3000 Word essay - Style

3000 Word essay:

My chosen topic for this unit is style. Style is something that is unavoidable within everyday life. A person’s style is unique to them and is completely different from anyone else. Style doesn’t just exist with people but with the creation if next to almost everything that exists in the world, style can be a difference in the design of a car or the clothes that people wear. For this topic I have decided to look at the style of beauty and makeup. By looking at the different makeup looks that can be achieved and different colour’s that can be explored style is being represented. This form of style can represent how people can express themselves and standout from the crowd. Also within this topic the style of packaging and advertisement can be explored. Within the retail industry packaging plays an important role as the style and design needs to be eye catching and attractive to look at. This makes products easier to sell and more interesting to buyers. The use of advertising plays a similar role. Adverts can often demonstrate how the product can be used or give and idea of how it would look, this helps to tempt buyers as well as give them an insight into what they would be buying. This topic allows me to explore many different areas and see how much of an impact style has. 

It’s impossible to exactly date back to when style came about, as it has existed throughout history. The ever-changing fashions and makeup looks from different eras shows change in style as time goes on. If you compare the looks from the 1980s to now or example, you can see how some fashions have adapted to now and altered along the way, but also how  some trends have been left in the past with new ones being created to replace them. 

This photograph from the Internet is an example of the fashion and makeup styles of the 1980s. Colour played a strong influence during this era; bold statement colour’s were very popular in both clothing and makeup choices. In this image the photography has framed the model in a way suitable for the magazine feature it was going to be part of. It’s a clear example of 80’s fashions with all the different bright and bold colour’s are prominent in the frame, and the hair being big and loud. For the makeup at this time you can see a use of colour around the eyes drawing in attention alongside a strong lip colour to complete the look.

This is another photograph from the Internet that is demonstrating fashions for 2015. Its for a cover of vogue magazine which is a well know fashion and beauty magazine. The cover features Kim Kardashian, and commonly features many other famous celebrities. The use of celebrity’s on almost every magazine cover highlights how the photography industry is using celebrities to help companies to sell their products and styles. In the actual image its self the styles of hair and makeup is completely different, it appears more toned down in terms of the makeup with a natural look being sported with neutral colour’s that suit the person. As for the hair it looks as though it has been worked on less and has been left to appear more natural for the photograph. The clothing that has been worn is again more toned down when compared to that of the 80’s as only one neutral colour has been worn.

Close to this subject is the use of fashion and beauty photography itself. This has allowed for documented proof of changing styles and trends as well as inspiration for new ones that are being created. It also allows for evidence of how two people wearing the same piece of clothing or same colour lipstick can look completely different and use it in a way  that fits their style.

(The image above is an example of the same outfit being worn but looking completely different on different people.) Fashion and beauty photography has also helped people to develop their styles through the use of social media and being able to look at celebrity’s fashion and makeup trends and incorporating them to their own look. Style can also be discussed when looking at the editing techniques. The advancements of Photoshop has allowed for changes in the way photos are edited. More commonly the use of airbrushing and general changes made with the use of Photoshop has changed both the style of editing, and the general image that is produced. However there has been a backlash that has come alongside the advancements in Photoshop. The use of airbrush and other similar techniques has caused some controversy with people complaining that you should not have to edit yourself to look good. Commonly in fashion magazines skinning models that show no sign of imperfections are shown due to the use of Photoshop, this can make people believe that they have to change the way they look to look good, instead of incorporating their own style and being an individual.

Photographers that focus strictly on style or not very common. Most photographers tend to stick to one topic or genre and call this their style. An example of this would be the work of Jamie Nelson, a well-known beauty photographer who has worked with brands such as  Maybelline. 

This is an example of an image produced my Jamie Nelson for Maybelline, is use of composition in the photograph is effective and he has been able to focus on the product that is intended to be advertised and the way that it looks when its used. The way that the product has been position in the middle of the frame is effective as it draws in the attention and is the first thing you look at making it clear that this is an advertising photograph. However the positioning of the lips makes it more interesting as it gives you an insight as to how the product would look if you purchased it. 

Jamie Nelson’s work covers the idea of both natural beauty and abstract beauty, alongside his advertising photography. 

This is an example of his more abstract work. Here the strong use of colour and the sequins makes his work look more original as well as abstract. He has used a strong light to create a high key effect which helps to give a even colour appear on the face this helps to make the other colour’s that he has used standout more. Clearly this is not a look that someone would wear on a day-to-day basis, yet it still portrays style, as it is his own style of photography, and could also be inspirational to others.

Nelson’s photos show a strong technical use of Photoshop. This makes his images standout and has a sleek professional look to them when used for advertising. 

David Bailey is a well-known fashion photographer who has been in the industry since around 1960. His style of photography commonly involves the use of tone. Throughout his career, Bailey has worked with a number of famous celebrities such as Kate Moss and photographed them in his style of photography. 

This is an example of Baileys work with Kate Moss. His use of tone helps to make the image interesting and give depth to the persons form. The use of High Key lighting here has allowed Bailey to create a shadow on her face emphasising her cheekbones and face structure. In doing so Bailey is creating a style of photography that would be used for magazines and other professional projects as it helps to portray a effortless and flawless image that is often used in the media.

 This image is an example of Bailey’s fashion photography; he commonly sticks by the same themes and uses tone in the majority of his images. Here the use of tone is again to create shadows on the model, which helps to create different parts to emphasise.  His style of portraiture Is simple but effective and gets across the aim of the image. His photography can be arguably seen as an influence for many fashion photographers as his professional sleek style can be something that is admired and makes him standout. 

For my own personal project I decided to attempt to show advertising photography. I took my inspiration from the work of Rich Begany and Carlton Davis. Both of these photographers have advertised for famous makeup brands such as Dior, Mac and Bobbi Brown. Their style of photography is commonly studio based and was something that I tried to re-create in my own work. 

  

This is an example of my studio advertisement shoot. My aim here was attempt to make my images look as if they would be fitting for a magazine or poster. In an attempt to achieve this I though carefully about my composition as it needs to be interesting and be able to draw people in so that they would be interested in purchasing the product. For the image on the left I thought that it would look interesting to have it seem as if all of the products were spilling out of the makeup bag it makes the image look more original but is an different way of looking at multiple products at once. This image could work as a advertisement as it is showing enough of the products to be intriguing for people but it doesn’t show to much so that people have to go and looking into it more.  For the image on the right the composition was again one of my bigger concerns, I decided that for the makeup brushes it would be more interesting to have them standing up in a row. Thinking about this I decided to alternate the colour’s making a pattern in the image. I figured that by taking note of the small details my image would be more interesting and different. For both of my images I decided to play around with the saturation creating more shadows in the image. This is where my images differ from the work of the artists that I took my inspiration from as these photographers often use strong lighting that is bright and creates a minimalistic shadow. Personally for my images I think that the shadows work especially for the image on the right as it brings a new aspect to the image making it more interesting. 

Within the idea of advertising I decided to do a shoot that was on location. For this my idea was to place makeup and beauty items in a background that you wouldn’t expect them to be in. 

The Image on the left is an example of how I incorporated the formal elements into my shoot. The use of tone and depth in this image is able to change the way that the image was present. In just a casual studio setting the complete focus would be on the bottle that would be well lit and well focused. However in my image the wall that the image is standing on makes the overall composition of the image more interesting and makes the actual object look more interesting. The sky in the background adds the depth to the photo this gives it a more exciting background but also makes you wonder why there is a perfume bottle on the top of a wall.  The same principle is applied to the image on the right, however this time more colour is shown. The side facing angle makes it look like the product was actually found the and not look as staged. It makes it look as if the palette is sitting on a shelf and is ready to be used. The colour’s in the background contrast with the colour’s in the palette making them standout more. If this image was being used for advertising purposes being able to see the colours would help the selling of the product as people are able to see what they are buying. 

It is inevitable that beauty and fashion photography will still exist in the future. Throughout the whole of history people have had a style and this will continue to go on. Photographers will always be able to capture style in their work. While the topic will stay the same, the actual content will change. You cannot guarantee that styles will change, they change on a daily basis and may never be the same again. Peoples own personal style changes as they grow older, go through different experiences and sometimes just when they get bored. Photographers that photograph style will be able to evidence multiple differences as well as the styles of individuals. If a photographer decided to focus purely on style, it could be considered as an on-going project for as long as they decide. In doing so they could show how quickly style develops and would be able to show how they have developed and where inspiration has come from. This topic would be interesting to look at for a documentary based project as you can document developments and then show a contrast between the beginning point and the ending point. Not only would the style of whatever you are photographing change but also the style of the photography its self. The technology used will change advancing in better as well as knew ideas changing photography. Therefore while the topic that is being photographed may essentially stay the same the actual content of these images will change adapting and growing with the times that they are set in and the trends for the time.

In conclusion style photography isn't a common know genre but is actually something that consists in the majority of genres. A persons style is not something that is forced upon but something that they get o develop over time and in their own ways. The use of photography in areas such as beauty and fashion has helped to influence people in their styles. The media photographing celebrities and what they wear on a daily basis or events has made many become “style icons” or “style inspirations”. Many people like to take something seen on a celebrity or on a runway during fashion week and interpret it in their own way. Photographers being at events like this are able to bridge the gap and provide people with their inspiration. The work of photographers when it comes to advertising has helped consumerism grow. Someone seeing an advert for a product that looks attractive and is well photographed are more likely to then purchased said item. The idea of the image being attractive helps to sell, if it was dull and lifeless people would be less interested and wouldn't buy the product. Therefore style is around everyone in their daily life, it’s apart of a person, their home and lifestyle. Style is something that cannot be escaped but interpreted into your own unique way.