From 35mm to 4×5: choosing the right format to tell fashion and glamour stories
Date: April 08, 2025
In fashion photography, format is never just a technical choice — it is a narrative tool. From 35mm to medium format, up to large format 4×5, each option shapes the visual language, the rhythm of the set, and the way subjects inhabit the frame. Working as a fashion photographer between Modena, Reggio Emilia and Bologna, I’ve learned that format defines not only aesthetics, but the emotional structure of the image itself.
1936 Contax II - Zeiss Sonnar 5cm f 1:2 - Expire 1600 iso film Processed in C-41 standard - Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved
35mm: spontaneity, movement and raw energy
The 35mm format is closest to documentary photography.In fashion and glamour it becomes essential when the goal is dynamism, immediacy or emotional movement.
Technical strengths:
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greater depth of field;
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lightweight lenses;
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fast handling;
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expressive grain structure.
For lookbooks in motion, backstage coverage, or campaigns with a “raw” or editorial feel, 35mm is irreplaceable. It captures the pulse of fashion — unfiltered, energetic, alive.
In many productions shot around Modena and Bologna, 35mm has helped me reveal the spontaneous, human side of fashion, where glamour emerges from gestures rather than poses.
Pentax 67II - SMC Takumar 105mm - Kodak Tmax 400 film Processed in Xtol (1:1 @ 24°) standard - Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved
6×6 and 6×7 medium format: the classic language of fashion
Medium format is the backbone of analog fashion photography. The geometry of 6×6 and the elegance of 6×7 naturally elevate the subject.Advantages:
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increased resolution and detail;
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smoother tonal transitions;
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natural skin rendering;
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shallow depth of field for subject separation;
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a slower pace that enhances connection.
6×6 is iconic, graphic, balanced. It is perfect for portraiture where composition is central.
6×7, often called “the ideal format,” is the standard for high-end fashion: refined, cinematic, timeless.
It is the format I use most often for fashion photography in Modena, Reggio Emilia and Bologna — the perfect mix of precision and softness.
Graflex Speed Graphic 4x5 + 4x5 Graflok back - 1944 Kodak Aero Ektar 178mm f 2.5 WWII Usaf reconnaissance lens
Kodak Tmax 400 in Xtol 1+1 @20° x 11'00" - Patterson Tank + Mod54 reel - Fidelity Elite 4x5 chassis - Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved
4×5 large format: the haute couture of photography
The 4×5 format creates images with a presence impossible to replicate with smaller formats.Why 4×5 stands apart:
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extraordinary sharpness and dimensionality;
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full control of perspective through tilt and shift;
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deep tonal detail;
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slowness that transforms the portrait into a shared moment.
Shooting 4×5 means asking the subject to truly be there.
No rush, no performance — just presence, breath and collaboration.
I use it for intimate fashion portraits, conceptual glamour, and personal artistic research.
Norita 66 - Noritar f:2 80mm - Kodak Tmax 400 in Xtol 1+1 @20° x 11'00" - Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved
The right format for the right story
There is no “best” format in fashion — only the right one for each narrative.
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Movement and spontaneity → 35mm
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Elegance and refined detail → 6×7
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Iconic, sculptural composition → 6×6
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Intimacy and conceptual glamour → 4×5
As a fashion photographer in Modena, part of my job is helping brands and designers understand which visual language best expresses their identity.
Pentax 67II - Takumar 105mm f 1:2.4 - Kodak Tmax 400 in Caffenol - Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved
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Choosing between 35mm, medium format or large format is choosing how the story will be told — and how the image will endure.
© Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved