Runway vs street fashion: from shoot to print

From models strutting down catwalks to journalists and influencers posing on the Parisian cobbles, fashion weeks are an opportunity to capture both high-end runway looks and the much-discussed street styles of attendees.

Brazilian fashion photographer Leo Faria loves to shoot both genres and his images have earned him a significant social following as well as many high-profile commissions. His work doesn't end with the photoshoot, though: Leo believes that the creative process is complete only when a piece has been turned into a stunning large-format print. "I consider the printed collection as important as the digital collection, and I am most attached to the prints," he says.

Leo is currently migrating from DSLR cameras to Canon's mirrorless cameras – "I realise that a new era is dawning," he says. He shoots on a Canon EOS R5 using a mount adapter and his favourite wide-aperture L-series zooms, which allow him to easily follow models in motion, and to go from detailed to open plan scenes in an instant. "I usually use a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens for street style and a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM or a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM for the runway, where the space is smaller," he says.

An intentional distance can be felt in many of Leo's images, due to this choice of longer focal lengths. "I want to go unnoticed," he explains. "My kit choice is always a fast camera and a bright zoom lens so that I can keep my distance."

Although photographing an indoor fashion show is very different from shooting outdoor portraits, the outcome Leo wants to achieve is similar. "Runway photography is an extension of my street style," he says. "Both capture the natural and spontaneous, the real movement, the moment, and are taken from the point of view of the spectator in the audience or the passer-by on the street."

When Leo knows that he will be making prints from an event, he plans his camera settings carefully. "Once, when I was photographing an editorial in Hong Kong for a magazine," he recalls, "I was told that the ISO I was using was not suitable for a certain resolution, but I knew exactly what I was doing.

"The photo with the ISO that was 'theoretically' inappropriate for that magazine page of no more than 22x31cm was turned into a print of more than three metres in height on a Canon stand at the Fotografar Fair that takes place in São Paulo in Brazil."

It also ended up winning Leo the Prêmio Abril de Jornalismo Award for the best fashion photography of the year in 2017.

"I never stick to the rules because they become obsolete very quickly," he explains. "Technology changes everything all the time."

Leo is passionate about large-format photo printing and has a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-4000 large-format printer, which offers impressive 44-inch (112cm) production output, and an imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 A2 desktop photo printer. Both models feature a 12-ink system for deep blacks and vibrant colours, and work seamlessly with the Canson® Infinity range of digital fine art and photo papers.

Leo does, however, control the printed outcome in another way – by choosing his printing papers carefully. As a brand ambassador for Canson® Infinity, he uses the entire Digital Fine Art & Photo range.

"I understand the choice of paper as one chooses the fabric to make a garment," he says. "There are fabrics that do not favour the construction of a blazer – silk, for example – while others are perfect for this purpose. Currently, I'm using the ARCHES® line by Canson® Infinity a lot, a paper that was recently released and took a lot of time in testing."

Jane Dixon, Vice President of Marketing at Canson® Infinity, explains: "There are different ways to define digital paper types, and each element impacts the final look of the print. The final finish of the paper, such as matte, semi-gloss or gloss, will influence how the image is perceived by the viewer. Then there is the structure of the paper: from ultra-smooth, with no grain texture at all, to heavily textured watercolour paper.

"Using a soft grain paper can bring a softness to an image, or a heavily textured paper can almost give a three-dimensional look to a landscape. The tactile element of holding a print in your hand also influences how the viewer perceives the final image, whether the print is 100% cotton, a cotton and alpha cellulose mix, or resin-coated."

Leo will select a paper to help convey the look and feel that he wants to achieve with the final image. "His fashion photography, which often has intense colours and vibrancy, would work well on Baryta Prestige II, a glossy paper that accentuates dense blacks and vivid colours," says Jane. "For more candid street photography, a smooth flat paper, such as ARCHES 88, brings out the detail and nuances of the image without any distraction from the paper structure or grain."

By fine-tuning his kitbag and Canson® Infinity paper choices, and relying on his creative intuition, Leo can create beautiful fashion prints that look both spontaneous and carefully captured at the same time. "My own street style and runway photos allow me to document the different possibilities of communication through clothing," he says. "Know your equipment and take it to the extreme, because that is what it was made for."

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