Loading ...Photo decline or mirroring the times?
By Nadine Kam
Interesting “argument in pictures” by Karen Lehrman posted on Slate, in which she laments the decline of fashion photography. I would agree with some of her points, but the major point unaddressed is that the images also reflect the times in which they are taken and the designs as well. Not all designs are suited for the gauzy, romantic treatment. Nor is that everyone’s fantasy or aspiration.
New York Times magazine
In the case of these New York Times magazine photos that appeared May 4, designers don’t intend to have their pieces worn this way, but this is how the garments were envisioned by an editorial team, inspired by the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,” on view through Sept. 1. Like most photography and art today, it is concept driven. Technical ability is assumed.
No doubt the images she admires depict mood, elegance and mastery of the zone system, but, we’ve seen those images before and I wouldn’t want photographers to be limited to the beautiful retro style favored by Lehrman. Even if some of today’s images may be ugly and crude, I respect varying points of view I may not otherwise have had without photographers forging ahead to craft a style of their own.
Check it out at http://www.slate.com/features/010510_fashion-slide-show/01.htm
She did have an interesting argument. I thought it was weird when she said that fashion photographers today see themselves as artists and while previous times they were just trying to make a living. So, wouldn’t you think that better pictures would come out of todays crop of photographers if she is using that argument? Maybe I’m missing a point…
Also, a lot of the content and editorial spreads in magazines today are somewhat controlled by the brands that purchase advertising in that magazine. You can’t just oust everything from Chanel’s collection if they invest huge sums of advertising dollars in your magazine, that would just sour the relationship and cause you to lose money.
Oh, and check this website out (if you haven’t already) for all kinds of amazing fashion spreads from big magazines to indie, to US to international. I looooove this website, always a source of inspiration!
Hi Katlin,
You make a good point regarding the $$. There is a lot of money tied up in the fashion/magazine biz resulting in a lot of decisions carried out by committee, which probably does tamp creativity. If a photographer came to me with awesome photos in hand, that’s one thing. But I don’t know that any editor or designer would relinquish control to a photographer. Design houses are picky with their image so if you approach them with a concept/model they hated, they’d have no trouble saying no.
And what’s the Web site you’re referring to?
Oops! I forgot to include the link, good thing I checked back!
http://community.livejournal.com/foto_decadent/
And I agree with your point about design houses being picky with their image and editors letting the photographers loose - there is a lot of different people you have to please!
Thanks for sharing that. I really liked the “Greatest Show on Earth” photo!