My First New York Fashion Week: Photographing Runway 7

I’ll never forget my first time photographing New York Fashion Week.

My first show was Runway 7, and walking into that venue with my camera, knowing I was about to photograph a real NYFW runway show, was both exciting and terrifying.

I was nervous.

Really nervous.

I had photographed fashion before, but this was different. This was New York Fashion Week. There were photographers around me who had done this before, models getting ready backstage, designers preparing their collections, makeup artists putting on finishing touches, and an entire production moving at full speed.

Then there was the photographer pit.

My First Time in the Photographer Pit

If you’ve never photographed a runway show before, the pit is an experience of its own.

You’re surrounded by photographers and videographers, everyone trying to find their position and get a clean angle down the runway.

There’s an energy in that space that’s difficult to explain until you’ve experienced it.

I remember setting up my camera and thinking about everything at once.

Am I in the right spot?

Are my settings right?

Am I going to get the shot?

Then the lights changed.

The music started.

The first model walked out.

And there was no more time to be nervous.

I had to shoot.

Learning in Real Time

Runway photography teaches you quickly.

There’s no asking a model to take another step.

There’s no saying, “Let’s try that again.”

The moment happens once.

I had to learn how to anticipate the models coming down the runway, watch their stride, understand the lighting, maintain focus, compose quickly, and capture the clothing at exactly the right moment.

Every model who walked gave me another opportunity to improve.

By the end of the show, I already understood things I hadn’t understood when I first stepped into the pit.

That experience taught me something I’ve carried into every fashion show since:

Preparation matters, but sometimes the greatest growth happens when you’re thrown into the moment and have to perform.

The People Made Fashion Week Special

Something else happened that I wasn’t expecting.

I started meeting people.

Photographers.

Models.

Designers.

Makeup artists.

Stylists.

Videographers.

Other creatives who were chasing their own version of the same dream.

I went into Fashion Week thinking mostly about the photographs I wanted to make.

I left understanding how much of the fashion industry is built around relationships and collaboration.

Conversations turned into connections.

Connections turned into friendships.

And some of those relationships continued long after Fashion Week ended.

Networking Without It Feeling Like Networking

People always talk about networking, but NYFW taught me that the best networking doesn’t always feel like handing someone a business card.

Sometimes it’s talking to the photographer standing next to you in the pit.

Sometimes it’s complimenting a designer’s collection.

Sometimes it’s photographing a model and connecting afterward.

Sometimes it’s simply being professional, helping another creative, sharing the experience, and remembering someone’s name.

Fashion Week brought together people from completely different backgrounds who all had one thing in common:

We wanted to create.

The Energy Was Unforgettable

This is probably what I remember most.

The energy.

The music.

The lights.

Cameras firing from the pit.

Models walking.

Designers watching months of work finally appear in front of an audience.

Makeup artists and stylists moving backstage.

Photographers reviewing images between shows.

People meeting each other in hallways.

Everyone was moving.

Everyone was creating.

Everyone was chasing something.

For someone who had spent years working toward becoming a fashion photographer, standing there with my camera felt different.

I wasn’t watching Fashion Week through someone else’s photographs anymore.

I was photographing it.

Runway 7 Changed the Way I Saw Fashion Photography

That first show gave me much more than photographs for my portfolio.

It gave me experience.

It gave me confidence.

It taught me how the photographer pit works, how quickly runway photography moves, how important preparation is, and how valuable relationships are within the fashion community.

Most importantly, it made me want to come back.

I wanted to become better.

I wanted stronger photographs.

I wanted to meet more creatives.

I wanted to photograph more designers.

And I wanted to see how far I could take this.

From My First Runway to What’s Next

I’ll always remember Runway 7 because it was the beginning.

I walked into my first New York Fashion Week nervous and unsure of what to expect.

I walked out with photographs, lessons, new friends, new connections, and a completely different understanding of the fashion industry.

Since then, I’ve continued returning to New York Fashion Week and pushing myself deeper into fashion and editorial photography.

But there will only ever be one first show.

For me, that was Runway 7.

And I’ll never forget the feeling of standing in that photographer pit when the lights came on, the music started, and I realized:

This is really happening.

Fashion & Runway Photography by KChhun Photography

I’m a Central Pennsylvania photographer specializing in fashion, editorial, portrait, and commercial photography, with experience photographing runway shows during New York Fashion Week.

I work with models, designers, makeup artists, stylists, brands, and other creatives in Central Pennsylvania, New York City, and beyond.

If you’re building a collection, developing your portfolio, creating a campaign, or looking for runway and fashion photography, I’d love to hear what you’re creating.

Every opportunity starts somewhere. Runway 7 was one of mine.