By Cara Brooke Schultz

Fashion week is full of models, photographers, celebrities and fabulous couture. The runway shows only last for about 15 minutes, but the photographs are splashed all over fashion magazines and the Web. Although the images look effortless, what really goes on behind that lens? I had the opportunity to speak with runway fashion photographer, Richard Spiegel on his beginnings as a fashion shooter, his favorite gear and his experiences in getting successful shots on the runway.

How did you get into fashion photography?
I had a roommate who worked for video fashion and his day seemed so interesting with the designers, models and makeup artists. Sometimes he would sneak me into the runway shows and I would bring my camera and shoot—I loved it. The turning point for me was when Gianni Versace was killed in South Beach. I remember coming home and seeing the news with all these fans erecting shrines by his stores. I just said to myself “I have to shoot this.” I went to one of his stores in 90-degree weather and took as many pictures as I could.

The very next morning I bought a new 35mm camera. I started to take classes at ICP in their black and white department. After a few classes, I came to the conclusion that I needed a degree and switched to Parsons School of Design, enrolling in their photo department. I also found an online fashion magazine based in New Zealand and started shooting shows for them.

Are certain runway shows more difficult to shoot than others?
The thing with shooting runway shows is that you just don't know what to expect. The lighting could be hard to shoot in, the runway could be shiny black—which is a nightmare to shoot—or even worse spotlights could be used to create a mood. With spotlight shows, the percentage of clean shots is low in my opinion. In the past I have had to trash entire collections due to this problem.

What type of equipment do you use for the fashion shows?
I always bring two cameras, my Nikon D100 and my Nikon D70. I use them both for taking shots of the runway as well as backstage. The lenses range from my Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG MACRO HSM to a Sigma 30-80mm F3.5 zoom lens. I found that the Sigma lenses are very responsive with auto-focusing and are relatively inexpensive.

What is the most challenging aspect about shooting a runway show?
You never know what to expect when you walk into the photo pit. It’s most difficult when other photographers will not be cooperative so everybody can get shots of the models. It's all about working together and when we do, it all runs smoothly and everybody has a great time. We are all there to help each other come out with a quality product that the world wants to see.

What is your process when shooting a model in order to get successful shots?
I usually shoot about three to four frames per model. However, sometimes you have great makeup, hair or even a really cool bag, which I would need to shoot for a beauty editor. A good photographer takes all this into consideration when shooting. The last thing a photographer wants is to have their accessories editor ask, “Did you get a shot of that bag?” and not have a photo of it.