Photography through the ages...

Like fashion, photography has changed over the years. The scene of what reflected and the angle of photo’s has evolved over time.

The phenomenon that was the 1947 Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ although not that ‘new’ considering the work of Parisian couturiers during the war saw the age of photography meant to encapsulate a sense of freedom, breaking free and independence for women. The image below is posed on the street although kept clean, with minimal background the photography was designed to sell women a new, better lifestyle.

 

Above: Dior’s 1947 ‘New Look’ Collection. Image courtesy of designmusuem.org

 

Photography developed more, if you look back at the swinging sixties for example most of the fashion shoots are studio based. If you was to search on for images of Twiggy in the sixties the majority are in studios using different coloured backdrops with some location shoots. These location shoots were mainly streets not really giving information or character about the model. It was intended to represent women of the sixties having increased freedom although at the time there was still a gender power issue.

Above: Twiggy in one of the many studio-based photos during the sixties. Image courtesy of twiggylawson.co.uk

As the photography has developed the nineties was a significant era. I think after the punk movement gave fashion more of a reality outlook and the connection to personal feelings and attitudes become apparent change descended. The photography during the 1990s; which saw the rise of the now style icon Kate Moss become raw to the point that it was not known whether the designer, stylist, model or photography was in fact on drugs. Was that blur intended? The photographs revealed a reality, meant to show a glimpse into the models life giving more personality than a show ironically these photographs down to the placing of cigarette butts and the awkward pose of the model was all staged. The anti-glamour shots were also symbol that the world is imperfect but that imperfection can still be beautiful and who better to show that than Kate Moss.

Above: Kate Moss  shot by Corinne Day in the ‘heroin chic’ era of the 1990s. Image courtesy of corinneday.co.uk

However I feel that fashion photography has always reflected more than just the clothes in them. The era of ‘heroin chic’ just demonstrated it.