By Cara Brooke Schultz

Attending fashion week was not just about the runway shows or the models. I noticed several photographers outside the tents capturing what the general public was wearing to the fashion events. Cyndie Burkhardt, typically a travel and documentary photographer, talks about her background in photography, what equipment she shoots with, the difficulties she ran into when shooting outside the tents and more!  

PDNedu: What is your background in photography?
Cyndie Burkhardt: I went to the Philadelphia College of Art, presently called the University of the Arts, and earned a BFA in photography with a minor in graphic design. Years later, after moving to New York, I took photography classes at NYU and ICP to try different types of photography and to develop a personal style as well as to hone my business skills.

PDNedu: How did you first get into fashion photography?
CB: I love looking at fashion photography and I am amazed when photographers find clever ways to make fashion look fresh. However, I was never interested in actually doing it—I got into it by accident. A friend worked for a fashion house and she needed a photographer for runway shows and in store events. She knew I took pictures; she trusted me and gave me some assignments.

PDNedu: Do you only do fashion work or a range of subjects? What is your favorite thing to photograph?
CB: I shoot a range of things, but my favorite subject is travel/documentary photography. I look for snippets of life, unique experiences and moments. I try to stay away from shooting what is typical and expected.

PDNedu: What type of equipment do you typically work with and why?
CB: I always shoot with Canon equipment. I started using it in college and have always liked their system and trusted their products—starting with film and now digital.

PDNedu: How many shots did you take altogether for AOL’s ‘street style’?
CB: I was photographing people around the tents and those attending the shows, not models. The goal was simply to see what people were wearing on the street and look for trends, if possible. My goal was to photograph about 20 different people and I ended up with several different shots of at least 30. I took several shots of each person.

PDNedu: How was photographing outside the tents different from runway?
CB: For one thing, shooting outside gives you natural light, which is great because you don’t have to calculate flash, indoor lighting or worry about getting washed out spots and red-eye. However, a sunny day can present extreme contrast between light and shadow, which can blow out details or create glaring highlights. With this particular assignment, I had to stop people, ask permission to photograph them and get them to sign a model release. I think people were flattered to be asked and interested in the possibility of being on AOL’s Web site. With this type of assignment, I got to meet interesting people. It’s actually nice to have a brief connection—that doesn’t happen when shooting inside the tents.

PDNedu: What difficulties did you run into when shooting outside?
CB: When shooting in a crowd you have to move fast, but you know that going in and are prepared for it. With this assignment, my only difficulty occurred when I saw someone who looked great, with outstanding clothes and a definite style, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to them because of the crowds of people. Luckily that didn’t happen too often.