So I’m going through my current photo selections for the fashion editorial portfolio. As I’m working to narrow them down to only the best ones, I have to understand what it is I’m looking for in these shots. What are the essential qualities of a photograph that makes it a great fashion editorial image? Here’s what I’ve distilled it down to.

Dramatic.

I love a sense of drama in fashion portraits. Visual contrast, either in tones or colors or both, dramatic expressions and poses.

Emotive.

There should be an emotional dimension to the photo. Facial expressions, body language, presence.

Iconic.

The subject is the star of the photo and possessed the environment they’re in.

Narrative.

Photos that feel like they’re captures from a scene in a film, where the audience is seeing a piece of some real world that exists in the photo, not just a model posing.