This photo was taken in Vitruvian Park which is next to my townhome. It appears to be a professional fashion photo shoot. No one would ever say I dressed in high fashion, although I do appreciate the creative photography I see on the covers of fashion magazines. The closest I get to “high” fashion are the quarterly warehouse sales of regional brand name clothes when they are marked down to $10 each. It is a unique experience to try on clothes with 100 other women in a giant room where no men are allowed. I am a fan of Project Runway; I love seeing the wildly innovative creations its designers come up with, especially the unconventional materials challenge. If you have never seen dresses made from plastic beach balls, rope, paper, etc. that DO NOT look like a craft project, you are missing something. Apparently, fashion photography can be very lucrative. They guy who normally works on my computer is trying to break into the field and has shown me some of his photos. He is very excited about the prospect of making much more money than I pay, but I hate to lose him. He is one of the few reasonably priced computer repairmen. Let’s find out more about the seductive field of fashion photography.
According to Wikipedia, fashion photography is a genre of photography which is devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair or Elle. Fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by the presence of exotic locations or accessories.
History
Fashion photography has been in existence since the earliest days of photography. In 1856, Adolphe Braun published a book containing 288 photographs of Virginia Oldoïni, Countess di Castiglione, a Tuscan noblewoman at the court of Napoleon III. The photos depict her in her official court garb, making her the first fashion model.
In the first decade of the 20th century, advances in halftone printing allowed fashion photographs to be used in magazines. Fashion photography made its first appearance in French and American magazines such as La mode pratique and Harper’s Bazaar. In 1909, Condé Nast took over Vogue magazine and also contributed to the beginnings of fashion photography. In 1911, photographer Edward Steichen was "dared" by Lucien Vogel — publisher of Jardin des Modes and La Gazette du Bon Ton — to promote fashion as a fine art by the use of photography. Steichen then took photos of gowns designed by couturier Paul Poiret. These photographs were published in the April 1911 issue of the magazine Art et Décoration. According to Jesse Alexander, this is "...now considered to be the first ever modern fashion photography shoot. That is, photographing the garments in such a way as to convey a sense of their physical quality as well as their formal appearance, as opposed to simply illustrating the object." Steichen’s high esteem as a photographer led him not only to Vogue as chief photographer, but to Vanity Fair as well, for 14 years.
Vogue was followed by its rival, Harper’s Bazaar, and the two companies were leaders in the field of fashion photography throughout the 1920s and 1930s. House photographers such as Steichen, George Hoyningen-Huene, Horst P. Horst and Cecil Beaton transformed the genre into an outstanding art form.
In the mid-1930s as World War II approached, the focus shifted to the United States, where Vogue and Harper’s continued their old rivalry. In 1936, Martin Munkacsi made the first photographs of models in sporty poses at the beach. Under the artistic direction of Alexey Brodovitch, Harper’s Bazaar quickly introduced this new style into its magazine. House photographers such as Irving Penn, Martin Munkacsi, Richard Avedon and Louise Dahl-Wolfe would shape the look of fashion photography for the following decades. Richard Avedon revolutionized fashion photography — and redefined the role of the fashion photographer — in the post-World War II era with his imaginative images of the modern woman.
According to the article “Fashion Photography (1880-present)” at visual-arts-cork.com, Avedon's photos were marked by their chic insouciance and boundless vitality. He also had a unique gift for inventive risk-taking and imaginative experimentation, and was a perceptive talent-spotter, always finding the "face" that best captured the "look" of the moment, such as Dorian Leigh, Suzy Parker, Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, Brooke Shields, and Nastassja Kinski. In contrast, Irving Penn's photography was all about beauty and form — elements that combined most perfectly in his later series of still life photos. He was the first to use austere grey and white backgrounds, and his studio arrangements were both aesthetic and meticulous. If Avedon's work can be described as "immediate," Penn's is "monumental." In addition to their fashion work, both men produced outstanding portrait art — Penn's immortal portrait of Pablo Picasso or Avedon's portrait of the model Dovima wearing a Dior dress surrounded by African elephants.
According to Wikipedia, from 1939 and onward, what had previously been the flourishing and sizeable industry of fashion photography all but stopped due to the beginnings of World War II. The United States and Europe quickly diverged from one another. What had previously been a togetherness and inspired working relationship diverged with Paris occupied and London under siege. Paris, the main fashion power house of the time, quickly became isolated from the United States — especially with Vogue Paris shutting down for a brief hiatus in 1940. With these changes, the photography based out of the U.S. gained a distinct Americana vibe; models often posed with flags, American brand cars and generally just fulfilling the American ideal. What did remain of the French and British fashion photography on the other hand often had a wartime overlay to the content. Cecil Beaton’s “Fashion is Indestructible” from 1941 displays a well-dressed woman viewing the rubble that once was Middle Temple in London. Similarly, former New York fashion model Elizabeth “Lee” Miller began taking photos of women in Paris and London, modeling the latest designs for gas masks and bicycling with pin curlers in their hair, as they did not have electricity with which to curl their hair. Images such as these remain scarred into the face of fashion photography of the time and display a common sentiment among the fashionable world and the public. Even fashion photographers worked toward a documentation of the time — even if within the frame of fashion. These photos are an especially good indication of the fashionable emotions of the time. Many felt that fashion photography — during wartime especially — was frivolous and unnecessary. Yet, the few who worked to preserve the industry did so in new and inventive ways throughout the duration of the war.
In postwar London, John French pioneered a new form of fashion photography suited to reproduction in newsprint, involving natural light and low contrast.
According to the article “Fashion Photography (1880-present)” at visual-arts-cork.com, an important fashion photography development was engineered by Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, who arranged for the Hungarian sports photographer Martin Munkacsi (1896-1963) to shoot some photos for a swimwear spread out in the open on a windy beach. As model Lucile Brokaw ran towards the camera, he photographed her in motion, blurred and hair streaming, and in that instant shattered the convention that fashion photographs could only be taken inside a controlled studio environment. His spontaneous realism revolutionized the aesthetics of fashion photography and opened the way for others to follow.
Also important was the invention of Kodachrome, a type of color film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. One of the first camera artists to use color in fashion photography was Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895-1989), best-known for her outdoor photo-shoots for Harper’s Bazaar. She was also one of the first to use natural light and to use exotic locations for her photography.
Surrealistic fashion photography
Presided over by its chief theorist Andre Breton (1896-1966), the Paris-based surrealism movement, with its fantastic, dreamlike attributes had a significant influence on fashion photography. This is best exemplified by the work of Man Ray, the American camera artist who charted an entirely new direction for fashion photography, mostly because he disregarded the conventions and experimented with surreal, expressionistic imagery in his dark room. In effect, his contrived, indoor, pictorialist style of work represented the opposite end of the spectrum to the spontaneity of Munkacsi. Another important pictorialist fashion photographer was Erwin Blumenfeld (1897-1969) who employed numerous techniques including solarization, overprinting, juxtapositioning of color transparencies and even chilling wet negatives in the refrigerator in order to achieve his surreal effects. Other camera artists who incorporated surrealist ideas in their photos included Englishman Peter Rose Pulham (1910-56), Frenchman Andre Durst (1907-49), American George Platt Lynes (1907-55) and the inimitable Brit Cecil Beaton.
Another major postwar talent was the British camera artist Norman Parkinson (1913-90), who joined Vogue International in 1946 and began working for U.S. Vogue in 1949. Parkinson's "action realist" style and larger-than-life personality helped to transform conventional fashion photography.
Fashion Photography in the 1960s
While the 1950s introduced a fresh, adventurous spirit into fashion camera art, the 1960s witnessed a total change. A whole new world of fashion opened up as a result of the 60s cultural revolution. New forms of pop music, pop art, greater leisure time, a more liberal attitude to sex and of course the sudden "generation gap" all combined to make fashion intensely relevant for the young — a phenomenon reflected in the emergence of new words like "trendy" and "fashion-conscious." A widespread urge to be seen as "hip" or "cool" fueled a demand for new styles, shapes, materials and colors. Other important influences on attitudes to fashion — and thus fashion photography — included the Vietnam War, NASA Space Program, women's liberation movement and the issue of "race." Although not 100% dominated by youth culture, 60s fashion was redefined by the demands of young people.
This widening demand for fashion, allied to changing social and moral values, had a major impact on fashion photography. The best young photographers — such as the London trio of David Bailey (b.1938), Terence Donovan (1936-96) and Brian Duffy (1933-2010) — enjoyed skyrocketing fees and iconic status; Bailey became almost as famous as the celebrities he photographed. Models, too, like Jean Shrimpton — Bailey's muse, Twiggy, Lauren Hutton and Veruschka became household names.
If 1960s fashion photography had any unifying aesthetic, it was "novelty." Magazines needed new and exciting images to compete. David Bailey was bold, direct and undeniably focused; Terence Donovan pioneered the use of stark and gritty urban environments; Yasuhiro Wakabayashi (b.1930), better known as Hiro, used unusual lighting, creative juxtapositions and a unique feel for color to create a monumental, surreal style; Bob Richardson (1928-2005) put sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll into his photos, as did Art Kane (1925-95) at 26, the art director for Seventeen Magazine, while Diane Arbus (1923-1971) produced some of the most disturbing children's fashion images ever published.
Fashion Photography in the 1970s
During the 1970s, the exotic, hippie styles of the 60s were replaced with more practical apparel. Jeans became "the" signature item of casualwear, and demand for ready-to-wear clothes exploded. Fashion spread from the young to all ages, and this newly found consumerism propelled fashion into a multibillion dollar industry, reinforced by slick advertising campaigns and cutting-edge TV commercials.
French Vogue now took the creative lead in fashion photography thanks to camera artists such as Helmut Newton (1920-2004) and Guy Bourdin (1928-91). Newton was best-known for subversive and erotic imagery that somehow maintains an ironic tone, while Bourdin was renowned for his highly artistic, colorful, occasionally surreal images. Deborah Turbeville (1932-2013) was the first to use overweight and unsightly models. All three helped to transform conventional, well-lit fashion imagery into something much more edgy and offbeat.
Fashion models continued to make it big in the 70s. In 1975, Margaux Hemingway signed the first million-dollar contract as the face of Fabergé's Babe perfume, while Lauren Hutton appeared on cover of Vogue 25 times! Black models also hit the big time, as exemplified by Iman, Donyale Luna, Naomi Sims and Beverly Johnson, who was the first African American model to feature on the cover of American Vogue in 1974. Other top models of the 70s decade included Cybill Shepherd, Patti Hansen, Penelope Tree, Grace Jones and Jerry Hall.
Fashion Photography in the 1980s
While some of the most creative fashion photography of the 1980s continued to be produced by “old-timers” like Richard Avedon — his narrative advertising campaign "The Diors" or his nude shot of Nastassja Kinski entwined with a snake — younger photographers also emerged into the limelight, including: Herb Ritts (1952-2002), best-known for his iconic shot of "Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989" which appeared in Rolling Stone magazine; Bruce Weber (b.1946) who presented a new outlook on masculinity through his photo shoots for Armani and Calvin Klein, as did Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-89) with his homoerotic shots; and Gian Paolo Barbieri (b.1938), noted for his work for fashion designers Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Pomellato and Giuseppe Zanotti. At the same time, women's independence was emphasized in various settings, by photographers like Denis Piel (b.1944) and Bert Stern (1929-2013).
Controversy, always a handy tool with which to boost flagging commercial fortunes, reared its head as a result of Benetton's fashion campaign, shot by Oliviero Toscani (b.1942). Images included one of a patient dying of AIDS in front of grieving relatives, while others incorporated references to racism, war, religion and the death penalty.
The leading supermodels of 1980s fashion photography included: Gia Marie Carangi, Ines de la Fressange, Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, Paulina Porizkova, Brooke Shields, Heather Locklear, Carol Alt and Elle Macpherson, among others. It was during this decade that supermodels stopped being seen as individuals and started to be regarded as images, just like movie stars. Witness the celebrity party shots taken by fashion photographer Roxanne Lowit (b.1965) of supermodels like Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell and others. The photo is of supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.
Fashion Photography in the 1990s
Fashion during the 90s turned almost Mannerist, as consumers embraced shabby grunge styles, as well as tattoos and body piercing. Later in the decade there was a revival of certain late 60s/early 70s styles, although the 1990s retained an edginess all of its own. Long established artists like Irving Penn and Helmut Newton continued to dominate the field, while Ellen von Unwerth (b.1954) introduced viewers to her unique brand of erotic femininity. In addition, Peter Lindberg (b.1944) — noted for his monochrome photos — achieved fame with his January 1990 Vogue cover featuring Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Tatjana Patitz. Meanwhile his younger contemporary Steven Meisel (b.1954) was praised for his shots of Madonna in her 1992 book "Sex" and for Vanity Fair. The Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino (b.1954) also received attention for his 1997 Vanity Fair cover photos of the late Lady Di, Princess of Wales.
A key photographic trend — dubbed "heroin chic" — perhaps reflecting the gender ambivalence of the age, was the use of pale, emaciated, androgynous-style models, exemplified by the photo-shoot for Calvin Klein's "Obsession," by Mario Sorrenti (b.1971), which featured a waifish Kate Moss.
The 1990s saw the apogee of fashion model-power, as embodied by photographic superstars Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Tatjana Patitz. The heroin chic style flared briefly in mid-decade but petered out with the rise to fame of the Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen in 1999. The 90s also witnessed the growing use of established celebrities in fashion photo shoots, as exemplified by Julia Roberts, who became the face of Lancôme.
According to Wikipedia, in recent years, fashion photography gained even greater popularity due to the expansion of the internet and ecommerce. Clean product, knolling and ghost mannequin photography have become a usual practice in the fashion industry. After the Second World War, style went through dramatic changes, and various new planners arose during the 1950s and 1960s.
Contemporary fashion photography
After the deaths of Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Francesco Scavullo, Herb Ritts, Gleb Derujinsky and Peter Lindbergh, some of today's most famous fashion photographers are Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Mario Testino and Annie Leibovitz. In 1983 Vanity Fair hired Annie Leibovitz as its first chief photographer to continue Steichen’s legacy within modern photography through celebrity portraits.
Fashion Photography in the 21st Century
According to the article “Fashion Photography (1880-present)” at visual-arts-cork.com, although Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bundchen and other “established” models continue to lead the field, the new crop of professional fashion models of the 21st century — as cited in American Vogue May 2007 issue — include: Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson, Chanel Iman, Doutzen Kroes, Sasha Pivovarova, Hilary Rhoda, Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Caroline Trentini and Raquel Zimmermann.
The leading fashion magazines, aside from Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, now include Elle — the world's best-selling fashion magazine, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, W, Vanity Fair, GQ, Grazia, Marie Claire, Dazed and Confused and Sleaze Nation.
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