The Two Types of Fashion Photography, and How to Move Toward the One That Fills You Up
If you’ve ever found yourself feeling creatively stuck in your photography — like you're constantly shooting but never quite expressing your artistic voice — there’s a concept that might explain exactly what’s going on.
It’s something many photographers experience, but few talk about. In fact, understanding this idea changed the way I approach my work entirely. So let’s break it down:
There Are Two Types of Fashion Photography
At its core, fashion photography can be split into two clear categories. Most photographers engage with both throughout their careers, but the balance between them is what shapes your creative life, your brand, and your portfolio.
Here’s the breakdown:
1. Functional Fashion Photography
This is the foundational, commercial side of the industry. Think:
E-commerce shoots
Social media content
Product launch campaigns
Catalog-style studio work
The focus here is clarity, accuracy, and visual appeal - making the product look amazing, front and center. It’s about selling the item, and doing it beautifully.
This type of photography is reliable. It pays the bills. And it’s what most brands need most of the time: clean lighting, consistent framing, and technical precision.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this work - in fact, it’s essential to the industry. But it serves a specific, straightforward purpose: to showcase the product.
2. Artistic Fashion Photography
This is where things shift.
Artistic or expressive fashion photography is about vision, not just execution. These are the images you find in galleries, on moodboards, and in timeless editorials. They're often rooted in:
Emotion
Storytelling
Aesthetic risk-taking
Creative direction and mood
These images don’t just show a dress. They say something about the person wearing it, the world they live in, or the feeling the designer was trying to evoke. This is the kind of work that stirs something in the viewer - and in the photographer, too.
This is also the work where you're hired because of your voice, not just your technical ability.
Why So Many Photographers Feel Creatively Stuck
Here’s the tricky part: most photographers want to be doing the second kind of work. The visionary campaigns. The emotionally resonant images. The work that feels like art.
But many find themselves stuck in a cycle of shooting only functional fashion photography. Why?
Because:
It’s safer
It’s more in-demand
It pays consistently
It’s easier to get booked for when you’re known for delivering clean, sellable images
Over time, this becomes a loop. You shoot a lot of functional work. Your portfolio becomes full of it. And so you get booked for more of it. Even if your soul is quietly asking for something more.
So How Do You Shift?
The good news? You can absolutely start making more creative, artistic fashion work — without abandoning the commercial side. It’s not about choosing one over the other. It’s about rebalancing.
Here’s how to start shifting toward the kind of work that fills you up:
1. Start with a Concept, Not a Product
When planning your next shoot, stop thinking about the clothing or the brand first. Instead, ask:
What do I want this image to feel like?
What world do I want to build?
What story am I telling?
Let the emotion, mood, and message drive your decisions. Build the concept first — then find the right styling to match it.
2. Make Personal Work (Without a Brief)
This is essential. Your best creative work will rarely come from a client brief. It comes from your own curiosity and passion.
Set aside time to create just for yourself - no rules, no deadlines, no brand expectations. Some of the most powerful work in your portfolio can come from these shoots.
You don’t need permission to make the kind of work you want to be known for.
3. Curate Your Portfolio Intentionally
You don’t have to show everything you shoot.
Yes, most of us do functional work to earn a living, and that’s totally fine. But your portfolio should reflect the work you want more of.
This means showing your artistic side on your website and socials. Let the bread-and-butter jobs stay quietly in the background, while your public-facing work tells the story of your creative voice.
4. Collaborate with Like-Minded Creatives
Want to make more expressive images? Team up with people who get it.
Work with stylists, set designers, and makeup artists who are also interested in pushing creative boundaries. Find collaborators who want to build something that feels bigger than a client deliverable, who care more about emotion and aesthetic than product placement.
These collaborations can unlock a whole new level of work.
5. Experiment with Format and Medium
Your photography doesn’t have to be just photography.
Try incorporating:
Mixed media (collage, illustration, painting)
Film instead of digital
AI or 3D textures
Floral installation or custom set design
Infuse your personal style and outside skills into your images. The more you explore, the more your artistic identity will emerge.
6. Stop Waiting for Permission
This is the mindset shift that changes everything: You don’t need a client to treat your work like art.
Start creating like you were already hired to shoot a campaign. Share your personal work like it’s the most important thing on your calendar. Act like the artist you are, and the industry will start to respond accordingly.
Clients want to hire creatives who believe in their own vision. Show them who you are.
You Don’t Have to Choose Just One
The truth is: most working fashion photographers shoot both kinds of work. We all do the functional stuff - it’s necessary, respected, and important. But when you start nurturing the artistic side, your career (and your creative spirit) will expand.
So if something’s been feeling “off” lately in your work…
If you’ve been ticking the boxes but missing the spark…
It might be time to make space for the kind of fashion photography that goes beyond product, and starts to say something deeper.
You don’t need permission. Just start.
