I wanted to look at a type of photography i that i don't really have a great opinion of/ don't know a lot about, to try and explore a wider range or photographers and find a better understanding of different techniques. I decided to look into fashion photography and came across a photographer called Nick Knight. I found his biography on his web sight. One thing i read was that he "consistently challenges conventional notions of beauty" at first i rolled my eyes as have never found this kind of photography to be something i got excited about, I am not sure if the photographer chooses the model ect but to me the idea of glorifying unhealthy standards of beauty, and shoving them down everyone's throats sickens me. I have always thought people need to look deeper as to what makes a person beautiful.
BUT
Once i looked into a bit more of his work i found a few i connected with. I have always liked quite "dark" art or works that make me question it, question myself, my view, wonder why or/and make me see myself in them. I came across this image that i really found interesting.
I like this photograph for a few reasons, the first being, it brings all the attention to the dress not the model, to me should be the point of this kind of photography, if you are taking photographs for a designer using the clothes they have made, then surely the job of the model is to bring the clothes to life rather than take full attention away from the clothes and onto them? The fact the face is not visible also makes the attention go towards the dress. I think the composition in this photograph works well because it takes your eyes around the image rather than having one focal point. I also really like the use of colour in this photograph because i think the blue hues really change the mood of this. When it comes to photography, lighting is something you really need to think about. I know in the fashion photography industry a lot is shot indoors so a typical photo shoot has huge amounts of light. and white back drops, that help reflect the light. it is something i have to consider when doing my own experimental photography and seeing this has made me want to play around with lighting myself.
One of the things we were looking at in glass was aperture and shutter speed. One of Nick Knight's photographs i found really caught my eye because it made me think about what i learned.
I was looking at this image and wondering if this is to do with the aperture and shutter speed? or is it to do with how it is exposed later?
Because i think it is unusual it attracted me to it. Like i said before i like artwork that is dark or that i feel i have a connection with, I feel like this is both. I like that some parts of it, like the legs and feet. you can hardly make any of it out, her hand on the leg is barely visible but you know it is there. You cant see the bend in the arm or the fact her hand is hanging over her knee but i know that is how her body is sitting, i find this very interesting and it makes me think how much detail to we actually need before our brain can figure out the problem and make sense of it. How much Detail do we need is a very interesting thought when playing around with photography myself.
I like the amount you can see in the subjects facial features also. The eyes, eyebrows and lips, but no nose. Interesting. It immediately draws in my attention to face even though only the eyes are really visible. I also like the contrast of such a bright white against the black back ground. The nose around the subject is also very interesting as it gives the image a little something extra, it makes me think of something bit darker like an aura around the woman, perhaps something supernatural or ghostly about it.
Although i still have a strong opinion about the fashion industry and how it presents itself, in ways, i did connect with some of Nick Knights work. I think he is not afraid to experiment and push boundary when it comes to this kind of work. His style is very unique and i think that's why he stands out. It has taught me some things about how i view images and the way they make me feel. It has also made me think more deeply into the effects lighting has on images and how i can use this in my own work.
I wanted to look more into his work and found a project he did with subjects who were elderly, disabled and of all body shapes. i found an instant spark while looking at these images and i just thought YES!
“Instead of our perception of beauty opening up, it’s becoming more narrow all the time. To make money, the industry is increasingly catering to the lowest common denominator and, as far as the people who run the big companies are concerned, anything even slightly out of the ordinary frightens people. But anyone with a brain knows that it is the quirkiness and imperfection in a person that attracts other people. That is completely obvious to human beings; it’s just when it gets to a corporate level that it all falls apart.”
I couldn't agree more!
I have always thought what makes people beautiful is how they are shaped as a person. The way they move or hold themselves, think, wonder, idea's and experiences. It was a complete smack in the face as when i read he challenges beauty standers i rolled my eyes. It really shows me that something i only see what i want to see and that i should look deeper. I am so glad i went back for a second look at his work!
I was going to delete this and start again but i really liked the realization i had from this, and i decided to keep it as it was because i want to be able to look back at this as a reminder to look deeper.
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