I am quite amateur with a camera but I want to become good in fashion photography. A top model has agreed for a photo-shoot for free and in return she wants me to make a portfolio. We are planning to take the photos on a beach during day light. I have only used a Nikon D5600 and Nikkor AF-P 18-55mm kit lens.
I read in the internet that 50mm on a FX camera is close to what the human eye sees. Also I wanted to keep my distance between me and the model in the range of 3 and 10 meters. So I thought I should rent a 35mm instead as it would give almost 50mm view on a DX camera (35mm x 1.5 crop-factor = 52.5mm). However 35mm view on my kit lens appears zoomed in, its not what my eyes see. Instead the 24mm looks more natural. Is 35mm on a cropped sensor good for fashion photography considering the distance between me and the model ? or should I use 24mm ?
Answer
Photography is not (necessarily) about giving the viewer a "as you would see it"-perspective. Photography is about offering additional perspectives. If this was not true, the only good photos would be with roughly the same angle of view that the human eyes give us, shot at eye-height.
This, however, is not true. I would even go as far as to say: Those are the most boring photos that anyone can make.
It is much more about whether you like the look that 24mm deliver or not. You can make stunning photos with all focal lengths just as you can make boring ones. It all depends on what you want to do. And that still holds true in fashion.
My recommendation: See which focal length(s) you like the most on your zoom lens for the look you want - and also see where it puts limitations on your work. Buy accordingly - but always remember that a more expensive lens does not mean that your photos will automagically get better. I have seen stunning pictures taken with kit lenses - and I have seen pictures taken with five-digit $ lenses that are absolutely tedious.
Note that this also means that you have to know your gear and its limitations well before the critical shooting. It also means that going into the shooting, you should have a concept of what look you want to achieve. IMHO, routine means everything in professional work.
Regarding equipment in fashion: Direct sunlight and fashion photography do not get along well ;-) Bring diffusers, reflectors, and maybe even a fill flash. To get all of this working, see if you can find a friend to assist you with holding that stuff.
As mentioned first by juhist, bring some ND-filters (maybe 1EV and 2 EV) with you, as sun + fast lens = many, many EVs.
Also, as Tetsujin mentions: Primes are not everything. Zoom lenses like the 70-200 f/2.8 (and even f/4) offer incredible performance and don't force you to go with one perspective all the time as prime lenses would. E.g. most of my professional work, I do with my 24-105 f/4, because it works well in all conditions and the shots it offers well over-satisfy the needs of my clients. The below mentioned 100mm f/2.8 is my go-to-lens (ATM) for controlled situations where I need the tiny bit of extra performance that it offers.
Anecdote: A friend of mine is a semi-professional model. In the beginning of her "career", she asked me to help her with her portfolio. We mostly did medium long shots and medium close-ups - mostly "in movement", some more classic still portraits. What lenses did I use? Mostly the 100mm f/2.8L Macro. Was it the only lens that could do the job? No, absolutely not. But I already owned it, it offers a reasonable ability to separate the subject from the background (which I wanted), and I simply love its color rendition. And most importantly: I wanted that exact angle for my work - the photos I made would not have worked well with, say, a 50mm lens.
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