I ditched the rulebook at London Fashion Week
Here’s what happened
February is always a whirlwind, not only is it my birthday (very important), but it’s also London Fashion Week. This year, I decided to shake things up. Instead of sticking to the traditional playbook of fashion photography, I wanted to experiment, blending street photography techniques with runway shooting to see what kind of images I could create.
I was lucky to receive a few photography accreditations to cover some London Fashion Week events. Normally, I’d shoot these shows with my Canon and a telephoto lens, delivering polished, structured images. But this time, as a freelancer, I had complete creative freedom. That sense of possibility was exhilarating, and to challenge myself, I opted for my Fuji X-T5 paired with the Sigma 18-50mm lens. I also made a bold choice: no flash. Instead, I relied solely on available light, carrying only a tiny LED light in case I needed extra illumination for portraits after the shows. The goal? To keep things as light and flexible as possible, just like I would in a street photography session.
Fashion shows are unpredictable environments with ever-changing lighting. Normally, I’d be hesitant about pushing my ISO too high, but this time, I embraced it. It was a major mindset shift for me, choosing to focus on the moment rather than obsess over technical perfection. One of the techniques I explored was slowing down my shutter speed to capture movement. The result? Dynamic, blurred images that conveyed the energy of the show. Since I wasn’t using a tripod, there’s a bit of unintentional shake, but instead of seeing it as a flaw, I viewed it as a way to enhance the rawness of the images. I also played with tilted angles, following the motion of the models rather than keeping my shots perfectly straight. It added an unfiltered, almost documentary, like feel to the visuals.
Shooting from the photography pit is restrictive, you’re packed in with little room to move. But instead of seeing this as a limitation, I used it to my advantage. I started incorporating the people around me into my frames, creating layers that gave my images a three-dimensional effect. The result was a less polished, more immersive perspective, almost voyeuristic, like peering into a moment rather than merely capturing it.
Another experiment I tried was photographing other photographers’ screens. There’s something fascinating about the contrast between witnessing a moment firsthand and seeing its digital reflection through multiple lenses. This duality, raw reality versus the curated image, felt like a perfect metaphor for the modern fashion industry, where live experiences and social media moments exist side by side. Including screens in my shots added a unique depth, making the images feel layered and reflective of how we consume fashion today.
At the end of the day, this experiment paid off. I walked away with a collection of images that felt different, less staged, more emotional, and full of movement. And the best part? The brands I shot for loved them.
Blending street photography with fashion photography turned out to be a creative breakthrough. Instead of just documenting the runway, I captured the energy, spontaneity, and raw emotion of the moment. The imperfections, unconventional compositions, and unexpected angles made the images feel more alive, almost cinematic. This experience reinforced something important for me: when you break the rules, you often create something even more compelling.