Every now and then you come across something so brilliant that it jumps out and demands your attention. When I was recently introduced to the concept of ‘cinemagraphs’, I had one of those moments. Read more…
This is a strange one for the we like section but I’m treating it as more of a celebration of the life and work of photographer, Corinne Day who sadly passed away recently after a long term illness.
Corinne’s unique style introduced us all to a new way of shooting fashion. It’s a more realistic, unposed & edgy feel known as ‘heroin chic’ which to some people was seen to “make heroin addiction seem glamorous and sexy and cool”. And although her style at times was shocking it has changed the way we all look at fashion photography. Helping us to try new styles and inject more personality.
Nick Knight is near the top of my imaginary ‘photographers I’d love to commission one day’ list. I’ve been an admirer of his work ever since I laid my eyes on his series of fabulous, color-drenched images created for Yohji Yamamoto in the early nineties. Nick Knight is now the uncrowned king of the digital fashion photography with his striking, beautifully composed, digitally manipulated images that often challenge the conventions of fashion photography.
Despite being a perennial favourite with the great and the good of the fashion world he hasn’t shied away from tackling controversial issues as racism, disability and ageism within mainstream media. My favourite example being his stunning photography for a Levi’s Jeans campaign featuring the original wearers of Levi’s Jeans, some of whom were over 70 years old.
Back when I got my first job in 1996, my Creative Director gave me a book to look at called ‘LaChapelle Land’ that simply astounded me. Needless to say I hunted down my own first edition numbered copy… and it takes pride of place on my bookcase at home.
‘Heaven to Hell’ is LaChapelle’s third in a trilogy that began with ‘LaChapelle Land’. The images contained within the pages and follow in the same astonishing, color-saturated, and provocative style but this time there is more of a reference to Renaissance, art history, cinema, The Bible, pornography, and the new globalized pop culture… hence the title ‘Heaven to Hell’.
It’s not often you purchase a book so big that it comes with its own display stand. Believe it or not the version of Sumo that graces our reception is the mini version… the original release was so big that it came with its own table and broke records for weight, dimensions, and resale price!
I first came across Helmut Newton’s work when I was studying photography and was immediately captivated by his distinctive, seductive and original style. I hunted down images created by him and even had a scrapbook dedicated to images that I had found by him… images that I would try my hardest to emulate.
Jeanloup Sieff was born in Paris on the 3rd of November 1933. He first started taking photographs at the age of 14, after being given a camera as a birthday present. He wanted to be a film director, but became a freelance reporter were he started working for Elle in 1955, he was just 22. In 1956 he progressed as a fashion photographer and by 1966 he worked with magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Glamour, Paris-Match, plus many more. He won a number of prizes, including the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in Paris in 1981 and Grand Prix National de la Photographie in 1992. He believed that if he had not received a camera as a birthday present, that he may have never been a photographer. He sadly died in Paris on the 20th September 2000 aged just 66. Read more…
Johnny's work for Marisota
Back when I was a Junior I was packed off to Manchester on a photo shoot for Yorkshire Electricity. My Art Director had come down sick, so it was up to me to step into his shoes for the day and take control of the Art Direction for a lovely Ad concept we’d come up with.
The Photographer we’d had booked for us by my CD was Jonathan Oakes, and what I learnt on that day has stayed with me all these years. One of the most important things it taught me was, when it comes to choosing a Photographer, you need someone with a passion for every job they undertake and who is determined to deliver a quality product every time.
