Asking a portrait subject to turn so you can shoot their profile often meets with resistance. But if you ask a model with an imperfect nose to show her profile they will be happy to oblige. On one of Rocco’s recent magazine shoots, the art director told the model that they were going to make her look like an alien. Her response was “cool!”. The art director went on to ask if they could shave off her eyebrows and she was willing to oblige. “In the end, we used a glue stick to cover up her eyebrows but she actually considered letting us shave them off” says Rocco.
Marketing to Fashion Editors
Rocco will tell you that word-of-mouth is where he gets most of his work and that’s why he networks as much as possible during Fashion Week. He also takes a very pragmatic approach to making sure fashion editors know he’s available. A few weeks before Fashion Week kicks off, he sends out 300 – 400 emails to the fashion editors he knows and it always yields results. Here’s what he sends:
“As fashion week quickly approaches, I wanted to remind you that my team and I are available to shoot Lookbooks, front-of-house, backstage, presentation, parties or events. Contact us by phone or email to find out more”.
Rocco also uses social media, especially Facebook and LinkedIn. He posts mostly non-fashion images to Instagram except an occasional image when he’s onsite.
Rocco’s Tips
- It’s not just what you say, but how you say it.
- Move on. It’s easy to get stuck on what happened or what went wrong, but we can’t change the past so we have to deal with the reality of the present. “The past is dust.” – Shri Chinmoy.
- Walk away. When anybody wants something that you don’t want to give, it’s OK to say no.
- Remember you are taking pictures, not digging ditches. It could be worse.
- To get the most out of your ASMP membership, get involved, volunteer, go to as many events as you can and get to know the leadership of your chapter. As with almost anything: the more you put in, the more you get out! I think it’s hard to make that first step, but it gets easier to get involved when you realize that there are a lot of people in similar situations as yourself. Community has always been the biggest benefit of ASMP for me.
Rocco can be found at Frank Rocco Photography. Media and images ©Frank Rocco Photography.
If you found this article to be of interest to you, then check out some of the other Board Members Give Back articles.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]