In February at London Fashion Week, I was shadowed by journalist Jessica Bracey from Photography Monthly, while I was on assignment as front of house photographer for Laha Magazine and freelancing for other titles.
Since 2009, I have been documenting numerous fashion weeks and the fashion scene as a documentary photographer and videographer. I told Photography Monthly: “Fashion week is one of the best ways for photographers to develop speed, edit, plan logistics and improve their skills quickly.”
In other words, as a photographer, you have to hit the ground running and improvise a lot in situations such as bad lighting and difficult vantage points. This is pretty much expected from a press photographer.
The front of house, where the photographers are positioned is called “the pit”. It is not easy to get in the pit. It takes plenty organisation and staking your spots earlier. However, I have never seen any squabbles among the photographers. In fact, while waiting for the show to start, we joked about little things or make little chit chats. (Some shows I have been to notoriously start half an hour later).
Fashion editors and fashion creatives are hard-workers, but they instill the sense of fun doing what they do. There is never a dull moment and I love working with them.
Here are a few of the original snapshots:
Kristian Aadnevik AW12 at Pall Mall. Possibly the darkest runway I have been to, with many of photographers crouching in the dark scrambling for the right shutter speed. Photo © Zarina Holmes.
Burberry AW12 at Kensington Gore. I believe this is Cara Delevigne, the face of Burberry Prorsum. Photo © Zarina Holmes.
Big thanks to fashion editor, Laila Hamdaoui, for sending me to these wonderful assignments. Follow her insightful observations on the fashion world in her blog, Me, Myself and Style. The London Fashion Week story is now published on Photography Monthly, April 2012 Edition.
