With fashion week season in full effect, there is a large chance that your Instagram feeds have been flooded with street style photography and runway posts from New York and Paris. Style Nine to Five had the chance to talk to Chris Smart, an internationally published street/style/fashion photographer hailing from Toronto, to discuss all things style, photography, and social media.
SNTF: As a photographer, who has shot both in Toronto for WMCFW and New York for NYFW, what do you think the major differences are when it comes to street style between the two cities?
CS: It’s really hard to compare the two, both in terms of street style and spectacle. One of the biggest differences is the amount of high profile fashion bloggers and celebrities who attend New York Fashion Week. Bloggers like Aimee Song and Chiara Ferragni or celebrities like Kendall Jenner or Gigi Hadid make appearances. High profile bloggers are the main attraction outside many of the shows in NY and they are usually wearing designer labels from the show they are attending, some of them walk for several blocks after a show finishes to give street style photographers more opportunities. Style is also very different between the two cities. Toronto’s style tends to be more practical, where as New York’s is more adventurous, but that also varies depending on the season.
SNTF: As a fashion and street style photographer, you are constantly surrounded by the latest trends and the most fashion-forward people. How would you describe your own style when it comes to fashion and has being surrounded by this lifestyle influenced you in any way?
CS: I think my style can be summed up in one word: utilitarian. I don’t consider myself fashionable, I just like to look professional when I’m working. I don’t think I’ve been influenced that much by the lifestyle. If anything it’s helped me recognize brands that appeal to me, like Y-3 or Boris Bidjan Saberi. It’s not that I would start wearing their stuff, I just find their aesthetics interesting.
SNTF: In the last few years, social media has become a major outlet for photographers and content creators. What advice would you give someone who wants to get into street style photography and how should they get started?
CS: Number one thing: get on Instagram and just start shooting. Shoot everyday and upload shots multiple times a day. The more you shoot, the more you practice and learn what works and what doesn’t. Focus on developing your shooting style and building your following. Just keep shooting!
SNTF: Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to photography?
CS: This is a tough one because there are so many different subject matters that influence me. If you look at my Pinterest you will see all sorts of things from old black and white historic photos of New York or Paris to films like Blade Runner and Tron. One of the biggest influences on me are photographers who are brilliant at composition and mood. Names like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Eugene Atget, are some of my favorites. When it comes to fashion photography names like Richard Avedon, Tim Walker, also Tommy Ton, Scott Schuman and Adam Katz Sinding [are ones] I admire very much. There are so many great photographers out there, past and present.
To see more of Chris, check out the links below!
By Nicole Tinker
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