Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/01/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 1/5/03 12:17:56 PM, bdcolen@earthlink.net writes: << Amen! To say nothing of the fact that much of the most successful and popular fashion photography serves up the degrading, the 'degenerate,' the pathetic and the 'perverse' as that to which we should all aspire - remember 'heroin chic?' Sexually provocative poses by underage models, or those who look under age? Certainly there's allot of creative fashion photography - and I assume that Martin is referring to studio type fashion work, Ted, not shooting runway models. But the question is how that creativity is being used. It's a lonnnnnng way from early Avedon to the Calvin Klein underwear ads. B. D. >> I'm running through my mind who I think are some of the most successful current fashion photographers and the images they serve up. The names that come to mind are steven meisel, pablo roversi, demarchalier, michel comte, david lachapelle, bruce weber, mario testino, ellen von unwerth, bettina rheims, walter chin, sarah moon, avedon, ritts (ok so he's not current anymore)....I'm sure there are many others...but of those listed I'm having a hard time thinking of their work as serving up "the degrading, the 'degenerate,' the pathetic and the 'perverse' ." Creativity is often stunted and altered in the face of commercial (particularly advertising) issues....this isn't just the case in fashion photography. It seems to be the nature of the beast where as an artist attempting to survive off your art, you must be reasonably attuned to the hand (or in this case client) who is feeding you. But it seems to me that condemning all (or even "much of")fashion photography because of heroin chic or underware ads is kinda like condeming all of hip hop because of gangsta rap. Kim - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html