Fashion Photographer Research

In this task, I will be researching fashion photographers (historical and contemporary) using both library and internet sources. Here are the photographers that I've selected:

Internet Research (Contemporary)

David Bellemere

A

B

David Bellemere

• Born and raised in Paris
• In high school, discovered photography and studied visual arts after his baccalaureate.
• Travelled to Asia which influences his photographic style.
• Known for his unique lighting setups, colours and created delicate images.
• Working with various magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Harpers Bazaar.
• Also works with various commercial clients such as Chanel and Hermes.
• Worked mainly on location, did limited studio shoots.

Image A is a photoshoot for Elle magazine of Bella Hadid - who is a current supermodel from America. This was one of the many exclusive images that was shot in the studio. The lighting style in this image is very interesting. It's not overly bright where the details of her features is lost. I like the shadows below her chin as it enhances her facial features like her jawline. I like the simplistic grey background and the way the shot was composed so the frame is filled. It's a pretty close up shot and I think this is more suited to show off beauty and makeup instead of the clothing itself. I like the pose with the hands because it directs you to look at her face. The colours in this image isn't quite high in contrast, so it looks quite faded.

Image B on the other hand was taken on location. This image has a urban vibe and I think the location plays a huge part with the style. The graffiti background really gives it the street style and it also emphasises on David's influences as he travelled. Unlike the previous image with the glow effect, this image has a faded look. I think this technique makes it look very youthful and not so commercial. The image also has a use of depth of field so the focus is sharper on the model, which I think works well with the faded style because it blends well.

Camilla Akrans

C

D

Camilla Akrans

• Known for taking photographs of women in her own style
• Portrays feminine beauty instead of looking seductive
• Worked with many magazines such as Harpers Bazaar
• Also worked with many designers like Chloe
• In this edition, worked with the award-winning Rihanna
• Worked mainly on locaton

Image C is a shoot of Rihanna that was taken for an issue of Harper's Bazaar cover. Camilla has shot this in a nice location, not that much is revealed. You can see a glimpse of the blue sky and I get the impression that it's taken somewhere in America. The reason I liked this shoot is because of the way Camilla uses lighting, which gives the image more depth and effect. I liked how there's a shadow almost over her but her face is still perfectly clear. The pose she's sitting in really brings out the fashion side of things with her leopard-print/snakeskin boots and dress. Back to lighting again, I like the shapes it's created with the background and the way the shot is composed.

Image D is another image from the same shoot. As I've mentioned, Camilla really uses lighting effectively to bring out Rihanna's eyes in this image. I liked this image because of the way the piece of clothing is used to cover half of Rihanna's face and the way she composed her pose. It also helps how the clothes have gap holes so you can still see through it. Both of these images and some other shots that were taken in this issue seem to have the same theme with the blue tones. I think this is effective and reflects on Camilla's work because she makes it look natural and that makes her portray feminine beauty within her work.

Internet Research (Historical)

Richard Avedon

E

F

Richard Avedon

• An American fashion and portrait photographer
• Did shooting for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue
• Had his models show emotion and movement in his work
• Born in the year 1923 in New York
• Passed away in 2004 whilst working on a assignment
• Mostly studio based

Image E is for a Calvin Klein ad that was shot by Richard. This was taken in the studio and from my immediate reactions, I liked the retro look it has. This almost replicates how Calvin Klein still shoots till this day and age. After doing my research, I understood how Richard made a change when he started shooting movement in fashion which can be interpreted in this image to the way the model is posing, but also in other pieces of work where the model is wearing a dress. This was something new and different from the norm of still fashion. The main focus in this shoot is the jeans and I think that it's clear enough and Richard has thought of shooting this in a different way that still influences fashion photographers today.

Image F is a close up shot of a model. I like the composition in the image with the way the model is holding her neck high, with her serious facial expression. The reason I selected this image is because of the retro style that comes across the image. This comes from the way she's dressed, the hairstyle and sunglasses. I think the lighting is used well here because although it being a black and white image in the studio, there are different tones. I like how the sunglasses are light toned whereas the rest blends equally. The lighting also brings out her beauty for example, the shadow on her neck brings out her jawline sharper. There is also a shine on her lip that was captured through the lighting position which gives looks very retro.

Edward Steichen

G

H

Edward Steichen

• Edward was an American painter and photographer
• From 1923 - Did commercial photography for Vogue and Vanity Fair
• Persuaded that photography was a fine art
• His first photographs got exhibited in 1899
• Mainly photographed on location based

Image G is photographed by Edward for Vogue in 1925. I like the style in the image because it's quite vintage and glamorous. The hairstyle really defines the 20's and her dress sense. I like the way the image is composed so the model is stood and the shot is taken sidewards. The lighting in the image is good because there's some shadows around her hair and face which defines her beauty. I like how her eyes look closed which enhances natural beauty, whilst she's holding the flower.

Image H is one of my favourite image of Edward Steichen's work. I like how elegant the image looks, from the fashion to the lighting. The lighting is well used and you can see glimpses of her dress shining. There's a shadow on the back wall and I like how there's lighting around her face to make sure that's not under shadows. I like how there's a punch of contrast in this image and I think this would be suited for commercial fashion photography. The dress and the piano works really well to compose this classy look and also with the way she composed her body. I will be using this image as a pinpoint to inspire my photography.

Library Research (Historical)

This image was found in a book named Picture Post and it was photographed by a French photographer, Jacques Rouchon. It was captured and published in 1955. This image is in black and white and there is some strong contrasts in the image. It was captured on location and it's a full length image of the model. I like how model is posing like she's walking on a catwalk. The lighting looks good as it's under outdoor natural lighting. I think the car in the back helps the image because it portrays the 50's to me.

Library Research (Contemporary)

Alexander McQueen is a fashion designer and this is a extract from his book Genius of a Generation, published in 2010. I found this image very interesting because it was captured at a catwalk show and it was composed well with her pose. I love how the lighting looks because it's quite edgy. There's a lot of shadows and I think they really bring out Kate Moss's features like her jawline. There's some bright bits and dark bits on her skin which connotes all the flash lights going off at the catwalk. The colour tones of this image is very cool/dark and I think it creates a serious mood with this high fashioned dress.