1. FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
Emily Monsey

2. MARIO TESTINO
Mario Testino (was born on October 30, 1954) and he is a Peruvian fashion photographer. His work
has been featured in magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair making his work well known and this
also helped him to gain more high profile clients. His career highpoint came when he was chosen by
Diana, Princess of Wales, for her Vanity Fair photoshoot in 1997, this has resulted in Testino to be
regularly employed by the British royal family ever since. His contribution to fashion photography
really shows as he has taken pictures of many celebrities and worked his way up in the fashion world.
He came to London in 1976, took a flat in an abandoned hospital near Trafalgar Square, and began
selling portfolios (for £25, including hair and make-up) to wannabe models. He worked his way up
from there and now at the top of his profession, Testino has shot Madonna for Versace as well as
photographing the late Diana, Princess of Wales for her famous Vanity Fair cover in 1997. He has
built up an amazing reputation for himself and massively increased his popularity over the years with
designers and fashion editors, this is largely due to his professionalism, good nature and his ability to
take beautiful pictures that seem to sell clothes with ease.

3. This image was taken in March 2013 for British Vogue, this has clearly
been taken for advertising purposes and has been done to show the
clothes as it has been featured in a fashion magazines and needs to
be taken in a way that will make the readers purchase the clothes. The
subject of the photograph is the model as they are trying to advertise
the clothing she is wearing, there isn’t really anything else that could
be spotted and seen as a main focus. This is due to the backdrop
being in a studio instead of outside where things could be seen as a
distraction from the image. The other focus of this image is the items
around the model which purposely haven't been made very clear for
the viewer as they could distract from the clothes. This has a really
‘fun’ theme as they have used really bright colours , along with the use
of vibrant yellow on the backdrop which adds to the vivid use of colour
and draws attention to the image. We can also see that this image is
definitely posed as they have taken it in order to advertise the clothes,
we can see this from the fact that it is being featured in a fashion
magazine. We can also see that this is posed as the model is in a
posed position and is directly facing the camera. The whole image is
in focus which makes it a lot sharper and eye catching as if it all
wasn’t in focus the colour use may not look as bright and eye
catching. The only use of shadow and darkening in this image is the
models shadow which doesn’t cover a large portion of the image.
However the corners of the image are also slightly darkened, but this
is definitely a less obvious use of shading and can’t be seen
immediately. The lighting is fairly harsh as they have used artificial
lighting in a studio and really focused in on the model making her
appear very bright and the highlight of the image. There are also quite
a lot of shapes that we can see on this image from what the model is
wearing and the objects around her, they aren’t a key thing in the
image but when you really analyse the image they can be found.
Some of these shapes along with the clothing and use of colour gives
the image a ‘retro’ look which could be the theme they were looking to
get across to their readers with this particular outfit or article. This is
also quite a busy image as there is a lot to look at as you can see the
model, the clothing, accessories and the objects around her. Fashion
images tend to have a lot going on in them as it means the reader will
by the magazines purely for the photography as they are usually very
intricate and tell a story. This photograph has been taken at a very
direct angle which really shows the posed nature of the image and the
shoot, it allows the readers of Vogue to see the clothing in more detail
as are many other fashion photographs as they need to advertise and
show the clothes.

4. This image was taken in March 2012 for US Vogue, this has been taken
for advertising purposes and also for an article as they have used a
famous model/actress that people can relate to and many people will
also want to wear what the model is wearing as they look up to her. The
main focus and subject of this image is the female model, they have
highlighted this and ensured that this is clear as they have dressed her
in bright colour which really contrasts with the dark suits that the men
around her are wearing. The only other people wearing colour are in the
background and are clearly not as bright or eye catching as the main
model in the centre of the image. This image could possibly be trying to
represent female empowerment as the only people in the image that are
wearing colour are the women. This image shows the natural
environment that you may find in some cities in America as it appears
there is a show in the background with the women and the photographer
Mario Testino has almost tried to ensure that the model looks as though
she is just watching and walking through the street whilst still having her
in a posed position. This photograph could possibly be seen as
expressive as it could be showing empowerment as it’s a strong woman
in the city and she is showing she is bold and confident by the clothes
she is wearing. There are some geometric shapes involved with this
image, however the shapes are largely used in the clothing the model is
wearing. The model is wearing stripes on her skirt and there is also the
lines on the road she is walking on. The use of line in the image is
shown in the environment the model is in as there are road markings on
the ground, there is also a use of line on the models clothing, this
highlights and links these areas and makes the model look very bold and
shows confidence. This is a definite posed image as the model has been
put in a specific position, we can also see that the image is posed as
there are a number of other people that have been placed around her
acting as ‘bodyguards’. The camera is fairly focused on the whole
photograph, however the people in the background do slightly fade out
and definitely aren't as sharp or defined as the model in the centre. Even
though the image has been taken outside the lighting is quite harsh and
bright as it really highlights the model and draws attention to her and the
clothing she is wearing. This photo is quite busy and crowded as they
have involved a lot of people in the photograph, even though the image
is fairly crowded the model is still the main focus as they have ensured
that the readers won’t be too distracted by anything else going on in the
image. The angle for this image is very head on meaning the model is
the first thing you see, this also shows it’s really posed as they purposely
did this to show the clothes.

5. This image was taken of the well known model Catherine McNeil, this
has been taken for advertising purposes as it will have most likely
been used in a fashion magazine or website. The main subject for this
image is the model as she is the only person there leaving the viewer
with nothing else to look at. This makes the model the main focus
which also draws a lot more attention to the clothes which is the
purpose of the image. This looks almost like a portrait as it has been
taken of just her top half and really focused and zoomed in on her, this
shows the photographer Mario Testino has tried lots of varied
methods to draw attention to the clothes. This image is not at all
observational as it has been posed in a way that is very obvious to
anyone that sees it. They have made it obvious by having the model in
a posed position and using lighting to control the focus for the image.
All of this photograph appear to be focused completely as this is the
only thing to focus on, the colour ensures that the clothes are seen as
the main focus. This has definitely been taken in a studio which gives
it more of a posed look and they have used extremely harsh and bright
lighting that washes out the models colouring completely. The harsh
lighting has resulted in the contouring being less defined as the outline
of her arm and the side of her face become hard to see as the lighting
has made them almost blend in to the backdrop. We can see that
Mario Testino has wanted the image to be very bland and washed out
looking, therefore he has used lots of white make up on the model and
also added a white background and harsh bright lighting, this has
helped the colour of the clothes to make more of a statement and
really shows the brightness of the clothing which also highlights them
a lot more than if the rest of the image was in lots of colour also. This
image can be seen as both busy and passive in my opinion as the
background and the lighting make the image appear fairly passive as it
is hard to see the models body outline in some areas. However the
colour, shapes and patterns on the models clothes brighten the image
and this is the only area that could be seen as ‘busy’. The angle of this
image is head on and straight at the model, this is very common in
fashion photography as they need to ensure that the clothes are very
visible, different unusual angles can stop this from happening. The
only different angling of this image is how the model is stood as this
adds contrast and makes it slightly more interesting. The only
background for this image is the washed out brightly lit backdrop
which adds to the effect of the colour popping from the clothing. There
is a lot of contrast with the colour use on this image as they have used
a lot of white and the only colour is the clothing which shows what they
are trying to advertise.

6. BERT STERN
Bert stern was born on October 3, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York and died on June 26 th 2013. He
started off with an internship at Look magazine, then on to Mayfair as an art director and finally to the
army where he started taking photographs in Japan. His first professional assignment was a
campaign for Smirnoff Vodka, this began his lifelong and extremely successful career in fashion
photography as from there every major magazine and clothing line wanted him as their photographer.
Stern has worked for many high profile clients, some of which include; Marilyn Monroe, Audrey
Hepburn, Twiggy and Bridget Bardot. Arguably his best and most famous work was working for Vogue
magazine and taking a collection of 2,500 photographs of Marilyn Monroe named ‘the last sitting’ over
three days, six weeks before her death.

7. This image is clearly a posed image that has probably been taken as a
way to advertise the clothes that she is wearing, this may have been
used in magazines to advertise a specific brand or label. As they have
used a well known model this will attract many more customers and will
boost sales in the clothes, this is how many photographers take fashion
images as it shows the clothes in an interesting way that can get people
to buy the clothes. The main subject of this image is the model and the
clothes that she is advertising, this can be seen as they have only put
the model and one other object in the shot which ensures that nothing
else can be seen as a distraction. The only other thing in the image is a
TV screen and this shows another image of the model drawing more
attention back to her. This is a very clever method that the photographer
has thought out and done on purpose in order to achieve the most
attention on the model and the clothing. As this has been shot in a studio
there aren’t any landscaping around the model and there also aren’t any
geometric shapes, the only shapes that are visible are the patterns and
shapes on the dress again circling back to the attention on the model.
This image is different and more interesting to others as they have
included a portrait in this fashion photograph as they have included the
image of the model in the TV screen along with the actual model. We
can see that this is a posed shot as they have put the model in a posed
position and also this has been shot purposely for advertising purposes.
You could also see that this is a staged and posed shot as they have
used artificial lighting to highlight and shadow certain parts, this wouldn’t
be done in an observational image as they are mostly spontaneous
shoots. All of this image is in focus, this could be due to them not using
anything else but the model and the TV screen as you wouldn’t really be
able to see if the backdrop was in or out of focus. They also haven’t
adjusted the focus as it is such a small space that they have covered in
the image and wouldn’t need to change focus. The image is very
lightened and we can see this even though they have used a
monochrome effect over the image, the only areas I can see that have
darkened slightly are the top right hand corner which highlights the
model more as we see the contrast between light. The monochrome
effect has been used on all of Bert Stern’s images, this could be due to
the time the images were taken as they are very old however they do
give the images a very classic and elegant look as bright and bold
colours may make it look too overpowering and could distract. This
image is fairly passive as there isn’t much to look at as there is just the
model and the TV screen, we can also see that this is a passive shoot as
the backdrop is very neutral and completely plain. The angle of this
image is head on which shows the fashion side of the image very well.

8. This image has clearly been taken for similar reasons as the others as
it has most likely been taken for advertising purposes for the fashion
industry. This may have been used for magazines as this is a good
way to show the fashion and advertise the labels and brands. The
main subject and focus of this image is the model and the fashion
items she is wearing, this is clear by the way she is stood as she is
very open and head on in the camera so the clothes are clear to see.
The image is all in focus as there isn’t much else in the photograph,
this means that putting the other things in the image out of focus may
not give the right effect as the image is fairly small and there wouldn’t
be much to put out of focus. This is a definite posed and staged shot
as it has been done for advertising of the fashion she is wearing, this
is clear as she is in a posed position and is allowing the viewers to see
the clothes in detail. This hasn’t been taken in a studio meaning that it
is harder to get a really bright lighting effect on the image as they have
to use the natural background, however some lighting has been used
as the model has been highlighted with the light making her stand out.
I am actually not certain if they have used natural light as she appears
to be looking out of a window and this light is shining on her, this is
very possible as the light is patchy which makes it look like the image
has been taken with natural light. There are quite a few shadows in
the image as they have possibly used natural light which shows all the
lighting difference in the room and also highlights the darker areas and
the shadows. The shadows in this image really highlight the main
focus of the model as she has the most light just focused on her. This
along with the others is a monochrome effect which gives a really
sophisticated look to the image, it also helps to highlight the different
lighting that is on the photograph. This is also a passive image as
there isn’t much else going on in the image apart from the chair and
the window in the background. The image not being busy enables the
viewers to see the main focus of the image instead of everything in the
background. The only contouring and shape in the image apart from
the model is the chair, the window and the tiled floor. This lack of
different shape makes the image a lot more passive and means that
the image is simple and not too confusing whilst still being interesting
in it’s own way.

9. This image is a very obviously posed and staged image as they have
most likely taken the image to advertise the clothing the model is
wearing. It has probably been taken for a magazine as it is for
advertising of a certain brand/label. We can see that the main subject
and focus of the image is the model and the fashion, this has been
made very clear as she is very close to the camera and is the only
thing in the image. This shows the passive look of the image as the
model is the only thing in the image, this is clearly the most passive of
the three as the others include at least one other thing. Another thing
that could signify that the image has been posed or staged is that they
have used some sort of lighting, this is clear as they have highlighted
the outfit as the main focus and shaded some of the face. This image
is very simple in the sense that they haven’t included lots of shape or
other objects, this makes the image easy to see and not too confusing
or abstract as many other fashion photographs can be. This could
possibly be seen as a type of portraiture as they haven’t done a full
body shot and have focused heavily on her upper half and face. This
image is focused entirely on the whole image, this has been done as
they want to clearly show the clothing of the image. There has been
artificial lighting on this image as they have purposely highlighted the
clothing and shaded some of the face and also the upper half of the
backdrop. This shading is a way of the photographer showing what
areas they want the viewers to focus on. This has most likely been
taken in a studio as they have used a backdrop and not used a natural
more observational look for the background. They have used a
monochrome effect on this image and I feel that this helps the lighting
to show through and also shows where the shading is. This lighting
also shows the darkness of the outfit as it is black in comparison to the
background.