Among all the genres with which photography mixes with other arts, fashion photography is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing. Combining the inventiveness of the photographer with the creativity of figures such as the make-up artist, hair stylist, fashion designer and stylist, the aim of the fashion shoot is to communicate a precise atmosphere through an original and engaging narrative, which enhances not only the shapes of the dress or accessory advertised but also those of the model and the way he or she relates to it. Fashion photography is not just the photography of the dress or the accessories. Or rather, it is also the photography of the dress and the accessories; however, they must first of all be interpreted, they must tell a story to be able to arouse something in the spectator/consumer.
Communicating through the trend
This intense link between fashion products and the way they manage to communicate a message strongly underlines how communication itself is a fundamental element in establishing an aesthetic trend: in other words, we could say that fashion photography founds fashion itself. In this regard, we could say that fashion magazines were the first to discover the power of image anticipation with respect to the desire to change one’s appearance (the primary reason for fashion), even though until the 1950s, the work of the fashion editor was, in terms of prestige, superior to that of the photographer. It should be remembered, for example, the enormous influence that Carmel Snow had on the success of Christian Dior’s first collection. Moreover, it must be said that the popular and commercial legitimacy of the fashion photographer was strongly downgraded by the intellectual elites, all sided with an idea of photography advocated by great photographers such as Cartier-Bresson. On the one hand, the power of fashion photography was recognized, although it was assumed to be limited by its substantial inauthenticity, its structural lie, which was an outrage against photographic “truth”.
Being a fashion photographer today
In the great field of fashion photography there are several subcategories, such as the advertising campaign, which expresses the product in the most direct way possible. Then there is fashion editorial photography, which consists in producing photographs for magazines, journals, with the purpose of describing the product through a short story. Another genre is Still Life. But the fashion magazine is the one most coveted by all professional photographers. In any case, if the purpose of fashion photography is both professional and amateur, we must never forget that the observer’s gaze must not focus only on the beauty of the woman but must fall mainly on the props she is wearing because the aim is to sell the product.
While in the 21st century, many of the inner workings of fashion photography have remained identical to fifty years ago, the contemporary world’s approach and the ultra-fast communication of the social network era has altered the traditional enjoyment of fashion photography. Digital, by allowing the reproduction and infinite modification of an image, has been a revolution. But the most radical is surely the one brought about by Instagram. In the increasingly faster time of a scroll on the screen, the number of followers decrees the successful photo or selfie or author that is. The same fashion houses increasingly focus on the social world to launch their latest products, trying to innovate their strategy in a multifaceted way.
A good fashion photographer must know how to insert himself in these dynamics, managing to combine his talent with a precise definition of his own aesthetics, without neglecting the search for an effective diffusion of his work. He will need to know the theory well to know how to make the most of the practice. He will have to take inspiration from competitors, magazines, social media, images.
Giovanni Troìa
