progress

I'm about to go and discuss wardrobe with my models. This is a pretty vital part of the process considering that a) it's one of the only factors that will change between the two shoots and b) I am an aspiring fashion photographer. In discussing apparel with my subjects, we will focus on their personal ideas of sophistication and barbarism. An analogy of these that has recently been explained to me involves a jockey and a horse. The 'civilized' place emphasis on the jockey, believing that he has power over the horse. They think a person has control over their urges through reason. The 'barbaric' emphasize the horse as the primary deciding factor, believing that reason is influenced by primal impulses and bodily desires.

When choosing outfits I will encourage my models to think about what they will wear for the 'civilized' shoot, and use feelings or impulses when picking clothes for the 'barbaric' shoot.

studies of some potential models

statement

The fashion photograph tends to emphasize extremes. Whether this means to effectively communicate a cultural trend to the masses, or to draw the viewers’ attention to the product being sold, this is a discernible pattern throughout the genre. The two extremes illustrated in this series are the civilized versus the barbaric. The work for this series will showcase two different, and opposing forms of fashion: a clean, well-mannered, and sophisticated kind, and an edgy, rude, and unrefined kind.

Optimally, the viewer will respond to the images on a few different levels. As an immediate reaction, the viewer might deem the subjects in one set ‘bad’ and those in the other ‘good’. Secondly, they may question their ideas of what it means to be respectable or uncultured. Finally, this series demonstrates our contemporary cultures ideas of ‘civilized’ and ‘barbaric’ to the people who look at this work.

The process is important in conveying the concept. Shooting in black and white suggests a lack of ‘middle ground’, furthering the idea of polarity or extremes. The use of the same models for the ‘civilized’ and the ‘barbaric’ shoot will help the viewer to focus on the subjects apparel and demeanor, as will the uniform background and identical orientation of the camera to the figure. The pose and wardrobe will generally be left up to the model, as they will be communicating their ideas of what is fringe and what is demure, to allow for a more open cultural perspective on the subject.

transitions

My concept for a series of photographic transitions is simple but multi-faceted in its methods of conveying change. I am shooting three models, which will represent different value keys aesthetically. I am choosing this sort of a transition because I would like to emphasize the formal elements of black and white photography, as this is the only type of development I’ve learned thus far. While these transitions are simple, the use of multiple alterations communicate change over time.