A2 Photography blog: ESSAY

How have the changes in fashion photography informed my decisions in my personal investigation?

My intention within this piece of research is to develop my understanding of Fashion Photography. I hope to build upon my knowledge in order to find relevant ideas to help further develop my practical work. My primary intention is to research different eras of fashion in order to gather a greater understanding of how photography has grown and changed over the years.

Prior to starting my research, I drew in my previous knowledge as to how photography has grown and developed. My previous knowledge enabled me to understand how limited fashion photography used to be, due to the lack of equipment. Therefore, this shows that fashion photography has expanded as a result of the advances in technology, impacting upon the industry. The use of SLR cameras and Photoshop has made manipulation of photos easier than when you only could use film photography. As my project goes on I would like to also explore the use of film photography in order to see the different techniques you can achieve from this method. I want to then go on to explore some initial ideas for narratives behind my work. I will research the different shoots used in Vogue from past and present using the vogue archive, which offers many different techniques employed by a range of photographers. Then, I will contextualise and compare photographers work to find photographs I would like to experiment with. I am also planning a trip to London to complete extra research. I am also hoping to pick up as much information on London fashion week as possible. This means again I can compare and contrast modern methods of photography to some of the older, more experienced photographers work, seeing how designers have worked through the times and simply grown as their work does. I will then combine my research to find a photographer and style that interests me to base my project on. Therefore, I would like to base my project on the many ways in which fashion photography has changed.

The earliest fashion photographer I am going to look at is Cecil Beaton. Beaton’s work is one of the most influential in fashion photography. He had worked for Vogue and Vanity Fair from 1931 and photographed some of the most significant people at the time, such as John Wayne and Gary Cooper. His first camera was a Kodak 3A-folding camera, which could further portray just how much technology has changed fashion photography. Beaton’s portfolio of such famous people made him highly influential, an observation that still remains to this day. Stylistically, I think that there is much to gain from looking at Beaton’s work, especially looking at his use of chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro builds a sharp edge and high contrast of shadows and highlights. This technique has been used widely by other fashion photographers and is a technique that I intend on learning from and developing into my own work.

On picture one of Marilyn Monroe you can see how the collarbone is enhanced by the way in which the shadow has caught it; this gives a definition that catches the eye but also highlights her seductive pose. Lighting such as this is helpful to me as I can employ this technique to draw a viewer’s eye to an item of clothing or accessories worn. Also, techniques as such have been taken forward to enhance sales by using ‘sex sells’ which is now constantly used to sell products by designers in order to make campaigns eye catching. I believe I can use these techniques to achieve basic looks such as high contrasting photos, but also to pickup on themes including ‘sex sells’, one that is a huge part of fashion photography. (See photography one below)

Norman Parkinson is another well renowned Fashion Photographer who uses similar techniques. He described himself as a “craftsman” rather than as an artist. His work is also high contrasting, however his work is more playful than Cecil Beaton’s work, it focuses a lot more on location and has more to it than a simple portrait. He isn’t so much based on beauty, but more on the story behind the photograph. This makes people get lost in the photographs and makes people feel as though they are actually there. He therefore laid a lot of the base work for the story work, which is seen a lot today in fashion photography. His photos are like a fairy tale, making viewers become interested in the photos. Photo two has a narrative which makes you think about where she is, giving you the feeling that she is hidden somewhere, especially with the leading lines makes you feel like she is enclosed. Her pose is quite girly and child-like, similar to that of a young girl possibly aged between four and seven, with her ankle to one side, this instantly draws attention to the dainty shoes she is wearing. All of these aspects then go on to having a narrative to a photograph, which is another really important skill, which is employed frequently. Today we have a lot better technology, which means I can move the plot or story further. Technology such as Photoshop means we can make photos even more surreal, but also the improved lights and studios also means we have a greater opportunity to take the use of a narrative a lot further.
(See photograph two below)

One of the most notable influences upon fashion photography was David Bailey. Before him, all photography was done on massive scales, but he took a small camera and shot one the most controversial shoots of not only the sixties, but of all time. He used a very debated model Jean Shrimpton. Her looks were considered a lot less refined than a lot of models at the time, and vogue were reluctant to use her as the model, despite this Bailey went and shot her round New York. He really emphasised her movement, but also the honest Scenes of New York surrounding her. He achieved this by using people passing by and making the most of street signs. This makes you feel very like you are caught in the snippet of time. This portrays the massive step from work such as Cecil Beaton’s, especially with the newly incorporated use of location. On photo three you can see a softer tones emerging, as there is nothing on the photo that you want to catch your eye. A very subtle, smoky, soft tone comes over the photo. Aspects such as these make the person viewing the photograph feel like they are there, as there is a texture of a real city with car fumes.
(See photograph three below)

To help answer my question I need to then compare the photography I have previously viewed with some modern photography. The photographer Alexi Lubomirski is a modern photographer who has access to a lot more technology, improving how photographs can be created. However, in his downtown LA wonderland shoot (photo four), you can see clear similarities to David Baileys work; he uses a playful narrative, which gives us a snapshot of what we can see. So, in a lot of respects fashion photography has the same very simple skills from previous decades, however there is a lot more clarity to the photos despite their vintage themes. However if you see some of Lubomirski’s other work, it is very modern and sharp, like photo four of Gwen Stefani. The use of modern technology means that it could be repeated, so factors such as this can make us realise how much photography has grown alongside technological advances. Both the repetition and the brightness of the photos give them a modern feel. Also, the colour of the photos aids the viewer in understanding that the photo is in fact more about the skills utilised than the actual clothes being marketed. To conclude, Lubomirski employs many of the skills David Bailey first used, however now it’s more than just photographing clothes, it’s more so about the themes behind the shoot and the best way ensure the photos are eye-catching. I believe that most modern photography is inspired mostly by vintage themed photography, for example the constant use of black and white to draw greater amounts of emotion into pictures.

(See photograph four below)

Another very popular and respected photographer is Mario Testino. His work ranges from portraits, to high impact advertisement. Once again his work is every high impact, ranging from nudity to very colourful, slightly abstract work. He again employs a range of his own, individual techniques, but also some quite generic techniques, such as high contrasting portraits. He has a large portfolio of some current models and celebrities, and some very elegant older portraits of people such as Princess Diana. His skills therefore have a wide range dependent on the photograph. On photo six Cara Delevigne is in a high colour contrast shoot. This is a really eye caching shoot and also very unique compared to some of the work of a lot of other well-respected photographers. It uses skills no other photographers I’ve explored have used, and this is why Testino’s work is rather unique. I would explore the use of such colour in my work, as it really is very high impact and skills I don’t think I can collect from any other of my chosen photographers. Using the red and orange on the photo on the right of photo six, brings a fiery, passionate feel to the photo. I believe this brings the photography back to clothes, as they are a contrasting colour to the background. However, Testino’s work has a more elegant and softer side. Looking at photo seven, you can see how he has built upon techniques Cecil Beaton used, with highly contrasting features such as the collarbones. However, there are sections in which you catch movement on the dress where the light has caught it, adding interesting movement and levels to the photo. I feel as though one of the most interesting aspects of the photo is Testino’s choice of pose, as it comes across a little awkward yet also adds a hint of vulnerability to Diana on the photo. It enables people to feel like they are able to know her on a more personal level as she is opening up more.
(See photo six & seven below)

I chose from here that I would explore one of the most renown photographs cuurently. Terry Richardson has absolutely thrived in the industry. His sexualised images led me to decisions on my work. I think his photo of Rajowski made me realise he pushes very simple work as fashion photography but it is just highly controversial. Its said he abuses his power by taking his professionalism for granted. I think his work completely shows the wrong thing to women. From here I decided how I wanted to take his work and incorporate it. I think his use of exploitation is a definite idea to explore. Looking at his photograph it shows Rajowski topless holding her boobs. You are immediately drawn into her red eyes and lips. I think the colour is passionate and quite sexual and they have been chosen to pot ray sexualised images. His work was what made me aim my work away from generic fashion photography and into a more personal line of work.
(See photo eight below)

After studying my photographers I found fashion photography was not actually what I wanted to study, but instead how influential it is. I wanted to explore how the media pushes women to be something they consider “perfect”. This made my work go from a normal investigation into something that was personal. I wanted my work to be really powerful but in a way that was quite simple. I wanted the photographs to be able to stand on their own. The earlier photographers that I had studied helped me make informed decisions on how I wanted to journey within my work because it built a great basis for the original and early starts of my work. For me it wasn’t enough to just study that, another media I used to inform my research was the music video “Pretty hurts”. I felt the video showed a true version of what women suffer with every day in a world where there is such a large need to be perfect. I felt studying multiple media’s helped me explore how other people interpret what I was trying to show through my photographs.

I responded to a photographer called Justin Bartle’s whose work was really simple but effective. He studied how women captivate themselves in clothes to make themselves accepted. This became the basis for the idea of work. Also the use of black and white added emotion in his work that I really wanted to capture in my own work. Another practitioner I have used was Sudsbo’s, his use of really high contrasting make up and obvious airbrushing was something I would have liked to have explored if I had to improve my work. Exploring a way of showing airbrushing would have been a really good extra to my final piece.

The earlier photographers I studied helped me make informed decisions on how I wanted to journey within my work because it built a great basis for the original and early starts of my work. It also helped me to be exposed to how shocking some of the more modern work is. This is why I chose to study Richardson because personally I don’t believe his work sells any sort of product –except his brand and sex. It was really interesting for me to study someone’s work that I didn’t like. It helped me to take me out of my comfort zone and try new techniques. His work is quite simple and is all studio-based.

My first final piece developments were really based around the idea of Media’s physical manipulation and it was really important to give a clean clinical edge to them. The consistency of the photographs was something really important to me it meant that they fit together as a set of four.
My work was particularly personal for me because I believe it is what is sold to me by society every day; through magazines, social networking and television.

My work for me had to become more than just a set of photos. It had to show exactly how powerful an image to be beautiful is.

My biggest achievement within my work is taking a very broad question and making it something personal.