Let me just say this. YOU CANNOT PHOTOGRAPH A RUNWAY SHOW FROM THE FRONT ROW ON YOUR SMARTPHONE. Hire a photographer, sit them in the pit and enjoy your front row seat. As a photographer and professional seat filler, I know the struggle from both sides. A photographer has this beautiful shot down the runway of a model in a stunning garment and BAM there is some random person in the background on the edge of their seat taking photos off her phone. For the person in the front row on their phone, their photos are out of focus and terrible (and your horrid photo isn’t going to make it to the front cover of a magazine). For the photographer, their money shot is ruined by an audience member.
Now – photographers or bloggers in the front row with giant lenses, don’t think this doesn’t include you. I have been whacked in the face by a blogger with a ridiculous lens, go sit in the pit. Smaller lenses are ok, but still be aware of your surroundings. There is a time and a place for everything.
As a blanket rule for anyone attending any show, be courteous to those around you, the person on either side of you, and how you impact their experience of the show. The only buyer present might be in the second row and misses out because the front row is busy taking photos and moving around instead of actually looking at each garment.
A man wanted a new suit, so he bought a nice piece of fabric and tried to find a good tailor. The first tailor he visited looked at the fabric, measured him, then told him there was not enough fabric to make a suit. The man found this hard to accept, so he went to the tailor next door who measured both him and the fabric before announcing that there was enough to make a three-piece suit. A week later, the man returned to collect his new three-piece suit and noticed that the tailor's son was wearing trousers made of the same fabric. Confused, the man asked the tailor: "How were you able to make a three-piece suit for me and trousers for your son when the tailor next door could not even make a me a suit?"
"Simple," said the tailor. "The guy next door has two sons."
