Photographic Genres

Photographic Genres:
Fashion:

Fashion photography is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. High-Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, or Elle. High-fashion photography is used on mainly fashions that are produced by the leading fashion houses e.g. Yves saint Laurent, Chanel, Versace est. High-fashion photography are usually featured commercially, in magazines or campaigns to promote the brand name; advertising the brand name/label. I think high-fashion photography enables you to get creative, as the majority of photographs are “out there “and almost unusual. I think that this works extremely well as the viewer’ seem to be drawn to this type of image, finding it almost intriguing. Creativity in a high-fashion photography shoot is a must due to the eccentricity of many of the fashions, an interesting location or photographic style is necessary.

 Commercial photography involves taking photographs for commercial use e.g. in advertisements, merchandising and product placement. Commercial photography also used in corporate brochures and leaflets, menus ect. Commercial photography is used to promote or sell a product or service. 

In regardes to location overtime fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the  clothes and fashions are enhanced by the presence of locations. In location photography all images in the series have a common interest within the location that fits well within the fashions that are being featured. 

Studio photography is photographs taken in a studio, where you have complete control of the environment e.g lighting props... Studio photography images are often used for commercial purposes.

Portraiture:

Portrait photography or portraiture is photography of a person or group of people that displays the expression, personality, and mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is usually the person's face, although the entire body and the background or context may be included. With portrait photography I find that capturing raw emotion in a persons face is all you need. Portrait photography can be used in collaboration with fashion photography, in the sense that you can use a models face in order to project or represent what it is that is meant to be sold. Whether that is a style all together, or one particular fashion. Portrait photography could also work incredibly well with  political or documentary photography (requiring a model) As political issues or campaigns worth documenting requires raw imagery to get their point across to the viewer. This kind of imagery could be used as an eye-opener towards what ever cause it is that is trying to gain awareness for. 

There any different types of portraiture that can get very different outcomes: Traditional or Classical portraiture would refer to an image where face is the predominant element. The purpose of the photograph is to depict visual representation of that person. Subject is expected to be looking directly at the camera. With what is described as a head-shot, two thirds or full body framing can be used. The term Environmental Portrait refers to an image where the subject is photographed in person’s natural environment. For example, a worker photographed at the construction zone, teacher in the classroom, sculptor in a sculpture studio and so on. Surroundings are used to compliment the subject and to emphasize his character. Subject and setting are chosen by the photographer.

Still life:

Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subject matter, most typically a small grouping of objects. Still life photography, more so than other types of photography, such as landscape or portraiture, gives the photographer more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a composition. Still life photography can be interpreted into almost all other genres of photography

Political and documentary photography:

Political and documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle both significant and historical events and everyday life. It is typically covered in professional photojournalism, or real life reportage, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit. I think that through political or documentary photography the purpose is to get the viewer to see a story or cause through imagery. Because of this the photographs have to be powerful and informative as well as being imaginatively creative as to please and entice the viewers. 

My Proposal

Proposal:

Through researching multiple genres of photography I have decided to incorporate both portraiture, fashion and still life photography in the form of diptychs, using colour as the common factor in the two photographs. 

The fashion side will be incorporated with the still life. I want to use fashion articles (Clothing, footwear, accessories) as one side of my diptych; using articles of the same colour to create the shot using interesting compositions I think that this would be very successful as editorial as well as high fashion photography perhaps used in magazines, posters and other editorial/commercial photography. 

For the other side of my diptychs I will be using a model sporting something with the same colour (make-up, clothing...) as the still life diptych in order to create a common interest. These photographs will be taken with the idea of portraiture and fashion photography in mind. 

From my researching photographers recently, I gathered inspiration from the contemporary photographers Waldemar Hansson and Emily Soto. I find the vintage almost aged style brought into modern photography to be a big influence in the style that I want to use within my own photographs during this project. This style of photography to myself seems almost fantasy like whilst still having a strong place in high fashion. I would like to experiment in this project with composition, lighting techniques as well as after editing to create the modern finish that I am looking for.

I am hoping to work primarily in digital form as to create more leeway to after editing to help influence the fantasy/high fashion style I am going for. Although I will also include film based photography as to evidence a more experimental side to my chosen genres, even if I don't use them in my final pieces of work.

Developing my Ideas:

Developing my ideas:

To help towards developing my ideas I am wanting to experiment digitally (using photoshop) Including layering, colour casting, and just general editing. To ensure I know what areas I need more work in or to help increase my knowledge of I will need to do further online research in order to see what I can do to make my photographs successful to the style I  am after. 

Another thing I've thought to research further on in still life photography seen as I haven't used in much in the past, I've wanted to extend my knowledge on what it takes to make a successful image as well as still life purely in fashion photography. I have only previously dabbled with this type of photography I found it successful in the past.









As I am wanting to use diptychs as my final photographs I think it's necessary to research into this further in regards to what other things can link to the two or more images, and what kinds of these links are used in different types of photography primarily the genres I have chosen: still life, portraiture and fashion and if these genres can be successfully combined. 

Still Life Photoshoot

Still Life Photo shoot: 

This still life shoot was completed to help myself as a photographer incorporate still life into my chosen genre. I found still life merged with fashion photography was the best way to go with this as I find that still life in fashion photography is a great substitution for live models, as I think this could be a more creative form of fashion photography in regards to composition and personal style. 

My first Image I have chosen from this shoot is of a pair of shoes, I think that this particular image was successful and to the criteria I was trying to meet. I found that using a prop "the tape" not only worked extremely well with the product but also draws the viewer into the image in the form of leading lines from the bottom left hand corner. Overall I found this image to be successful as a still life fashion photograph.

I found this shoot successful, as I amwanting to use still life in my final shoot I fund this task beneficial as it gave me an insight to what I might need to do to make that shoot successful.

Presentation reseach

For this project I have extended research on different ways to present my final work. Through this research I have come to a firm decision on how I am going to present my work. A few techniques that I've come across are: 

Simply mounting your work/photographs on paper or card is a rather simple yet clean and effective way in which to present your work to your peers. This can be used for series of images as well as a singular photograph. If completing a series the images must have some form of common interests this could be found through genre, colour, or just general style.

Magazines/Books/E-zines I have found have very positive feedback, as editorial presentations are more easily accepted and more commonly viewed. Physical prints give the viewer the choice to take the magazine on the go which may appeal to several people. With online magazines/E-zines I find that this approach to presenting will appeal to more people as they are cheaper to sell and create and can include many things that a physical magazine can't such as videos, slides ect.

I think that presenting with a Power Point Presentation, is a strong and informative way in which to get your images across. 

With this research I have decided to go with an E-zine created on the website Joomag. I have chosen a magazine because I think I it fits incredibly well with the fashion side of my project, and will also give me a greater understanding into how my target audience will view it and what will appeal to them. 

Target Audience

Target Audiences:

Portraiture was first used for upper class families almost as another way to add status although now it could be widely used for less serious matters for example: creating memories, for gifts, some are just simply taken for ID purposes. Portraits are  easy, cheap and quick to achieve. I think that portraiture is not appreciated by just one genre but appreciated widely through many. 

Fashion photography targets someone that has a general interest in fashion. Depending on the subject for example: clothing, shoes, for male, female or children different ages, it is typically someone that have an interest in trends and the fashion industry as well as people who want to look for inspiration and general styles. It's the type of fashion, that creates a different audience, high fashion products will usually be the focus for higher class viewers as the product is usually that product of a leading fashion house. Commercial fashion is less competitive and viewed my most through magazines and for online shoppers.

Portrait Shoot Plan:

Date and Time: 

I would like to complete my shoot during the afternoon as for this shoot I am not wanting to use any artificial light. I believe a good time to get this is with shooting midday. 

Style: 

The style of my shoot is portraiture incorporated with fashion, I have decided to use some of the props/products used from my previous still life shoot, to create a link with the two. When researching different genres of photography I discovered a type of photography I wanted to use. Using my model in her natural environment so I will have my model act natural in regards to facial structure and body positioning as I think this will create a strong finish. 

My model will wear simple clothing as not to take focus from the product I place in there; fur coats, make-up and other clothing and accessories I will have on hand. Unless configuration with my shot I will have my model have natural hair and make-up, again not to draw too much attention and steal the focus.

Location:

For my location I will be using a natural outdoors area by my models home so that she feels like she is in her natural environment. Also I will be using a coffee shop as a location as I think that having a little something more going on around my model gives the feeling that it is more natural and not posed,

Time frame:

My time frame for these images will consist from midday onward, making it quite flexible. 

Equipment:

For this shoot I am going to need to take, my camera and spare batteries as well as a spare memory card just in case. I will also be bringing along my props used from my still life shoot.

Portrait Shoot evaluation

I found this shoot fairly successful in regards to what I was looking to do (incorporate fashion with environmental portraiture) If I were to shoot this again I would maybe experiment more with more locations and lighting. After editing to the way I want them; layering, levels, colour casts. and small touch ups, I found these three images some of the best from this shoot.

With this photograph I found that the lighting on the face is very flattering and well as giving a mysterious edge I was looking for overall making this image successful I have touched this image up as to get greater enhancement to the colour.

With this image I love that the clothing pulls you through the photograph from bottom to top leading up towards the face with is putting it into the genre of portraiture.





Conatact Sheets:

Still Life Photoshoot Plan

Still Life Photoshoot:

Day and time: 

As my shoot doesn't require any natural light I won't need to complete this shoot on a specific time. 

Style: 

For this shoot I am wanting to use a studio based location to create focus purely on the subjects in this case accessories, shoes, clothing and other fashion based items. I will be creating four compositions based on four different colours: Black, Blue, Cream and Red. I want these photographs to be focused only on the product therefore I will only use one or two unnecessary props. 

The style I am wanting to create is a clean simply finish and with the compositions I have in mind I think that this will be successful overall. I want these images to have an almost fantasy based feel but with this in mind I also want them to fit into the category of editorial photography for purposes of magazines and online fashion based websites. 

Target Audience:

My target audience for this shoot would be for people with an interest in fashion. Due to having props suitable for mainly women I think that overall my audience would be women with an interest in fashion. This shoot I think would be most suitable for a fashion magazine or a commercial booklet or perhaps in advertising. 

Location:

The location of my shoot is in a studio as to create no distractions or create any disturbances from the subjects. 

Equipment:

The equipment I'm needing mainly consists of props. The technical equipment I will need is a camera, s-d cards (Bring spare), Batteries, as well as artificial lighting. 

Still life Shoot Evaluation

Still life shoot:

With this shoot if I were to complete it again I would create before hand more compositions varying in products (the subjects) Although overall given the props I had and the time I had I found this shoot quite successful and received the finish I was after. After editing slightly in Photoshop getting rid of small imperfections I found these three images most successful.

With this image I found that the artificial lighting used at an angle worked very successfully with the texture of the fur coat used. The frame in the image served successfully as I don't believe that it steals focus from the products but draws them together linking them not only by colour.









I found it most difficult to shoot and create a good composition with the black items as it was difficult to create some sort of definition between the items as not to make them blend together. As black is a solid colour I had to try to use shadow to help that situation but over I find that this is one of the successful photographs. After laying up in Photoshop I found this a successful image.





Contact Sheets:

Final Photographs

Evaluation

Evaluation:
For this project the theme was "All Around Us" giving myself as a photographer the chance to take all I've learnt through this course and put it into a genre of my choice. The genre's of photography that I have chosen are still life, portraiture, and fashion photography. My final images include all of the above in some shape or form. 

I started this project through researching different photography genres the genres that I researched were fashion, portraiture, still life and documentary. Through this research I discovered that I have enjoyed each of these genres and would find a way to incorporate the majority of them. With researching fashion photography I found editorial and high fashion something I enjoyed working with in the past I would like to take forward in this project which I think I did successfully. With portrait photography not something I'd worked with much in the past I discovered with this project that I quite enjoyed it specifically the way you can use light to influence the feeling in an image. During the research into portraiture I found the style of environmental portraiture quite interesting as I thought that including a model in her natural environment would create an interesting finish. 

Therefore deciding to make my final photographs diptychs. One half of my diptych will be of still life in fashion using clothing accessories and footwear. For that half I will be using colour to link to the other half in which will be environmental portraiture incorporated in fashion; the fashion half of this image is also the props (clothing) used from the first half of the diptych. Through further research into the chosen genres I found multiple photographers that I felt has influenced and inspired me in the project. I enjoyed thoroughly researching the contemporary photographs of Walemar Hansson and Emily Soto as I wanting to get my final photographs a sense of fantasy and a classic finish I've also noticed with the historical photographs of Edward Jean Steichen. 

My planning was easy to do as I found that it was simply thinking about my shoot and ideas that I may need. The hardest part was filling in the risk assessment as I struggled to pick out the possible risks and decide what the outcome of the risks happening would be. Next time I will spend more time thinking and analysing my shoot and the risks. 

I have decided to present my work in the form of a e-zine on the website https://www.joomag.com/ which I found whilst researched different ways in which to present my final image, I think it goes well to use an online magazine due to the fashion side of my final images.

My final shoot went very well as I believe I achieved the results I wanted out of it. Although not everything went to plan I am happy with the outcome as I had to experiment more with techniques and settings to use. Even though I am happy with the outcome of this shoot, if I were to do this again, I would complete my final shoot earlier giving me the chance to re-do shots I don't believe to be too successful. 

Overall I am happy with this project as I feel that my final images are as I wanted them and my work is completed to a standard that I am happy with as well. If I were to do this project again I would spend slightly more time on some tasks than others as I struggled more with some than others.

All Around Us Magazine link

All Around Us           <<<<<<<<<<<

Artist Research: Photographers

Historical Photographers:

David Bailey is an English fashion and portrait photographer. He is well-known for his advertising, celebrity and fashion photographs. In 1960, David Bailey began photographing for British Vogue, and his fashion work and celebrity portraiture, known for stark backgrounds and dramatic lighting effects, transformed British fashion and celebrity photography. His work reflects the 1960s British cultural trend of breaking down antiquated and rigid class barriers by injecting a 'punk' look into both clothing and artistic products.  

Edward Jean Steichen was a Luxembourgian American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. In his youth he was perhaps the most talented and inventive photographer among those working to win public acceptance of photography as a fine art. He went on to gain fame as a commercial photographer in the 1920s and ’30s, when he created stylish and convincing portraits of artists and celebrities. Steichen was a photographer for the magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair while also working for many advertising agencies including J. Walter Thompson. During these years, Steichen was regarded as the best known and highest paid photographer in the world. I find Steichen’ work to be bold, powerful and overall inspiring. Due to Steichen’s status, as a well-known historical fashion and portrait photographer; he has been the inspiration for many photographers work since Steichen’ time, including myself. 

Erwin Blumenfeld was a photographer and artist born in Germany. He was best known for his fashion photography published in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar in the 1940s and 1950s. 















Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton CBE was an English fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, interior designer and an Academy Award–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre.  He was hired as a staff photographer for Vanity Fair and Vogue, where he earned renown for a unique style of posing sitters with unusual backgrounds.










Helmut Newton was a German-Australian photographer. He was a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer who’s provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications."

Contemporary Photographers

Each image captured by Emily Soto starts with her distinct visionary and romantic style characterized by a persistent stream of emotively captivating, artistically adept, visual pieces. Based in New York City, Soto is one of the top names requested by fashion editors for her unique style and professional aptitude. While her focus is high-fashion, she finds pleasure in personal artistic. Soto's photos and popular "FashionActions.com" have garnered the respect and appreciation of an ever-expanding international following and a resultant creative and inspirational influence among her professional peers. Soto’s bold yet playful images appear on magazine covers, in editorial spreads and in look books for national clients. 

Walemar Hansson  has an extremely great way of creating a story within an image, he captures emotion incredibly with in his photographs. I think that Hanssons photograph give of an some air of mystery, it is this that I think draws me in myself. 

Through researching both contemporary and historical photographers I found myself extremely inspired and further wanting to create my own imagery with strong influences from all the artists I found through this project. I think that through this research I want to create something with the same classic, iconic imagery as my chosen historical photographs; although I want to bring that into modern times in regards to photographic technique and composition. I think that through this I will gain successful results overall. 

Historical and Contemporary Photographers

Historical:

William Henry Fox Talbot was a British inventor and photography pioneer who invented the calotype process, a precursor to photographic processes of the 19th and 20th centuries. Fox Talbot went on to develop the three primary elements of photography: developing, fixing, and printing. I find Fox Talbots work to be both powerful and simple; it is the simplicity that draws me into his photographs it gives them a clean, bold, classic finish. Talbots photographs give photographers and artists today the ground on which to produce their own work. 

Irving Penn was an American photographer, specialising in fashion, portrait and still life photography. At one point Penn had taken some imagery relating with glass. The photographs I found to be the most inspirational were the photograph that use both still life (glasses, bottles) and a model. Those images show different ways of perceiving the model through different, translucent objects; showing a range of different sizes and angles in which to view the model.  

Contemporary:

Abelardo Morell is a photographer in which I have previously looked, although when given the project glass I found a few projects of Morell' that feature glass as a main subject. I found the way that Morell used light as a contributing factor in his photographs work entirely well with the main subject glass. 




Kelly Gardener's work with using glass as photograms was very inspirational as it gave me an insight as how light can travel through a translucent object in order to create a final image. I thought the that the fact Gardner used glasses with different patterns/textures/depth worked well as it gives the viewer an idea of how light from the darkroom can create interesting depth in an image.

Wen Zhang

Other Photographers:

Christopher Leedham

Laya Gerlock is a Portrait and Product photographer based in the Philippines. His passion is teaching and sharing his knowledge in Photograpy and has been doing this for 6 years.