Abstract:
Almost everywhere you look you see fashion. To some people it's an obsession
to keep abreast of the development in the fashion world and know the latest
trends. Although it may seem that such an obsession came into being with the
onset offashion photography, it actually was there from the birth of dress itself.
Long before photography was invented, the language of dress and dress
accessory had grown into a sign system, transcending the idea that clothes
were made for our protection or as a token of modesty. Fashion is now an
expression of our taste and a form of communication. The wardrobe one wears
can tell others about one's age, status, taste and profession. It even reveals to
some extent how one feels about oneself(Harrison 1991: 7; Khornak 1989: 8).
Fashion photography presents an idealized world. Some photographers; like
Helmut Newton; live out their fantasies in the photographs they take. Fashion
can also be seen as a barometer that gives one an idea of the social and
political changes in the world (Khornak 1989: 9 & 10; Turner 1987 : 181).
Today's leading fashion photographers do not have an obsession with costume
at all, they are more concerned with the feel of the photograph. As Richard
Avedon said "Fashion photography must be about something. ", and as Susan
Sontag once said "The greatest fashion photography is more than the
photography o/fashion." (Harrison 1991: 7 & 14).
Martin Harrison suggested that fashion photography has a great tendency to
be like performance art. The performance is directed by the photographer and
created out of three main things. These are the model (actor), the garment and
gesture that are then frozen in time by the camera. It is this gesture that can
makes the photograph a successful one (Harrison 1991: 21). In this script an attempt is made to give an impression of where fashion
photography came from, where its going and how one is likely to get there. It
will consist of a chapter on the history offashion photography so that one can
see where fashion photography comes from. Then the divisions in fashion
photography will be highlighted. A study of some of the equipment used in
fashion photography will also be looked at. An outline of the role models play
in fashion photography will then be dealt with, as well as a look at the actual
shoot. Finally a look at twelve items of personal work will be discussed.
Although location work is more exciting, studio work is deemed to be just as
important, due to this a combination of both studio and location work will be
found in the script. Fashion photography is not only about clothes, it goes
deeper and shows a kind of lifestyle and attitude in the clothes that is not
always directly apparent. When shooting fashion photographs one can let the
imagination run wild, a million stories can be told relating to one outfit. What
this script hopes to achieve is to give a brief insight into the world offashion
photography.