The start of a new century marked the beginning of a digital age where fashion photography began to fully embrace digital technology and software. Fashion publications and advertisements had never been bigger and the boundaries between, art, fashion and photography continued to be blurred. Colourful narratives dominant big budget sets for fashion shoots, recreating the world but prioritising the aesthetics of it. Miles Aldridge, David LaChapelle and Nick Knight are all masters of these alternative universes with the latters ‘Dolls’ work shown above. Digital manipulation made images less permanent and more expendable meaning photographers had to be aware to still honour and practice the techniques of old masters.
The journalistic approach of fashion photography carried on into the 90s with an interest in the lives of normal people and all their flaws. This celebration of individuality and uniqueness was particularly exemplified by Davide Serronti who helped pioneer the heroin chic fashion of the mid 1990s. Tired, skeletal models in grungy looking environments with flat lighting were the taste of the moment, making famous models such as Kate Moss.
With the prominence of prêt-a-porter rising in fashion and the invention of jeans there boom in the industry and a new clean cut approach to photography. Consumerism took hold fuelling large scale commercials and advertisements employing the use of ‘supermodels’ like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier captured their seamless beauty and also helped to make male fashion more well known within fashion with a fresh perspective on masculinity.
The 70s marked the coming of age of the influx of photographers from the past few years with names like Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Irving Penn and William Klein carrying more weight. Photography took a more journalistic approach with shoots taking place in the streets and forcing models to perform in unusual scenarios. Models were encouraged to act naturally in front of the camera with the photographer taking snapshots rather than framing and forcing the image. Bailey in particular had a penchant for having a good time and becoming very familiar with his models.
Models such as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton started to become household names strengthening the growing power of the female form. Lillian Bassman was able to capture this in her powerful, atmospheric shots of models, almost portraying them as modern day goddesses. Her high contrast images were imposing but contained a sense of passive aggressivity.
The trend of moving away from the refined, contrived style of photography to a more expressive, energetic style continued on after the austerity and regimented discipline of WWII. Glamour and femininity were embraced fully with photography evoking the atmosphere of a scene rather than solely focusing on the details of a garment. The simplicity of the ‘Doe Eye’ Vogue cover accentuated the feminine features and glamour which were so relevant at that time.
The Picasso Girl shot in 1942 by Erwin Blumenfeld further demonstrates the growing use of materials in photography over the past decade or so. Fluted glass, mirrors, filters and other materials used to manipulate and distort the image were common in the works of Blumenfeld, Kertesz and Ray among a few. In the same year Kodacolour developed negatives for use with Chromogenic paper which saw a huge increase in the volume and efficiency of colour photography. Blumenfeld was particularly a fan of colour as shown by his simple ‘Doe Eye’ Vogue Cover in 1950 of Jean Patchett.
The 30s were a continuation of the previous decade with emphasis on visually challenging the viewer using juxtapositions in the frame to both amuse and disturb. New techniques in the darkroom and lighting made for more dynamic, fluid images. Cecil Beaton was a leader in the field at this time using such techniques coupled with obvious surrealist devices. The shadows and frame are particularly resonant of his style in this 1938 image.
Fashion photography was now becoming a key tool in promoting couturiers and even making there names well known such as Chanel, Lanvin and Schiaparelli. But it was also becoming more of an art form as well with the Surrealist movement lead by painters such as Dali and Chirico influencing Man Ray, Ilse Bing and others. This Schiaparelli perfume advertisement shot by Bing shows the move towards obscuring details of the model and the subject fighting with other elements to be the main focus.
As the popularity of fashion editorials grew, publications began to become international known but were still centred on Paris, New York and London. The was a growing number of models in the industry as well at this time meaning that the market for fashion was becoming more competitive and varied. Edward Steichen was a prominent name in the business using soft focus and props to make his images more appealing. The image above of the actress Norma Shearer taken in 1911 is a perfect example of how Steichen worked; the immediate focus is still on the model and dress but other features such as the dressing table and dynamic lighting are noticeable as well.
In the early 1900s Vogue was responsible for helping launch the career of Adolphe de Meyer who is considered to be the first true fashion photographer. This image shot sometime in that decade shows that fashion photography was no longer confined to studios but could be shot anywhere, the perfect example of how technology was making photography more accessible and malleable. The introduction of medium format cameras by Kodak and colour photography from the Autochrome plate meant that photographers were no longer restricted by lumbersome, heavy equipment.
Another timeless fashion publication was born in 1892 known as Vogue. By this time the commercialisation of fashion was continually growing but as in earlier issues of Harper’s, dress makers still felt that illustration was the best form of publicity for their creations. But with issue numbers rising and advances in printing methods such as the Linotype the labour force began to move away from man to machine. Christian Berard was an illustrator for Vogue from the 1890s into the early 1900s and was a pioneer in introducing colour into the publication.
Fashion photography was still a very personal thing in the 1880s, commissioned only by royalty or the wealthy. Pierson was still running a successful business, with his partner Leopald Meyer, photographing those who could afford or warrant it. The styles of shots were still dictated by the amount of time taken for the exposure to happen. As this was usually a couple of minutes the poses of this time are stereotyped as rigid and quite unnerving.
In 1867 the first fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar was created and to this day is still being published. However in its primitive years leading up to and carrying on into the 1870s the publication used images and sketches of illustrators as couturiers feared that photography would cause their designs to lose exclusivity. The cover of Harper’s Bazaar from 1870 shows one of the illustrator George Lepape’s early images. This showed the change of fashion from being something solely for the rich into a more accessible, more commercialised aspect of life throughout all classes.
This picture of Countess Virginia Oldioni taken by Pierre Louis Pierson is one of 400 portraits commissioned by herself. It dates back to 1863 and is an example of the daguerreotype which was the most popular method of photography at the time. She was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time and travelled to Paris to gain the attention of Napoleon III in an attempt to unify the interests of France and Italy. It was here that she met Pierson and become the subject of his works. As her beauty was of such awe, her gowns and garments were often equally as extravagant to emphasise her visual impact. In this sense it can be considered one of the earliest examples of fashion in photography.
Fashion photography is said to have been born in the Court of Napoleon III only 11 years after the first permanent fixed photograph had been invented by Louis Daguerre in 1939. The daguerreotype was a long process for an exposure so subject often had to remain motionless for a considerable amount of time during each shot. This image shows the Emperor’s Court beside a lake at Fountainbleau taken by Adolphe Braun sometime in the 1850s. The clothing of all the participants is a reflection of the style of dress amongst the rich in France with the men in sharp, tailored suits and the women in more lavish garments but still with a tailored appearance across the torso.
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