Fashion photography is a little like being a clothing designer: It’s one of those occupations people devote their entire lives to learning and clawing their way to the top of the pile. While you can find people who fell into other areas of photography, like weddings and portrait photography, you hardly ever find anyone who blunders into fashion photography.

There’s a reason for that. You not only have to be hot on the trigger with quality equipment, you have to have the unique ability to push visual imaging to the extreme with planning, preparation and a relentless dedication to perfection.

Having made the case for how difficult to get into fashion photography as living, it’s one of those things I highly recommend every photographer try, even if you don’t end up making any money off of it. Because it’s fun and exciting and the industry has produced some of the compelling images that probably got you into photography in the first place.

The good news is you probably won’t need to buy or rent a new camera. Most of the high end DSLRs today, like the Canon 5D and Nikon D300s with a good lens have the resolution for fashion photography.

If you are planning on giving it a try, here are a few tips for trying your hand at fashion photography.

1) Collect some books on the subject. Books on fashion, fashion photography, tear sheets, and images of lighting set ups. Anything you can lay your hands on. Books on hairstyles, makeup cards, and the Fashion Photography group on Flickr. Don’t just study fashion photography, live and breath it.

Everyone in photography gets burned out once in a while. A splash in the pool of fashion photography will be as refreshing as a morning swim.

2) Collect lighting gear. Lots of lighting gear. Soft boxes, umbrellas, a ring flash, strobes vertical boxes, reflectors, spots and even shop lights. Make bizarre lighting gadgets out of whatever you have laying around the house. Having an interesting subject is only part the battle, being able to piece together the perfect lighting set up is a huge part of a successful fashion shoot.

3) Plan meticulously. Great shots may happen by accident, but you can raise the odds of getting one by being prepared. Go over and over your concepts, make sure you have a supply of props, backgrounds and supports, even if you don’t end up using them.

4) Don’t try to do it all yourself. A makeup artist that has worked with photographers before is worth their weight in gold. A hair stylist with a flair for the freakish and bizarre can turn what starts out as an average look into something from another world. Yes, those people are usually paid for their time, but you will be amazed at the difference it makes.

5) Be the director. There are some models who don’t need a lot of coaching, but they are few and far between. Don’t be afraid to be in charge, but don’t be dismissive. Once you get into the shooting groove, other people will be inspired and chime in with ideas. Listen to them. Try some of them even if you don’t agree. You might be surprised at the results.

6) Shoot continuously. Don’t merely shoot hundreds of pictures, shoot thousands. You and your models should be in near continuous motion unless they’re on break or in the bathroom. Shoot close in, pull back, move in again, and try different angles including above and below. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Shoot as long as your model can stand the shoes. Let’s face it, even a blind sow gets an acorn once in a while and when you have 2,000 pictures to pick from, there are bound to be a few keepers.

7) Break the rules. Don’t just trash the rule book, tear it into pieces, set it on fire, and drive over the ashes with a cement mixer. Shoot the stock shots, then get crazy. As long as it doesn’t involve the risk of grievous bodily injury to yourself or the models, try it.

For an example of fashion photography done right check out Adriana Curcio.