The style of this next week's photography takes a dramatic turn and very different ideas about ethics. This week we will be talking about fashion photography. Fashion photography saturates our malls, our magazines and our billboards. The style of this photography is often based on what is popular. Please read about these two fashion photographers Gordon Parks and Adam Rowell.
http://www.nndb.com/people/248/000027167/
http://pdngallery.com/legends/parks/mainframeset.shtml
The first is a link to the biography about Parks and the second is a link to a small online gallery of his work. Please note the many obstacles Parks overcame and how he added to the world of photography.
http://www.adamrowell.com/about/about.html
http://www.profotos.com/pros/biography.cfm?member=947
The first is a link to Rowell own website. Please read his biography and look through his photos. The second is a link to another very short biography on Rowell that we would like for you to look at.
Don't forget, start thinking about your midterm papers. We will talk about them more in class on Monday but if you have any immediate questions about it, don't hesitate to give us a call or email.
Thanks!
Stephanie
Parks certainly had a rough upbringing and I think it's inspiring when people use adverse situations as motivation to succeed. His photos weren't quite what I was expecting for fashion photography, but since fashion photography goes with the current trends I'm sure his style was popular in its time.
ReplyDeleteRowell's photography was definitely interesting. He used lighting to create dramatic effect and to capture lots of different features and products. It reminded me a lot of stuff you'd see on America's Next Top Model.
Parks quote really catch my attention..."I could have as easily picked up a knife or gun." It is a sad reality that many people have to choose between, but I am sure glad that he and many other picked up a camera, book, ect. It is amazing to what he was able to capture with a camera. Not only the issues of the world, but so many famous figures of our past.
ReplyDeleteRowell's fashion photography is probably my least favorite type so far. To me, it just seems fake, and focus on material things rather than the people.
Parks photo's were very interesting to me. he showed the true story of these lives. as he was such a great motivation to so many, that made him a much more interesting photogragher. he did not just focus on the photos but on the people also.
ReplyDeleteRowell's photo's i did not like at all. i am with Katy and say it looks like something from America's Next Top Model.
I am always amazed when I hear about a photographer like Parks who can buy a camera for $7.50 and then teach himself how, and then show these amazing pictures. I really like how he can capture the light and I love American Gothic.
ReplyDeletewith Rowell I think his photos are really fashionable. They are not my style of photos, and I'm not a fan of how they are shot, but they are more of then modern fashion scense.
Parks certainly found himself outside the realm of "porters and maids" mingling with the like of Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X. His photography, though some of the material on the website was fashion, seemed to be more in line with cultural criticism and pop-culture iconography. I am particularly impressed by the photos of the above mentioned celebrities. When compared to Rowell, I think I can appreciate Parks' use of technique. In direct opposition to photojournalism, the question of alteration does not seem to play any part. The candid nature of photojournalism stands in stark contrast with the posed, make-up clad, and probably photoshopped subjects of Rowell's photographs.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I think is really neat about Gordon Parks is his versatility. It is definitely admirable that even though he probably made more money as a fashion photographer, he didn't abandon his connectedness with the civil rights movement and oppression.
ReplyDeleteTo be brutally honest, the only aspect of Adam Rowell's photography that I (kind of) liked was the unique lighting on his subjects. I don't know much about digital photography so maybe I'm wrong, but to me it just seems like he does a ridiculous amount of editing work on the photos which makes him lose credibility in my opinion. I find more value in Parks' fashion photography because he was able to work with exactly what he was given and not digitally manipulate the image.
-Megg Rapp
Gordon Park's bio is very impressive. Fashion photography seems little more than a blip in the many things of which he has been a part. I'm familiar with his American Gothic portrait, but i'm also very impressed by his proximity to the history of his time. From Ingrid Bergman to the likes of Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, he indeed had some impressive friends. His ability to translate his own experience into something artistically poignant and relevant both as an historical document and an encapsulation of a period.
ReplyDeleteAdam Roswell has a much more modern style, and is certainly more in line with what I had imagined for this segment. While I don't find his work terribly distinctive, I am impressed by the richness of his color palattes and the dreamy aspect of his photography. However, they look heavily touched up, which makes me wonder whether he is a better photographer or photo editor. The fact that this sort of work fills billboards, posters, and magazines also takes away from a sense of awe in his work. Perhaps it would be more impressive and inspiring if it were less mainstream.
Park's story was very interesting. It's neat to see how someone can take a past like that & make their future something wonderful. His photography wasn't what I expected when I heard we were looking at fashion photography. So what exactly defines fashion photography? This seemed a little vague to me. Rosewell's pictures seem to be typical fashion photography, what I usually think when someone says fashion photography. But then Parks took pictures of dead people and leaves. not at all what i expected. What are you boundaries of fashion photography or are there any?
ReplyDelete