Getty Images’ Frazer Harrison

The majority of the glossy runway picts you see here on Glam and elsewhere come courtesy of an army of camera-wielding, wise-cracking, luggage-totting shutterbugs. In between shows we caught up with a fashion week veteran, Getty Images’ Frazer Harrison, as he explains (sometimes in photographer-speak) why scoring some of these killer snaps can be a triumph of the will:

1.Years in “the business”: 22 years working in the press industry

2.Years shooting fashion shows/fashion week: 4 years shooting house for NY and Los Angeles Fashion week.

3.Describe the prep involved when shooting a show (how many cameras, batteries, what kind of ID you need, etc); You have to make sure that the camera censor is clean: One hair on the lens means that 150 pictures have to be Photoshopped after. Freshly charged battery for the camera, if your camera battery isn’t charged and you need to change during a show you can loose maybe 2 -3 looks. Make sure you have your pass: no pass = no entry. Take care of the rest room before a show because once you are in there is NO coming out. Finally, make sure that your monopod is in working order, no loose nuts or bolts because there is nothing worse than having your pole sink while shooting.

4.What’s the toughest part of shooting the shows? Toughest part is the photographers pit, if you can’t deal with being surrounded and packed in by other photographers then this is not the job for you.

5. The most enjoyable? The best part is getting out, the feeling of relief after a show and the fact you have not messed it up is the best. Bikini shows are always the best as well.

6. What show is always the hardest-logistically-to shoot & why?: Any show with moving spotlights on the model is always the worst, lighting guys miss their models thus you get uneven light on the models . Usually spots are daylight and the lights around are Tungsten resulting in a funky color cast on the pixs. Shows which also have 80+ looks can be a test of stamina.

7. How do you mark your turf on the podium? Before the week starts we get into the spaces and mark the floor with tape with the name of the outlet we are shooting for: in this case Getty Images. As the week goes on the tape does sometimes get ripped up or worn by the photographers but most people know the rules that go with positions. House photographers always get the best position and everyone else works around them.

8.What food/snacks/beverages do you rely on to survive fashion week? Basically it’s anything you can get your hands on. New York Fashion week is surrounded by decent places to eat with fast but healthy food though I am partial to a good kebab. Evenings after the shows are always a problem when it comes to food, usually we have to resort to pizza and beer.

9.What kind of camera do you use & why? Canon eos mk 2 or 3 cameras. Great autofocus tracking on these cameras make them one of the most reliable cameras to use for this type of work.

10.What do you do post-fashion week to re-coup? No such thing as re-coup once fashion week is done its straight on to the Grammy Awards, The NAACP Image Awards, The Independent Spirit Awards, Oscars, and all the other shows that go on during the first three months of the year.

11.What kind of hours do you keep during fashion week? if you like to socialize after the shows then you end up living on 4 hours sleep, if you are a home body then the hours usually total up to about a 10-12 hour day.

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