House of Ikons (London Fashion Week)

Last Week I got to shoot one the the hot topics of london fashion week in the House of Ikons catwalk show. This is the 2nd time that i have coverd this event and it was a joy being back in the pit with some other amazing photographers. Arriving at 10.30 in the morning with a full kit of gear I got myself introduced and set up for the show that was in fact starting 4 hours later, A little tired I got my place in "the pit". Standing next to the guys from the Scottish collection and right by the guys from GettyImages I had my spot. Many hours later the first shot started and we were off at the races, 20 designers, 100s of guests and a unknown amoute of outfits. This was shaping up to be a very long but very fun day.

With Designers from all over the world and some really epic outfits I was super happy to cover all of the designs from a 9 year old girl in Lavender Rose Designs through to a trending Thailand themes set from JLA Kids Fashion

In-between the shows I had the pleaser of shooting an amazing artist and friend who was closing both the shows with her amazing talents. Lydia Singer is a 16 year old young lady with one of the most powerful voices i have herd. The only issues was that the location was a little lacking when it came to style so I went on a walk around the block and found a really cool location in a doorway of all places. I will be editing these images shortly but here is a sample of one that i have finished with...

Below was the final collection by Aandrei David. An epic collection and i would not think of a better way to finish the show.

12 hours after i left the house, i opened the door to my home, bags feel to the floor, shoes kicked off and as soon as my head touched the pillow - I was out.

When it comes to shooting catwalks, you need to know your gear. You dont have time to look down at your camera and chimp so get your settings as close to possible. Take fast lends and quick memory cards to empty your buffer in time for the next set, having 2 cameras can be use full but sometimes its tricky to balance your setting over both cameras but it tens to be faster then changing lens on the camera. I shoot most of mine with my Canon 5Diii and my 85mm 1.4 lens. My 2nd body (Canon 7d) has a 16-35 2.8 lens on it for those quick wide shots but it was hardly used. Little tips I would say to do are 1. You want to shoot as the back foot lifts from the floor.

This will give you a nice wide step 2. Shoot in burst:

A set at the entrance A set in the middle of the walk A set at the end

3. Mono Pod When your shooting for a long time, a camera will get super heavy and this really is a work out with very little down time once it starts 4. Shoot the designers name plates. I found that the fist image should be of the nameplate of the designer. This helps with cataloging the images later inside of lightroom. Spliting up the collections and getting in contact later for selling your images. and don't forget to have fun.