Photographer 5 - Craig McDean:
Craig McDean is a British fashion photographer originally from Manchester and now based in New York. McDean started off as a car mechanic before studying photography. His work is commonly used for advertising purposes, and he has photographed for brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein and Estee Lauder.
I have decided to include the work of Craig McDean in my research as i think that he is a good example of advertising photography. His images usually advertise a product with it being worn or used by a model, these models are often famous celebrities, some of whom McDean has worked with include Cara Delevingne, Madonna and Natalie Portman. I find that his style of photographing is interesting, something common in most of his photographs is the use of colour. In many of his images he uses the same sort of tones and shades of one or two colours. This creates a interesting image that all fits together subtly.
This is and example of an advert for makeup brand Yves Saint Laurent, the model Cara Delevingne is featured in this image promoting a new makeup product. The way that this has advertised the product is by having Cara wear it, commonly brands think that if its worn by a well known celebrity then many people would be interested in buying it. In this image the use of colour like oranges and browns has made the image quite a subtle colour that still stands out. The use of light on the left side of them has been used to try and highlight Cara's face, by doing so they would be highlighting the product that she's wearing helping it to stand out and to promote it further.
This image is another example of beauty advertisement this time for the bran Estee Lauder. In this image they are not promoting one singular product, but just the brand in itself. The aim for this image was to just show a makeup look and photograph it in a way that makes the products look interesting and sellable. This way of advertising is incising without giving to much away. This would meant that anyone who was interested in the products would have to go to the store to find out more. The image itself is interesting in ways of the composition. The side on view of the model where they have turned their head towards the camera means that the face ties up the majority of the frame. By doing so the makeup look becomes the main focus of the image.
This image an example of a fashion advert. In this image colour has been considerate so that the image doesn't have a large amount of contrasts. In this image different tones of grey have been used to allow for the image to fit together elegantly. The composition of the image has been considered in a way that shows the outfit in a clear way, and make it fit into the advert effectively.
This image could debatably be advertising both makeup and fashion. The composition of the image makes it possible that both is being shown as you get clear view of both the clothing as well as her face and the makeup that she's wearing. By doing this the photographer has been able to show the whole appearance of the model, this could become inspiration for people looking to buy the products being sold.
In summary, McDeans work has been an influence to me as he has helped me to look into the idea of advertising photography. His work has made me be considerate of my composition and colour that I'm using. Overall i think that McDean has been a good photographer for me to research and think that his style of photography could form a shoot at some point in my project.
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