graeme mitchell » fashion work

New Work: Adidas

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:38:08 +0000

For Adidas’ David Beckham FW10 line:

photo: for David Beckham’s Adidas FW10 from www.adidas.com, ©Graeme Mitchell / Adidas

photo: for David Beckham’s Adidas FW10 from www.adidas.com, ©Graeme Mitchell / Adidas
Stylist: Kemal and Karla w/ The Wall Group
Groomer: Cheri Keating w/ The Wall Group
Photo Assistants: Blake Williams, Charles Lee, Erika Shisler
Grip+Lighting Rental: Samys Camera Hollywood
Shot on location in LA

Adidas Essentials FW09 An Adidas job from this summer. Not retouched. photo: Adidas...
New Work, Paolla Rahmeier w/ IMG photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo:...
New Work, Fashion, Emily Senko w/ Ford photo: ©Graeme Mitchell 2010 photo: ©Graeme Mitchell 2010 photo: ©Graeme...

New Work, Fashion, Emily Senko w/ Ford

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:10:36 +0000

photo: ©Graeme Mitchell 2010

Model: Emily Senko w/ Ford
Stylist: Molly Williams
MU: Daniel Martin w/ The Wall Group
Hair: Seiji w/ The Wall Group
Photo Assistant: Blake Williams
Shot in Queens

New Work, Paolla Rahmeier w/ IMG photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo:...
New work: beauty photography photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo:...
New Work: Adidas For Adidas’ David Beckham FW10 line: photo: for David Beckham’s...

New Work, Paolla Rahmeier w/ IMG

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:35:03 +0000

photo: ©Graeme Mitchell

Model: Paolla Rahmeier w/ IMG
Stylist: Sarah Ellison Lewis w/ Bryan Bantry
MU: Katey Denno w/ The Wall Group
Hair: Seiji w/ The Wall Group
Photo Assistant: Blake Williams
Shot in the basement, Astoria, Queens

New Work, Fashion, Emily Senko w/ Ford photo: ©Graeme Mitchell 2010 photo: ©Graeme Mitchell 2010 photo: ©Graeme...
New work: beauty photography photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo:...
New Work: Adidas For Adidas’ David Beckham FW10 line: photo: for David Beckham’s...

New work: beauty photography

admin — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:49:05 +0000

photo: ©Graeme Mitchell

Model: Sonny w/ IMG
Stylist: Molly Williams
Make-Up: Jordy Poon (w/ Liz Bell)
Hair: Robert Lyon (w/ Atelier)
Manicurist: Kim Chiu (w/ Mark Edward Inc)
Photo Assistant: Blake Williams
Location: Fast Ashley’s Studios

New Work, Fashion, Emily Senko w/ Ford photo: ©Graeme Mitchell 2010 photo: ©Graeme Mitchell 2010 photo: ©Graeme...
New Work, Paolla Rahmeier w/ IMG photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo:...
New Work: Adidas For Adidas’ David Beckham FW10 line: photo: for David Beckham’s...

Portrait: Heather Huey for Ponytail Magazine

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:29:12 +0000

Portrait of couture milliner, Heather Huey for Ponytail magazine.

photo: Heather Huey wearing one of her cages, NYC, 2010. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: Heather Huey wearing one of her hats, NYC, 2010. ©Graeme Mitchell.

Portrait: the designer, Tim Hamilton A portrait of the designer, Tim Hamilton for Ponytail Magazine:...
Portrait: Derek Cianfrance A portrait of the director, Derek Cianfrance, photo: Derek Cianfrance,...
Portrait: musician, Chris Maher A portrait of the musician, Chris Maher, taken for his...

Study FW10

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:28:28 +0000

Just finished Study by Tara St. James‘ FW10 book. Another beautiful season. And we decided to put those flower still lives I did recently to use by making diptychs. These will be printed large on newsprint…love love working on stuff like this.

photo: Study FW10 by Tara St. James. ©Graeme Mitchell

Hair and make-up: Jessa Blades
Model: Nykhor w/ Red

Study, Square Project, SS10 The look book for Study by Tara St James’ SS10...
Portrait: Tara St James The designer, Tara St. James. photo: Tara St. James, NYC,...
New Work: Adidas For Adidas’ David Beckham FW10 line: photo: for David Beckham’s...

Print Edition: Legs in Hotel

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:59:38 +0000

This post is the first of a new category of print editions I will be offering for sale, doing what I can to make a little scratch to keep film in the fridge and a roof over my head; moreover it’s an effort to get what I do into the world in the form of a finished print.

This particular print, Untitled (from a fashion story), is a 20×30″ silver gelatin print in an edition of 5. If you’re interested in purchasing or pricing, contact me through my email for more info.

photo: Untitled (from a fashion story), 20×30″ silver gelatin print, edition of 5, ©Graeme Mitchell.

Print Edition: Face photo: Untitled (from beauty story) 2008, 30×40″ archival pigment print,...
Print Edition: Bolivia photo: Untitled (from Bolivia), 7×10.5″ archival pigment print, edition of...
Print Edition: Forest photo: Untitled, 40×50″ archival pigment print, edition of 3, by...

Study, Square Project, SS10

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:33:11 +0000

The look book for Study by Tara St James’ SS10 line.

Study Clothing, SS10. ©Graeme Mitchell.

Study FW10 Just finished Study by Tara St. James‘ FW10 book. Another...
Portrait: Tara St James The designer, Tara St. James. photo: Tara St. James, NYC,...
A series studying reflected light photo: from light study, 2009, ©Graeme Mitchell. photo: from light...

Adidas Essentials FW09

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:05:22 +0000

An Adidas job from this summer. Not retouched.

photo: Adidas Style Essentials FW09, ©Graeme Mitchell

New Work: Adidas For Adidas’ David Beckham FW10 line: photo: for David Beckham’s...

Victorinox fashion

admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 22:23:31 +0000

A few looks we shot for Interview June 09 of Victorinox‘s men’s fashion.

photo: Victorinox for Interview, ©Graeme Mitchell.

Stylist: Miguel Enamorado
Groomer: Laura de Leon (w/ Joe Management)
Photo Assistant: Nyra Lang
Model: Michael (w/ DNA)
Location: Fast Ashley’s Studios

Portrait: Alex Kaluzhsky, for Interview (Opps, had to pull and re-post this. I thought it...
New work: beauty photography photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo: ©Graeme Mitchell photo:...
Portrait: Kevin Baker, for Interview The painter, Kevin Baker for Interview, Aug 09. photo: Kevin...

Bertolucci’s “Il Conformista”

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:34:17 +0000

Il Conformista, by Bernardo Bertolucci, is one of the most amazingly shot films I’ve ever seen.

Ever.

Period.

I see in it everything from Lynch’s central oeuvre to Missoni’s FW09 campaign.

photo: still from Il Conformista

and Lynch…

photo: still from David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.

photo: still from Il Conformista

Lynch again…

photo: still from David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.

photo: still from Il Conformista

Missoni…

photo: Missoni FW 09 campaign, ©Steven Meisel.

——

On a seperate note, get to ICP to see the Avedon show!…or if you can’t make it, at least you can see the NYTimes multimedia feature, here.

Random notes from this weekend, The William Kentridge exhibit at the MOMA (see this!), notably...

MET, the model as muse

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:13:15 +0000

I did a quick yet idea provoking walk through the MET’s exhibition “model as muse” yesterday. The exhibition’s been getting a lot of press, rightfully, as it’s both excellently curated and art directed. Two things struck me while walking through the show. First, how incredible Dior has been in the history of fashion (duh), and how it remains to be under Galliano. The recent Dior Couture they had on display was incredible. It’s the sort of stuff that makes me want to photograph clothing. Second, I was amazed at both how many people were at the exhibit and how interested they were in it. Which seems like a silly thing to say, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many people so interested in any exhibit I’ve been to. It was a reminder of how fashion and this aspect of our culture really is mass, and while it feels like it can become isolated to the little bubbles of NYC, Paris, London, etc, it’s so much larger than that. Maybe Penn summed it best in stating, to paraphrase, I take photographs for the housewife in the mid-west.

The museum also posted it’s curator talks in 9 parts, which are a nice history of models and fashion’s social/cultural functions in general:

1 of 9:

2 0f 9:

3 of 9:

4 of 9:

5 of 9:

6 of 9:

7 of 9:

8 of 9:

9 of 9:

Things I liked this week… The portraits by Lucia Moholy were the one thing at...
Print Edition: Legs in Hotel This post is the first of a new category of...
Random notes from this weekend, The William Kentridge exhibit at the MOMA (see this!), notably...

Some movies and solar vision

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:42:44 +0000

I was having a super late post-party supper with a group from Tank while in London and the fash ed started talking about this really far out stuff and, as you’d guess, my interest piqued. It was a film. I won’t belabor the specifics here, but will only repeat what she said, it is amaaaaazing, then said again after a dramatic pause to assure my full attention, amaaaaazing. So I watched it. It’s called The Holy Mountain, by Alejandro Jodorowsky, and, I agree, it is most certainly incredible, but…wow.

video: trailer to The Holy Mountain

Nearly makes Barney’s Creamaster Cycle seem par for, er, normal.

video: Trailer for Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle.

On a completely different note, standing applause for Visionaires #56 solar-powered book. Putting up a good fight for why the printed magazine/book will always have it’s place.

photo: from Visionaire 56, ©Richard Burbridge

photo: from Visionaire 56, ©David Sims

No related posts.

Steven Meisel Interview

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:39:45 +0000

There’s an interview from Vogue with Meisel, here, which as most of you know, is a rare thing indeed.

photo: by Steven Miesel

Portrait: Kevin Baker, for Interview The painter, Kevin Baker for Interview, Aug 09. photo: Kevin...
Portrait: Alex Kaluzhsky, for Interview (Opps, had to pull and re-post this. I thought it...

Discussion on breaking into editorial fashion photography

admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:09:03 +0000

A reader sent me these questions regarding getting work in editorial fashion photography, politely asking me for any feedback. I though that they were specific enough that they’d be good discussion starters, and I stress, discussion, b/c as usual, I neither want to be didactic nor pedagogical here…or anywhere really – it comes with too much responsibility. Furthermore, as a man much wiser than myself once stipulated: there’s no right answer in this field…but there are certainly wrong ones. So take what bits help, leave the rest, and add what you will.

Q: “What were some of the first paid mag assignments and how did you get them? Do you really think it is a pyramid process where you have had to start small and then work your way up? Or do you think it is better to get your book seen and higher level mags?”

A: It’s not really this clear cut. First off, until you’re major, forget including magazines and getting paid in the same thought, especially for fashion. You’re probably going to have to foot most of the costs for these shoots. A lot of people ask about this and look stupefied when I respond there is no pay, but here’s the thing: 1) this work should be the some of the most exciting and fun work you do professionally, and, 2) you need to look at it as part of your advertising budget, as it’s years of meager but fun editorial work that is going to build you and make you known, generally. The exception to no budgets is regional magazines out of smaller cities. B/c they don’t have the immense, transient talent pool to milk like the A-markets, they tend to have some money to motivate with. They can be a good place to get your feet wet with the whole process.

Now, the actual act of breaking into it is SO different for everyone. Don’t look for a formula. Some people nail it and pick up right away. Some it takes decades and decades. I’d suggest not to expect the standard 2-3 year get in the black or close the door business model. It takes patience and attrition, but again, I think the part that a lot of people leave out when talking about how hard it is is that it is also a lot of fun if you love pictures and fashion.

As for showing work, well, in retrospect I think I showed too much work to too many people early on. Then one day I realized where I stood (an important and difficult piece of perspective to develop). After that I totally backed off and spent three years tuning things. I’m still tuning, but now, I show work to very specific magazines (basically ones I think would be a good fit), but even then I don’t show or hustle as much as I should. Alas, I’d rather spend the day out shooting on the street. I know people that live for the hustle and bustle and networking though. They don’t really do better or worse; it is simply different personalities and different ways of going about things. I think at the end of the day, if you’re consistently present in a good market and you’re getting work out, and it’s good work, people will notice. But don’t be surprised if it takes 2 years or so of subtle schmoozing and boozing to get into a magazine. And then don’t be surprised if they use you once and never again. It happens. Lots and lots and lots of politics. I personally ignore that as much as possible for my sanity and concentrate on good pictures. Again, though, this is just me, and I’m by no means a staple fashion photographer. I love it, but I also have my own perspective that makes me do things my own way. I suggest the same to anyone, just for life in general. Be good and honest and deliberate about it.

And, if in doubt, as a prison guard told my kid brother at a Med/Max prison while he was standing with a fearing-for-his-life gaze across his face: “Mitchell, keep moving, and look like you know what you’re doing.”

Finally, on this point, I think there is a common misconception of making it, so to speak. As you get further in your career, I think you can rest a bit on some fronts, but I don’t think you can ever back-off. Many of the big guys that line the rosters of the big reps work at this stuff as tirelessly as they did when they were young. It’s an illusion that they’re sitting back and the work is rolling in. The business is constantly shuffling and reorganizing, and everyone is trying to get ahead or hold their spot, no matter if they just moved to the city from a small town or whether they’re on the roster of A&C.

Q: “For the original fashion stories in your book, how did you put them together? Did you find people off Craigslist willing to do work for free? I’m not really clear on how this process works when you are starting out and don’t have a “Name” or connections.”

A: Find MU and hair reps and call them, ask them for names of people who want to test. Find stylists assistants and ask if they want to test. If your not in a big city, my first suggestion would be to find a local modeling agency (the best one you can) and talk to them about testing. They’ll usually have connections with hair and MU people too. This part seems intimidating, but once you start doing it it becomes second nature to produce for yourself. One person leads to another. You jive with some, you don’t with others. Be up front that your testing, but if you love it and believe in your idea, others will get on board and work on it. Don’t be insulted if someone says, “I don’t test any more,” just politely ask them if they know of anyone who does. Over time you get better, and the people you work with get better. It’s part of a process, and like I said, for editorial fashion starting off, there’s no money, so you eat rice and beans, you live in a small rooms, you learn to shoot cheap, you learn of networking while making friends, and you do everything you can to make it the best you can.

Q: “I read on your blog that you were in London a few weeks ago and read the article by Sebastian Kim. Do you think London is more receptive to young photographers than NYC or is it pretty much the same everywhere? Tough.”

A: Everywhere is tough. London and NYC are pretty tied, and the community is small enough that most of it is overlapping and people know of one another, but there are some differences. NYC has more money (or did ?), but it’s also much more commercial both business wise and aesthetically (think Vogue, Vanity Fair, etc. W is amazing, but huge. V is great, but still big name. etc etc.). London has a larger base of indie publications (Dazed, i-D, Tank), that tend to have more progressive work in them and more room for younger talent, b/c of this I’d argue it might be a better place to build a look and gather momentum. On the other hand, an advantage to NYC is I find that here everyone just wants to connect and work…at least amongst the younger crowd. People are excited to meet and give each other a shot, it’s a constant buzz. So it may be easier to get things going in that respect. While London, in my very very limited experience, has a bit tighter of a circle to get your foot into.

All these are generalizations. I’ve honestly not figured this part out yet myself, and am in a way still floating around trying to find magazines that fit. I thought of a move to London for the reasons above, but after being there for just a few days I realized how much the day to day energy and people of NYC inspire me…even the light in NYC is something I constantly watch and learn from…and those sort of thing’s, right now, are more important to me.

Hopefully this kicks off some discussion or thoughts.

Oh, and to keep you on your toes, to show you what I mean by “good” work, here are a few younger guys doing rad shit:

Sebastian Kim (w/ Jed Root),

photo: ©Sebastian Kim.

Josh Olins (w/ CLM), (duder, way to go on pwning that first issue of LOVE),

photo: ©Josh Olins.

Chad Pitman (w/ CLM),

photo: ©Chad Pitman.

Benjamin A. Huseby (w/ Rep Ltd),

photo: ©Benjamin A. Huseby.

Chadwick Tyler,

photo: ©Chadwick Tyler.

No related posts.

Steven Klein

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:45:45 +0000

It took me a a long long time to appreciate Steven Klein‘s work. For that long time I didn’t get it. I didn’t think it looked good, and that requisite was what took me a long time to get over…or not get over, but rather it took me a long time to redefine and learn what “look good” means. Now I think Klein has one of the most compelling visions in the industry for the reason that from a practical standpoint what he manages aesthetically is incredible: he’s one of the few guys that can take, uh, not-pretty pictures that still manage to be completely effective as fashion work. I say not-pretty in the sense that it looks like a lot of his work is shot on an old digital camera at iso 400 under flouro lights and processed by a mini-lab…I’m oversimplifying it, but you get the idea. (One thing not simple in his work though is set/prop design, which is usually pretty bloody amazing.) I think his work, from a photographic standpoint, is of the sort that you have to be a fellow photographer (or creative) to understand how good it is, to understand how hard it is to come to something that definitive.

I’m bringing this up b/c I think Klein’s recent work has shown no sign of backing off:

photo: from “Lara Fiction Noire,” French Vogue, 2009. ©Steven Klein.

photo: from “Wild Couture,” Vogue Italia, 2009. ©Steven Klein.

Bresson and Weegee audio recordings A photographer (thanks, James!) sent me these great little finds...

Mario Testino

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:57:31 +0000

Someone sent me these 3 videos on Mario Testino (thanks, Brandon!), and they literally came across my phone as I was looking at the current Testino spread in V magazine featuring Natalia. It was all fitting, since I was thinking of how Testino’s work is quit simple in many ways but that it nearly always works, and how he definitely deserves a nod for what he’s done over the years.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

From V:

photo: Natalia in V #58, S09. ©Mario Testino.

And an old favorite add that Testino shot for Gucci back in the good ol’days of Tom Ford. I believe this was from ’98, but don’t hold me to that.

photo: from Gucci campaign (1998?). ©Mario Testino.

No related posts.

More Guy: videos

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:52:10 +0000

I found these to be remarkable. Both in what they are standing alone in the Formalist sense, but also in how they function as a side of Bourdin’s work. I believe he would have shot these during his still shoots, which to me reveals a certain visual obsession, or at the very least a singular idea of great depth…

video: by Guy Bourdin

There are a number of more of them online if you look them up.

Old Japanese photography and French New Wave ramble. It’s not news that I like Japanese photography from the...

Fashion Editorial, SOMA, Feb ’09

admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:08:54 +0000

“Laurel Canyon,” SOMA, Feb ’09:

photo: ©Graeme Mitchell, 2009.

Stylist: Kemal & Karla (w/ The Wall Group)
M.U.: Hung Vanngo (w/ The Wall Group)
Hair: Sarah Potempa (w/ The Wall Group)
Set Design: Chelsea Maruskin (w/ Thomas Treuhaft)
Model: Melina (w/ Trump)
Studio: Shoot Digital

Portrait: Kevin Baker, for Interview The painter, Kevin Baker for Interview, Aug 09. photo: Kevin...

Lunch, Miles Aldridge, Guy Bourdin, Rankin

admin — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:02:37 +0000

Met up with a stylist/fashion-ed yesterday for lunch and we were talking work; work work work: what’s new, what’s good, what’s fresh…you get the idea. She told me to look at Miles Aldridge‘s work. Not exactly a new name, but I’m thinking, the guy who shoots shiny for NYTimes mag? She responds, yeah maybe, but look at his stuff, digital wah!, which I know you’re not into, but it’s fucked up, which I know you are into. True and true…for the most part.

Given the post, I obviously did check out his work and obviously liked it. I mean, how to make a watch sing:

photo: Minuit, Paradis, 2007. ©Miles Aldridge.

Now that’s not so much twisted as more digestably erotic, excellent nonetheless. If you shoot sexy in fashion you’re pretty much coming from one of two similar but also disparate schools. Newton, who made for a confluence of the erotic and style. Or Bourdin, who did the same with eroticism and discomfort. Aldridge’s lineage is more of the latter. The difference is that Bourdin’s work tunneled below the image to something more troubling. There was an honesty to what he did, and much of his work then manages to transcend a sexually disquieted idea to a palpably troubling psychological event, to something that approaches the sick, but subtly so. (Not to say Aldridge’s work is superficial or dishonest, not at all, rather maybe I’m just pointing out in a round about way it’s contemporary traits. Suggesting the possibility that our current culture may be more reserved and commercial than, say, the 1920s or 1960s in some manners. We often associate the past with simplicity and a pietist nature and the the present with the opposite…consider that possibly we like to give ourselves undue credit in these regards, while culture and history ebb and flow.) Old news though, as I’ve hashed Bourdin here before, as countless have elsewhere.

photo: for Vogue magazine, ©Guy Bourdin Foundation.

But, if you want to see some actual footage of him, which is as rare as anything, someone emailed me this show (in eight short parts) last week of Rankin recreating some classic work. My first thoughts on the shows was a not getting the, why, but then I guess it’s for TV so that makes overall futilities excusable. Never mind that though, b/c I think it’s worth a watch for the superb old footage alone…or for David Baily.

Things I liked this week… The portraits by Lucia Moholy were the one thing at...

Alexey Brodovitch, Avedon, Penn, Wolfe…

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:31:31 +0000

Nearly as an aside, I was at a friend’s apartment last night and she’d just bought an issue of Harper’s Bazaar from 1946. While looking through it I just kept reiterating how little had changed, I mean, aside from improved films and printing technology, the content really remains the same. Actually the design, font, art direction of this Bazaar was more sophisticated and interesting and in a way more contemporary than much of what’s done today – the use of white space alone seemed far ahead of our time. It made me appreciate why Alexey Brodovitch was and remains so lauded.

photo: Brodovitch lay-out in 1945 Harper’s Bazaar.

Brodovitch, you could say, discovered or groomed Avedon, bringing him in to shoot for Harper’s when he was 22. Those two working together became such a seminal time for the magazine and for fashion that they’re now commonly referred to as, The Avedon Years:

photo: 1952 Harper’s Bazaar cover by Avedon.

Brodovitch incidentally was also Penn‘s teacher while he was studying painting at the Philadelphia Museum School. Later Brodovitch hired Penn at Harper’s for design and layout. Penn later moved to Vogue, I believe again with the function as a designer/creative, but Vogue’s Alexander Liberman had him do a photograph for the magazine, and the rest, of course, is history.

(Huh, interesting, I just noticed both that Brodovitch and Liberman were originally Russian…)

In this particular copy of Harper’s my friend had the fashion story was by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, who’ve I’ve mentioned before (here) as a notable influence on the early years or editorial fashion photography.

photo: by Louise Dahl-Wolfe for Harper’s Bazaar, circa 1950s I think.

And that last image goes back to my original point of nothing being new under the sun. Reshoot it on Portra 160VC replace the warmth with a little cyan and it might as well have been Craig McDean that shot it. Okay, not exactly, but you get the idea.

“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought;
what is necessary is only to try to think them again.”
-from Goethe’s Faust

R.I.P. Irving Penn Here. The last to go of the greats of the...

Wanna put my foot in the carburator

admin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:54:45 +0000

photo: ’68 Firebird??? You tell me.

Made me think of driving real fast, lit rubber, loud exhaust…or shooting like Steven Klein…

No related posts.

Covet S09

admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:12:17 +0000

Sneak peak at Covet Spring 09.

Shot at East Coast Studio
Models: Ilona w/ Major and Dylan w/ Next
Stylist: Sara Dunn
Hair: Sarah Potempa (w/ Wall Group)
M.U.: Meredith Baraf (w/ Wall Group)
Photo Assistant: Nyra Lang

And while on the topic, I was recently emailed this picture of, Tara St. James, the creative director of Covet and I at an opening. Tara said, “we look scared!” I said, “no, just very sober.”

photo: Tara St. James and I at the Aperture Gallery, Chelsea, NYC, Nov 2008.

Portrait: Tara St James The designer, Tara St. James. photo: Tara St. James, NYC,...
Study, Square Project, SS10 The look book for Study by Tara St James’ SS10...
Portrait: Kevin Baker, for Interview The painter, Kevin Baker for Interview, Aug 09. photo: Kevin...

Narahashi to Shibata to Araki to nuclear explosions

admin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:02:11 +0000

A number of probably lesser known Japanese photographers have caught my eye recently (i.e. not Sugimoto, Tomatsu, Kawada, Moriyama). Many of them, like those known, have aesthetic sensibilities fundamentally different from what’s traditionally come out of the West: where the Western tradition seems interested in the ordering of things, as though to make fictions and, well, proverbial storefronts out of our surroundings; the Japanese tradition seems inclined towards exploring the natures of chaos and minimalism (often in the same abstract breath) – and seeing these differences as a product of the literal landscapes our respective cultures inhabit is not a far stretch to make I think – but broad generalizations are just that, simple and sweeping and not worth much more than a starting point, so continue as you will to where you will.

It was Asako Narahashi’s series, half awake and half asleep in the water, that brought this train of thought to mind.

The water theme is nearly archetypal in Japanese photography, like Sugimoto’s seascapes, or Toshio Shibata’s studies of damns and water. Sugimoto’s are beautiful in an everyone-loves-them sorta way, but Shibata’s water photographs touch on something primordial, like you’ve accidentally stepped in on G_d half way through an act of creation:

And you saw it coming, but I can’t help it, how can we talk about this w/o Araki?

photo: Araki, credit unkown.

Flowers and knots you old boyscout you!

Not that that has anything to do with water…but I mention Araki b/c there still a sensibility there that’s ubiquitous between the Japanese photographers, and, yes, it’s something more than deep blacks. It’s something else born from that small island with thick cities…maybe I’ll mention many critics noting of the remnants of what WWII did to the collective (sub)conscious. I’ve no idea…postulations…b/c I’ve never been. Ever. But I bring it up to segue to these two images that I wanted to post that were done with the Rapatronic camera, which was the first camera to be able to record an exposure in the nanosecond range. It could fire one frame, and these are ones a millisecond after a nuclear detonation.

photo: nuclear detonation photographed with a Rapatronic camera

(How incredibly iniquitous these are does not elude me.)

No related posts.

Mario Sorrenti

admin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:43:11 +0000

Mario Sorrenti (w/ Art Partner) is one of those quickly-becoming-old-gaurd shooters that I’ve always respected but who’s work I’ve personally never enthusiastically anticipated. Lately, though, he’s been doing some sick-o stuff that I think is a departure from not only his usual fare but from the ubiquitous NYC diet of seamless and softboxes. The deconstruction and vintage sci-fi-film-feel here makes me think of buying a digital camera. Props, Mario. Love that you’re still pushing it.

Pics from Japanese Vogue Sept ’08 and Vogue Hommes International Fall/Winter ’08, respectively.

No related posts.

Covet Fall 08 advert

admin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:38:52 +0000

A scan of an ad I did for Covet, found it towards the front of the Sept 08 issue of Zink:

Unfortunately, one of my favorite parts of this photo was a big-noir-Hitchcockian bird pasted ominously in the sky like an act of God collage, but, alas, it was cropped of the top to make page dimensions. Oh, the crop, how it can break my heart.

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An absolute favorite, Avedon again

admin — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:51:07 +0000

It surprises me I haven’t posted this before…

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Harper’s Bazaar Sept 08

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:06:36 +0000

So I gawked over the new Interview, but most of the other big Sept issues have been leaving me tired. Then I ran into Harper’s Bazaar, which I only ever really pick up to see what Lindbergh is up to, and, woo-ee, great issue with editorials by: Akrans, Sundsbo, Burbridge, Kadel, Lagerfeld, Goldberg, Luchford, Lindbergh, Lubomirski. (Almost all on location too, which seems like the default this fall over the studio. Maybe everyone is worn out on the big Briese Focuses or disenchanted with the death of 8×10 polaroid.)

(Channeling a little Guy in that shot…love it.)

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FAQ: camera for fashion photography? And the team on set?

admin — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:30:21 +0000

Recently I had a photographer write me with two questions that I thought would be worth discussing here, as I think they’re common questions and good questions.

Question “1) [w]ith so many formats available (e.g., 35mm, medium format, and large format), what guides your decision on which format you shoot with for an assignment? I know that the output print size is a major part of the decision as well as portability and ease of use. But are there any other issues that you consider?”

Format is something I consider with every shoot, but it’s hard to explain any logic in this choice b/c only about 17% of the decision is logical. The other %83 is a arcane go-by-my-gut sort of deal. I think most photographers are like this, and that’s why we’re all vastly different in how we approach our gear. Some shoot three formats during the same job, some can only shoot one (I’m definitely of the latter category). So, vague answer: it is something you figure out over years of trial and error.

That’s boring though, so as a more specific and personal answer, I know that I shoot differently with each format and each format has a slightly different quality (less so with digital). These things are part of the process of achieving what I want the pictures to look like. Then I consider reproduction sizes (not as big a deal as most people think) and budget (a bigger deal than most people think) and other practical matters to further direct these considerations. It’s a mix of what’s practical and gets things done, and what feels right for the idea or the moon’s phase or whatever.

It’s something you get relaxed about after a few years as you develop relationships with different cameras and learn that they’re a small part of the process. But I do understand when you’re starting out it can be nerve racking, as is the simple questions of what film you should use, what light modifiers, on and on. I’ve two pieces of advice that worked very well for me in these regards.

First, do not loose sight of the big picture. Go ahead and write that on your mirror. In fashion and portraiture the key things are people, clothes, taste, ideas, light. Concentrate on these. Learn to understand how they work for you and how you work for them. The details of cameras and films and small stuff becomes a unnecessary distraction imo, b/c frankly they make much much less of a difference than we think they do. Yeah, you need to know what you’re doing b/c the photography part does matter, but it’s mostly stuff you learn from simple testing and playing around. A day of shooting will teach you more than a year of reading internet forums.

Second, (as a way of not getting wrapped up in the details), when you’re starting out I always suggest to radically simplify your gear. Pick one camera and shoot it for a few years. Learn to really control that system. Pick one film and one developer and master it. Pick one lens and master it. It is a way of teaching yourself how to bend the basics to your needs, and in doing this you learn the principals of the medium Then it’s like learning a second language; once you become fluent in one, others will come easily.

I did this out of necessity rather than choice. When I first moved to NYC I had sold most of my gear for money; not that I had room for it anyway (lived on couches), so all I had was my Nikons and a few lenses. And I was broke, so all I could afford to do was shoot black and white and process it myself. My back-to-basics wasn’t a pedagogical choice, rather a financial one, but I quickly saw the benefit of it in my work and it soon became a game: “if I can’t do something amazing with this camera and this film, then the problem is me and nothing else.” Your kit might be 8×10″ and tmax 100, or a digital point and shoot, you’ll know when you hold it, but whatever it is use it until it’s as natural as…well, whatever comes naturally to you.

Question “2) I’m planning for my first fashion story; it’s personal/portfolio work, so I’m simply shooting for myself and for my team. I have a team of five: two models, a hair stylist, a make-up artist, and me (the photog). What role do the hair and make-up artists play while the photographer is photographing the models? Are they usually with the photographer and the models during the shooting? Or are they out doing something else[...]“

As above, this all depends on you and what you’ve figured out for yourself over the years. It also varies job to job, set to set, mood to mood. Some photographers blast music and have groupies hanging out, others close sets and it’s just them and the model. For most I think it lies someplace inbetween depending on their personality, the shoot, and the team. I’ll close the set if things get distracting or I can tell the model would benefit from it. Personally, I prefer not to though. If I’m working with my usual team, or people I am confident in, then they’re all right next to my side and very much a part of the process of making pictures. The shoot is an open dialogue where everyone can contribute. This is important to me personally b/c it’s one of the reasons I was so interested in fashion photography, b/c it’s such a collaboration. For me, there’s nothing better than a good group of people just loosing themselves in making a cool image, totally open and honest, dishing and taking, and having fun. Again though, everyone and every shoot is different. As an example of a quirk that makes us all different: I love collaborating and that energy, but once I start burning film and concentrating on the model it has to be quiet; there can be music, but no distractions or pointless noise. Kind of weird, but a big deal. Obviously, for me, having so much faith in my team and wanting them to work so tightly with me makes them a specific sort of people and ones that took a long long long time to put together. And still, the dynamic and people are always shifting as life sees fit. You’ll meet all sorts of people shooting, some who you like and others your don’t like, all that affect the day, and all who you can learn something from.

Still really haven’t answered the question have I? So, my suggestion in starting out with a team is to keep communication wide open, don’t be afraid to direct but also to let people do their thing, and most of all to watch what they’re doing so you can learn it, so you can begin to see what they’re seeing. If you’re into fashion you need to start to understand hair and make-up, and there’s not quicker way to learn it than while working with people on it.

As is my usual advice in receiving advice, often the smartest thing to do is to ignore it all and do what you want.

(Do any other fashion photogs visit this blog? If so, feel free to leave your answer’s or experiences about these questions in the comments. Because I’m not for a moment trying to persuade anyone I’m an authority of any sorts. More thoughts are better.)

On the personal project, an ode JeanLoup Sieff lamented the moniker of “personal” when used in...

Willy Vanderperre

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:56:56 +0000

Willy Vanderperre (with Management Artists) has a style that you can spot easily; it’s gorgeous, technically perfect, minimal, and thoughtful. Once you learn he studied fashion and photography in Antwerp this sensibility and aesthetic makes complete sense, as you can see it’s of the pedigree of the infamous Antwerp Six school of design. It surprises me that I don’t see his work or even hear Willy’s name more often, only b/c he’s young and doing strong work.

Anyway, this post was sparked by the beautiful story he has in V magazine (V54) right now. Well done.

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