Paris fashion week has just ended, and closed the door on another frantic catwalk season. Of course, the Esquire team were out in full force – papping, snapping and Instagramming this season’s biggest trends.

Of course, not everyone can afford to send out a vast army of fashion reporters and photographers, and with today’s world focused on one-man/woman influencers and content creators, the ability to create on the go has never been more necessary.

Patrick Sawaya is a photographer who has really made a name for himself in the high-flying world of fashion photography. And he doesn’t just sit in the front-row of shows such as Celine Man and Dior Homme, but brings his audience of thousands along for the ride too.

Fresh off the back of another successful Autumn/Winter season, we asked him what it takes to take great snaps through his iPhone lens.

Look out for a light source
That is the first rule. If it’s an indoor fashion show, look out for a light source and have your model stand towards the light, not behind it. If you’re shooting outside, have your model pointing towards the sun.

Compose your shot
You want to build character into your photos. To do that, try putting your subject in front of an interesting background. Clean, plain background or interesting architectural walls would make the perfect shot to showcase fashion looks.

Play with the angle
Ever wondered why the models in your photos might look short or slightly unflattering? Experiment with different heights in which you capture people. I personally recommend positioning your phone towards your waist line. The silhouette will look flattering as if taken by a professional.

Choose an orientation: Portrait or landscape
Fashion pictures are mostly shot vertically. Besides the models being beautiful, so does the runway itself. I always recommend capturing the closing shot of every fashion show with a horizontal shot as you get to see all the models walking down the runway with the set built for that particular show.

Portrait Mode
An amazing feature to use for close-ups on your iPhone is Portrait mode. Experiment with it for all the makeup or jewelry shots. Use the Studio Light to brighten facial features. I also recommend Stage Light to isolate your subject in the spotlight for a more dramatic look and feel. You can even adjust the background blur with Depth Control.

Smart HDR
One of the features that helped me get great shots in high contrast settings and retain more vibrant details and colors from the thematic runways is Smart HDR. This is a built in feature in your iPhone XS and iPhone XR, and it works across your photos.