The way of fashion photographer

Since the Olympus camera company has taken over fashion, more and more fashion photographers pile into the tents every season. Most of the time the entrances to the tents are blocked by photographers with their big Cannon D1s screaming "look here, one more picture." Now, they have people taking photos of random guests so they can be put on the famous Olympus wall. The fashion photographer has become a force to be reckoned with, as opposed to the lowly photographer that got thrown bread crumbs. \nChristopher Farrar, the Indiana Daily Student photographer who accompanied me to fashion week, will be the first one to say fashion photographers get treated much better than fashion writers. They get to go into any show they want, make a living shooting beautiful people and -- like infamous photographer Steve Sands -- can make even $1 million off one photo. Though the photographers tend to be the happiest group of people at the shows, don't piss them off. \nThis year Farrar and I decided to bring along Jodie Love, a new photographer at the IDS. When we walked into the Kenneth Cole show, I had to show her the ropes, because Farrar was getting his credentials. I told her to find a place where she could see the end of the runway and stick to it. I went on to say the other photographers will try to bully her, but she should just stick to her place. She began to laugh as if I wasn't serious, but after the show she came up to me full of anger. \n"Do you know what some photographer said to me?" she asked. "He came up behind me and asked me if I got anything good with my point and shoot." \nShe was amazed at the audacity of a man 30 years her senior to say such a mean thing.\nThe photo drama continued when famed photographer Steve Sands could not get into the Baby Phat show and then commenced to get into a physical altercation with the bouncers.\n"Don't push me because you don't know what's going on," he screamed. "Do you know who I am?" \nHe then went across the street and called the fire department, and when a fire truck showed up everyone knew what had happened. Evidently, that is his M.O. when he doesn't get into an event. This was the second of Sands' altercations for the week, and although many question why he behaved in such a way, I understood. Even Andre Leon Talley, "godfather of new york fashion," was not allowed into the show. They deserved to be angry.\nI asked my friend Astrid Stawiarz, who is a fashion photographer for Getty Images, and she said that although it is a pretty good deal, it can be rough. \n"You work long hours, and you have to sacrifice a lot," Starwairz said. "Most people don't want their picture taken. It's fun, but you sacrifice your personal life." \nI thought to myself, maybe that's why so many of them are so rude. Fashion photographers are the first ones to comment on a famous person's butt getting wider, and when Ashley Olsen arrived at the Baby Phat show without Mary Kate they joked about the crackhead not coming. \nBe warned -- the cocky attitude of the fashion photographer is alive and ready to come out at any time. Most of them are better at picking out fashionistas than the actual fashion editors. They live by the camera and they die by the camera.