Louis shot on 25/03/11 02:14:05 PM
My brother once told me that fashion photography is probably the most shallow and simple form of photography. He continued that everything is so controlled and that there is nothing easier than taking pictures of beautiful people and then later turning them into black and white. I didn't argue or even start to explain. This conversation came about when I was looking through all the Prada campaign archive on TFS done by Meisel in the early 00's and late 90's. I was blown away by the composition, the colours, the mood...it goes on. Check out the ones of Amber Valetta, so cinematic.
Anyway, I've had people said similar things to me many times and I was never really offended as much as I felt stuck or even stunned. Without soundings too pretentious or too hipster/alternative about things, I find it incredibly rude and weird that now people are telling me what I think looks good. It's like telling picasso to choose a "more appropriate" colour palette or telling Dali he should look at things more realistically. I am in no way or probably never will be as great as them but I mean, I have never been commissioned to do any photographs or shoot for anyone but if I was I would shoot what I know and what I like. I mean if it was so simple then I don't see why they don't do it themselves and make tonnes of money out of it. If it was SO easy, SO methodical and SO formulaic as that.
The point was that those people say that I can only take photos in greyscale because "it just makes everything look better." I like greyscale because it is what i felt like at the time and most of the time I do like them. There is something very appealing about the different shades of grey that I just love. When I was young I draw a lot and I use only graphite so I'm very used to seeing things in that kind of spectrum, lightness, darkness, shadows and all that.
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Bella shot on 11/02/11 at 07:24:55 PM
Louis shot on 25/03/11 12:42:51 PM
This is no way an ambush to any other photographers(never) or colourists. I love them too! I mean the reason I love all these editorials and "fashion photos" although I know everything from the lighting to the immitation nude bras(exception of French Vogue in Roitfeld's day) is artificial, there is something very optimistic, a strong emotion and a story behind them. There's a fantasy, something floating in the air, how that person chooses to dress, why they dress like that, where they came from and where they are going, their attitudes. When I feel that and relate to it(and we react to things in very different ways,) then I say "now that's a great photo." Mr. Tisci recently collaborated with Visionaire to create a glossy, coffee-tabled, oversized-magazine-esque book that explored religion and fashion.Source URL: https://naturalbellescloset.blogspot.com/2011/07/grey-area.html
There a a bunch of fashion photographers out there who likes black and white(I don't know any of them personally, this assumption is based on works they have done.) David Sims, Largerfeld, Lindbergh, Inez and Vinoodh.... It goes on, I can't really be bother to list. I personally respond to Hedi Slimane(One of my first post was on him) and Willy Vanderperre. I mean I just can't get enough of them, even if the clothes are hideous, what ever they shoot I like. This doesn't mean I am going to go out and buy the products they are selling but it means that I will drag the photos onto my desktop(my desktop gets very messy) and stare at the photo for at least 5 days and then slip it away in an appropriately named folder. To me that mean that the photo is special and it is something I want to look at again.
I have never been taught any of this photography stuff(Don't we all wish we were Victor Demarchelier?) I was actually self taught, (some also says it's my camera, they say the photos are good because your camera is big and expensive) I mean if I have to use disposables cameras(no way a jab at disposables, they are awesome, used up five 30 something shots of them during my leavers' ball) for the rest of my life, I would still be doing what I do and probably in black and white film if possible!
I guess I just want to conclude that I love what I love and if you can do better then....please teach me. Enlightened me, I am a buddhist so please lead the way. I am happy to assist full time if I'm not at school.
So here are some of my photos, completely unretouched, no post processing accept for turning them from RAW to JPEG files. And FYI I preset my camera to take pictures in greyscale so I haven't just "turned them into black and white". PEACE OUT BITCHES.
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