A.

Question from Diego Campos

Q:  Hi, any tips on establishing a successful fashion photography business in NY?

A: Diego - the only tip is hard work, which applies to everything that you do. Always let your work speak for itself - the rest will fall into place. Make sure you don’t sell yourself short, but also understand that you have to pay your dues.

Question from Mimi Huynh

Q: I am interested in going to Vietnam to do some fashion what is a good way to start ?

A: Mimi, the answer to your question (assuming you are looking to do photography) is a bit complex. The most important thing when coming back to Vietnam is to make sure your skill level is what they need. What are you trying to do? Shoot for fun? For your book? For clients? If you’re aiming to work for any magazine, see what kind of images they are looking for and send your portfolio to them. 

Vietnam’s such a growing market and fashion is a category that has some of the most sophisticated and engaging group of Vietnamese people. They are well informed and well educated in both lifestyle and fashion. These viewers / industry professionals are looking for exciting and new ways of interpreting fashion. International Fashion Magazines in Vietname requires the same amount of quality in the images that their US/Europe counterpart does. And in many ways, producing them in Vietnam is even harder especially if you’re from a foreign country. You need to build your team and learn the condition of the shoots. It’s very humid and sunlight is different there. You might have to travel 4-6 hours outside of the big city to get a good location. Moreover, you need to account for the fact that anything can happen on a location shoot. Be prepared for everything!

And last but definitely not least - you need to make sure you are ready and not rushing into the market. It is not an easy one - many people make the mistake thinking it is and that’s very wrong. The viewers are even more critical than you imagine - you really have to intrique them :)

Question from Remi Ma

Q: What would be advice that you would give an aspiring fashion photographer that doesn’t necessarily live in an ideal “fashion” location. What would you tell a photographer that’s in school doesn’t have a studio or the resources to get clothing and other things. What would be the steps they should take to end up on the cover of Bazaar?

A: Passion, Hardwork, and Determination. You need to be passionate about everything you shoot - don’t shoot just for money. If you shoot what you love, it’ll look more amazing, and the money will follow. 

Hardwork is a no brainer, do it, if it doesn’t work, go back to the drawing board and do it again until it does. When I started shooting for the first time in summer of 2010 - I did 3-4 shoots a week until I got a portfolio in 3 months that I could take to clients to get paid work.

Determination - nothing worth having comes easy and nothing that came easy is worth having. Don’t lie about having experience, rather adapt and learn quickly so that if you make a mistake you can regain your balance, do fix the problem and do it better next time. 

Lastly, be crazy, be foolish, and never take no for an answer. Every time someone told me I couldn’t do something, I skip right past them and do something even better and crazier. When I got into the business I didn’t think about how I can shoot for Bazaar in less than 2 years - all I thought about it how much I LOVE photography and what can I do to a better fashion photographer - and that, is all you need to focus on. Because even if you could shoot for Bazaar right now, it doesn’t mean it’ll be something you’ll be proud of. Make sure that when the time comes and the opportunity arises that you’ll be ready - it might be the only shot you have.