WHAT CHALLENGES ARE THERE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY?
Top fashion photographer KAYLEIGH GRESTY shares the secrets behind her success and reveals how she gets ahead in a competitive industry
HI KAYLEIGH, CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU DO?
I am a freelance fashion photographer from Bristol and I’ve been working with brands and influencers on their social media campaigns for the past four years. I have photographed several fashion weeks from London to Miami and, in the past year, got a freelance position at Getty Images Entertainment. From a young age, I have always had an interest in photography, picking up my first camera around the age of six.
At school, I was told I wasn’t any good at photography, so I gave up. After many battles with my mental health, I decided to pick my camera up, went back to university and started my own freelance business. The rest is history.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY?
The fashion industry is hard work, especially when you are female. Going to fashion shows and being the only female in the pit can be intimidating but it can also be empowering. I love proving that women are equal and we have a place in the fashion photography world!
The challenges are part of the fun, like trying to find a new location when it is pouring down on set, or thinking of crazy shoot locations can always be a challenge.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I love being able to photograph incredible fashion, whether that is in a studio or at a crazy location, and trying to capture the essence of the clothes and the story behind the brand. Just getting to bring your own creative flair to a campaign is the best feeling – it is so much fun.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT COLLABORATING WITH THE MODELS?
I love working with models. Simply being able to bounce ideas off of each other is incredible! I have great relationships with the models, we always leave a shoot more as friends than as two people having worked together.