Yossi Fisher: The Challenges and Fears of a Fashion Photographer

Yossi Fisher is the Art Director and Founder of Y|F Studio. For over 11 years he has lead international photography and videography projects, as well as full 360 campaigns for streetwear, lifestyle, and high fashion clients. In 2011 he founded the Y|F studio, which provides a range of comprehensive services that help nurture brand identities from roots to market, including: tailor made concepts, creative strategy, set design, brand analysis, and collection assessments.

Since Fashion and Editorial Photography has always allured us with its mysterious, flamboyant type of art, we wanted to get to its core and identify what it takes and feels like to work and evolve in this industry. Yossi Fisher shared some valuable insights and food for thought with us. Read about the challenges, philosophy and mindset you’ll need to adopt in order to succeed in the fashion photography business.

Also, enjoy a few snippets from projects done by Y|F studio. See the full galleries on Yossi Fisher’s website, built with Blanco theme www.yossifisher.com. If you love the bold, artsy look with large image blocks, check out our Cube theme. It will present your portfolio in an ambitious, bold and impactful way. Now back to our interviewer..

Yossi, how and why did you choose fashion / editorial photography?

I love conceptual storytelling through imagery. Elevating photo-shoots by injecting an artistic narrative that resonates with people really allows me to engage with my audience on a much deeper level. There’s nothing more rewarding than connecting emotionally to the creative centers of people’s psyches by promoting the importance of self expression. I believe it’s the responsibility of fashion to push the limits of what people are used to seeing, & ultimately inspire social change. It’s the only way we as people will ever evolve, and I truly feel that fashion / editorials gift people the permission to embrace their unique human style in order to do just that.

What’s the biggest challenge about your work?

Sometimes the biggest challenge about my work is making my clients understand that it’s not about selling products at every turn. It’s about the user experience, creating value and a relationship with your audience. Sometime that means putting out content that isn’t selling them anything but that creates value for them – free of charge, showing that above sales, they actually care about people. The irony behind being a brand / company / label these days is that although selling people on your products is obviously important, if that’s all they care about it will ultimately be their downfall.

One golden tip for those starting to work in fashion photography?

If you want a long lasting career in fashion photography you need to be aware it’s your editorial / creative work that will ultimately get you hired, not your commercial work. Spend the time to nurture your craft, learn as much as you can, however you can, and invest your money wisely to create the work you want to be hired for. Many photographers think that they need to just ‘shoot shoot shoot’, but all that does is water down your portfolio. I always advise shooting less, and making the projects you do focus on more substantial. Over time it will create a refined depth to your work, and ultimately make your projects a lot more rewarding on a personal level.

What’s your mantra?

Timelines are irrelevant when success is inevitable.

What inspires you Yossi?

The easy answer is to say art, people, fashion, movies, music, but everyone is inspired by those things. What personally inspires me to my core is growth – listening to people that have achieved great things. Learning something new. Adopting new perspectives. Overcoming obstacles that once stood in my way. Becoming stronger and wiser through experiences. Pushing my creativity. All these things are fundamentally what inspire my life, career, and everything I do.

One thing you’re scared of?

Standing still. Feeling complacent means that I’m not growing, learning, or evolving. If I’m ever too comfortable with where I am I know that I’ve stopped pushing myself. That alone is the single most terrifying thing for me.

Define perfection..

To me, perfection simply means growth. Being able to identify with one’s strengths while still being open to learn and mature – both as an artist and as a human. I believe this is as close to perfection as any of us can aspire to reach.

Create the things you wish existed, and be afraid of standing in the same spot 1 year from now. Great things never come from comfort zones, so keep challenging and daring yourself. There’s still so much to do, so much to learn, so many photographs to create..

And if you loved this interview, if you have questions for Yossi Fisher or if you have a story, concept or philosophy to share, leave a comment below, let’s talk (wink).

With Love,
Flothemes Team.