The Rules of Fashion Instagrams: K8 Hardy, Mae Elvis, and Cindy Sherman

Vogue asked three artists with very different practices, K8 Hardy, Mae Elvis and Cindy Sherman, how they approach fashion photography on Instagram. None of them answered with equipment advice, hashtag strategy or the best time of day to post.

What they described was something closer to an artistic position: the platform as a medium, the self as material, and the image as invention rather than record. Their answers amount to five rules, and each of them contradicts something the average photography tutorial will tell you.

Photo: Self-portrait of Jeremiah Gurney.jpg by Jeremiah Gurney / Adam Cuerden — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Rule 1: Lighting Tells the Story

"I wouldn't say I have 'techniques' per se, but I love lighting. Lighting helps tell an interesting story and can add a softness, a dreaminess, a mood that transforms an ordinary scene into something compelling," K8 Hardy explains.

The answer is deliberately anti-technical. Hardy is not describing a lighting diagram or a modifier; she is describing attention. Light is the element that decides whether a photograph has atmosphere, and it is available to anyone who looks, regardless of what they are holding.

Her method, as she describes it, follows a consistent order: a rough idea of where to shoot, the camera and any props set up, then the subject chosen, with the light deciding whether the whole thing works. That sequence is worth copying, because it inverts the usual priority. Before choosing a lens or setting an aperture, look at what the light is already doing, which direction it comes from, what mood it produces, and where a subject would need to stand to benefit from it.

Softness, dreaminess, mood: three qualities that no amount of sharpness will supply.

Rule 2: The Self Is a Canvas

For Mae Elvis, a fashion post is closer to performance art than to documentation. The images are not pictures of outfits. They are constructed personas, built from clothing, makeup, framing, environment and pose, and the construction is the work.

This turns a commercial genre into self-exploration, and it raises the questions that make the practice interesting. Which version of yourself is in the frame? What story is the clothing telling? What is the expression doing in relation to the outfit?

The practical consequence is that a post becomes deliberate. Most fashion imagery online documents something that already happened: this outfit, that day, this mirror. A constructed image begins with a decision about what the picture is for, and the clothing is then chosen to serve it, which is precisely how editorial work functions and precisely what makes those images hold attention.

Rule 3: Use the Camera as a Tool of Invention

Cindy Sherman's approach is the most subversive of the three. She does not post images of herself. She posts images of characters she has built, using fashion as a means of transformation rather than self-expression.

For a photographer, the lesson is that the camera does not have to be a recording device. It can be a machine for making something that did not previously exist, and the subject does not have to be a person you are representing. It can be a figure you are constructing.

This is a genuine liberation for anyone who feels stuck photographing "reality". The frame is a set of decisions about what to include, what to exclude, where the light is and what the expression does. Once all of those are treated as choices rather than observations, the question changes from "what did I see?" to "what am I making?"

Photo: Achter de coulissen van de Scala in Milaan Bediening van het licht, Bestanddeelnr 254-5324.jpg by Willem van de Poll — CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Rule 4: Let the Process Guide You

Hardy's working order leaves room for discovery. The idea is rough rather than fully specified, the props are set up, the subject arrives, and the light and the moment decide what the photograph turns out to be.

That is not the same as working without a plan. A rough starting point plus genuine attention to what happens is the most productive structure available in photography, particularly on a phone with no crew and no schedule. The plan gives you somewhere to begin, and a willingness to abandon it gives you somewhere better to end up.

In practice, this means arriving with an intention rather than a shot list. Decide what the image is about, then be prepared to let the subject, the light or an accident change how it is expressed.

Rule 5: Treat a Feed as a Body of Work

The common thread between the three positions is that none of them treats a feed as a diary. A diary records days. A body of work makes an argument, and the argument is what makes people follow an artist rather than a person.

The rules for building one are the same as for any portfolio. Pick a consistent visual approach so the grid reads as intentional. Work in series rather than one-offs, so themes can develop. Edit, and leave things out. And resist the temptation to post everything that came out well: a feed of unrelated good images is a folder, not a project.

The obvious objection is that a feed is a commercial platform and artists have to compete for attention. That is true, and Sherman, Hardy and Elvis are not naive about it. But attention follows the work that has something to say, which is the only durable advantage available to anyone who is not already famous.

Practical Tips

Look at the light before you think about gear. Light tells the story.
Start with a rough concept, then let the process guide the result.
Treat fashion photography as character creation, not just documentation.
Use the camera as a tool of invention rather than recording.
Build a feed as a body of work, not a diary.
Keep the visual approach consistent so your grid reads as intentional.
Work in series so themes have room to develop.
Edit ruthlessly. Posting everything says nothing about what matters.

Photo: Noctaes en studio !.jpg by Noctaes — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Conclusion

What unites K8 Hardy, Mae Elvis and Cindy Sherman is a refusal to treat photography as a purely technical exercise. For all three, the camera is a tool for exploring identity, mood and narrative rather than a device for recording what is in front of it.

That is the genuinely useful part of their answers, and it is available at no cost. In an age when everyone carries a camera, the difference between an interesting feed and a forgettable one is not equipment or editing skill. It is having something to say, and knowing what the picture is for before you take it.

FAQ

How do artists approach fashion photography differently?

They treat it as a conceptual medium: a way of exploring identity, narrative and mood rather than a commercial exercise in showing clothes. Concept and emotion take priority over technical perfection or broad appeal.

What is the most important element in a fashion photograph?

According to K8 Hardy, lighting. It creates mood, softness and atmosphere, and it transforms ordinary scenes into compelling images. Understand the light before worrying about gear or settings.

How can I make my Instagram feed more artistic?

Treat it as a body of work rather than a diary. Develop a consistent concept or theme, focus on mood and narrative instead of documenting outfits, work in series, and study artists who use photography as a medium of expression rather than a record.

What can I learn from Cindy Sherman's approach?

That the camera is a tool of invention rather than documentation. Sherman does not photograph herself; she photographs characters she has constructed, which challenges the assumption that photographs must represent reality and opens up the entire field of fictional image-making.

Do I need an expensive camera for this kind of work?

No. The approaches described here depend on light, concept and construction rather than on equipment. A phone with a good light source and a clear idea will produce more interesting images than a professional kit used without direction.

How many images should I post from a shoot?

Fewer than you want to. One strong frame from a session says more than ten competent ones, and a feed is judged by its average rather than its best image. If nothing from a shoot is good enough to stand alone, do not post it.