Evolution of fashion photography

THE EVOLUTION OF FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

Name: Favour Ebede Course: Fashion BA (First year)

Fashion photography was first recognized in French magazines, such as La Mode practique, in the early beginning of the 20th century. In 1909, Condé Nast innovated fashion photography and bought Vogue, thereafter transforming it in to a high class publication and brought it to what it is today. Photographers ever since have continued to push boundaries, and the pressure between having commercial demands and being conceptual has created technical innovation. In theory fashion photography is supposed to serve the same purpose as that of a catalogue, however some of the world’s great photographers have used this as a medium for self expression. Stone (2012) indicates Photographers inspired by the avantgarde or important commercial world events has helped produced a visual language that is still in existence. Photography has brought acknowledgement to designers, models and photographers.

Photographers like Richard Avedon; Edward J. Steiche and Cecil Beaton help to create the visual language of fashion shoots, choose locations, set the stage and tell a story by presenting emotional connections and creating moods with products they intend to sell. Today the limitations of commercial photography and artistic practices are becoming increasingly accepted to classic photographs (Domusweb, 2014). I intend on writing about the change of context in fashion photography, how other creative industries have affected the development of fashion photography and lastly, how the modern way of selfies and smart phone's photography has affected the fashion photography (with Instagram, Pinterest ….).

Interestingly, since the birth of fashion photography, the focal point has shifted away from the object itself, fashion and paved way for photographer’s visual style and the use of technology. In 1911, American photographer Edward Steichen photographed models wearing designs by Paul Poiret, the images were printed in the Art et Décoration, and Steichen confirmed them “the first serious photographs ever made”.

According to O'Rourke (2005) The first technique for printing, the daguerreotype, could not be used for mass printing. It wasn't until improvement in halftone printing that fashion photographs were now in

magazines. In an earlier age, fashion magazines had included engraved illustrations but had only a limited readership. Developments in printing processes in the 1890s allowed photographs to be printed on the same page as text, as well as improvements in cameras which led to fashion magazines becoming more widely available. Surrealism movement had a great influence on fashion magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. Salvador Dali and Giorgio de Chirico paintings were feature in Vogue with avantgarde pictures by Man Ray(V & A, n.d). Some fashion photographers have embraced their principles and techniques to challenge perceptions of reality. Baron George Hoyningen-Huene’s own work showed his interest in light, shade and classical forms reflected a painterly fascination with light, shade and classical forms. Horst P. Horst, his apprentice produced similar works, gaining inspiration from surreal and classical motifs.

During the recovery of the Second World War, a new group of designers emerged with the desire to embrace glamour and femininity and this was expressed in Christian Dior’s New Look in 1947(Ibid, n.d). Erwin Blumenfeld also pushed his boundaries by creating advertising campaigns using moving images and his colour fashion photography, by combining technical skills with talent he was able to produce vivid images that leap from magazine pages. His outstanding photographs are still important as they were in the 50s and 40s (Kelleher, 2013). Guy Bourdin started his career with fashion assignments for Vogue, he developed his colour photography to the fullest by creating compositions with strong colour saturation and textures. In the 1950s a fresh movement infected the major fashion magazines as photographers endorsed a new approach to taking fashion photographs in city landscapes rather than the traditional studio backdrops. This new vision was promoted by art directors at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue (Ibid, n.d). In the 1970s, acceptable fashion imagery was increasingly tested by photographers and they were involved in society’s changing perspectives towards sexuality and femininity. Helmut Newton’s work showed themes of sex and ambiguity, presenting bold women in elegant settings. Erwin Blumenfeld was the first photographer to shoot black models as well as Jean-Paul Goude who was obsessed with the black female form. The idea of beauty increased in mainstream magazines with the consistent use of black and androgynous models, like the Black Allure campaign for Vogue which took place in 2008 featuring only black models.

The legendary publisher Condé Nast established his publishing organization in 1909 when he bought Vogue. Fashion magazines used illustrations at that time to represent their products. Nast acknowledged the potential of photography in this field. As maintained by Sjostrom(2014) Mr Nast looked for Photographers to make stories about

fashion because he knew the skill was essential as he had to attract the readership. To Mr Nast it was more about creating feeling and elegance.

Vogue’s first photographer was Baron Adolph de Meyer in 1914, one of his pictures depicts an elegant woman adjusting her hat while looking in a mirror (Ibid, 2014).As Vogue set up agencies in major cities, it lured photographers by its bountiful pay and benefits. The realization of most of the biggest names in Photography can be merited by Condé Nast as claimed by Lolli(no date) so many Photographers launched their careers on the pages of his magazine. According to Stone (2012) fashion magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar recognized fashion photography as not only as a medium for expanding their readership but as a medium to appeal to advertisers. Editorials followed by photo shoots to promote clothing into a world of art. Condé Nast brought insight to photography and has greatly impacted in the development of the fashion photography, which has led to the recognition of photographers, fashion designers, and the models themselves and the fashion industry

With the rise of smartphone photography, camera phones are compared to Hasselblads and ancient cameras in terms of the resolution not being as good as the Hasselblad according to Nick Knight, who thought that number of pixels didn’t matter as long as the image works (Jeffries, 2013) He found them more easier to carry about as opposed to the 8 × 10 camera which was physically difficult (Bradley, 2013). Having camera phones is a new sense of freedom for Photographers especially as the machineries they used were too heavy. Having a phone and an Instagram account ultimately makes it easier to create images by yourself, instead of the use of dark rooms and toxic chemicals to process images. It is also a way to create network with influential people in any field and it allows easy channels for communication. Bradley (2013) insinuates that mobile apps allows Photographers like Nick Knight help with the involvement with his imagery. Furthermore, with apps like Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest, anyone can produce imagery rapidly and easily.

Digital technology has made Photography more democratic as it has gotten so popular that Jeffries (2013) assumes that camera phone functionality will outdo that of the digital SLR users, making press photographers shooting with regular camera phones. When locals can take pictures just as photographers, the idea of having photographers therefore becomes redundant and due to this there is no rising need for Photographers. Jeffries (2013) argues that photo-taking is making us experience less, rather than living in the moment making us experientially

poorer.This could be a controversial point because taking pictures helps us keep the experience and makes us study closer and realize things we couldn’t have by just experiencing. In a sense digital is lazy because people take lots of images without actually looking at them. According to Jeffries(2013) “ It’s a scatter gun approach. You snap away thinking, ‘One of these shots will work’, rather than concentrating on capturing the image ”.

Fashion photography has played a foundational role in terms of the evolution of the worldwide fashion and magazine industry. Supporters established the visual language of the todays modern photo shoot and directly, or indirectly, communicated major world issues and happenings around them. Today’s stars, Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, Juergen Teller, Chico Bialas, Wolfgang Tillmans, Annie Leibovitz, Olaf Martens, Bruce Weber, and among others, continue to direct and modernize the style and look introduced over a hundred years ago. Fashion photography is important as a means of communication, with the capacity to communicate standards, taboos and social ideals and appeal to consumers to persuade them to buy their products and secondly give them an impression of a lifestyle and a prospect for a new identity by acquiring possession of the advertised products. The means by which customers choose to dress relies on the images that are presented to us everyday which in some way have some psychological effects that have effects on us. Images may be presented in the form of advertising fashion photography and film which influences us to develop the notion of what looks socially acceptable in terms of clothes that we wear and physical features. In a world where beauty and likes are made public young people are led to think that beauty is all that is relevant.

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