Fashion Photography: the Stimulation of Desire by the Image Projected
The fashion photograph is not just any photograph, it bears little relation to the
news photograph or to the snapshot, for example; it has its own units and rules;
within photographic communication, it forms a specific language which no doubt
has its own lexicon and syntax, its own banned or approved ‘turns of phrase’.
- , 1990
It is by the nature of people to be fascinated with the beauty they see around – may it be natural or inanimate. Though many people believe in the cliché “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, the universality of expression when it comes to beauty as a whole is uncontested. People will always rely on their personal judgment when it comes to defining and appreciating real beauty on its sense. This paper aims to discuss the extent of attractive presentation used in fashion photography to stimulate desire among individuals who see it. It will justify desire stimulation as an aim of fashion photography by presenting examples. Further, several examples are presented to support the claim.
Fashion photography is a specialty aspect of photography that caters to the artistic exposition of clothing and other fashion pieces. It is believed that fashion photography mastered its individual aesthetic characteristics in which the clothes and other fashions are taken into considerable angle and out of the extraordinary locations. According to (1999, p.1), “Fashion photography is traditionally regarded as the lightweight end of photographic practice. Its close relationship to the economic imperatives of turnover makes the fashion photograph the transitory image par excellence.” As a primarily recognized fact, fashion photography is directed not only to artistic representation of clothes and fashion materials but also to the aim of persuading people and spectators to try, buy or purchase such products being endorsed and even the personality present as a subject in the photo itself.
Further, (1991, p.33), picture editor of , affirmed in such related description that “fashion photography is like its models, nobody wants it for very long.” believes that fashion photography is dynamic. The feeling of likeness the photograph brings in the eyes pf people who sees it changes. Thus, the relativity and duration of its effect is temporary. However, this belief was challenged by the fact presented by (1990, p.8) that there are significant differences between how actual garments and representations of them are both produced and consumed. Since people originally wear clothing or fashion on our bodies, the description provided by is said to be “reductive” ( 1999, p.1) or oversimplifying. The aspect of personal differences and individual characteristics in terms of physical traits and the appropriateness of such fashion items to people are overlooked.
Fashion photography is always a dynamic area of camera work since it caters to a specified and more business-oriented side. The art presented by most ordinary photographers and visual artists is a bit diverse when compared to such kind of photography. However, the main aim in capturing the subject in the best and most artistic manner is the common denominator of every photographer who held their camera and focused their lenses. But the question is, why is desire stimulated by using attractive representations in fashion photography?
The Aim of Fashion Photography
‘…desire was stimulated by attractive presentation; for example, by using colours, exotic themes, lighting effects and phantasmagoria of abundance.’
- 2000, p.334
Photographers, in general, aim to project the “art” out of the subject. suggests that the invention of photography, far from setting its own standards for realism, merely fell into line with the dominant ideology laid down by painting. He added that photographs themselves try to depict an ape in a painterly style ( 1999). In fashion photography, the look of the subject as well as the fashion being endorsed is the main concern of the artist. In the process up to the publication of the material, the main goal is to attract people by using the taken photos. The most often media where the art of fashion photography is showcased is advertising and print (such as magazines and newspapers). Today, it is too evident in the daily encounters of people in various publications to see photographs adorn with strong color presentation, extraordinary themes, effects and bizarre images. Almost all glossy magazines distributed to the market are full of images that bear a specific message. On this case, fashion photography as presented in fashion oriented magazines and other publications will serve its own purpose: to persuade, stimulate and elicit desire among the readers and lookers.
Indeed, fashion photography persuades people by the visual beauty being presented but at the same time separate them to the reality of the ordinary purpose of clothing (1999, p.1). With such representations, people no longer stick to the idea of clothes as a basic need for practical considerations such as protection, modesty, and adornment. Instead, it gives them the opportunity to ponder on the symbolism of fashion. Thus, the magazine as the principal outlet for photographic exposition as well as a prime motivator in helping individuals to assess the meaning of clothing, determining what is “in” and what is “out”, must serve its real objective. But more often than not, with the superficiality of images, use of strong visual elements, and surreal characters, people are subjected into fashion dilemma.
For example, photographer takes her lenses to Hollywood glamour. understood the critical importance of fashion and its display, and worked with designers and subjects to the best advantage of both ( 2002, p.107). Most of her works were focused in the glamour portraits of Hollywood celebrities especially to the movies they starred in. However, there are significant examples applicable in the stimulation of desire in relation to fashion photography. A certain instance was when some stars seemed almost entirely identified with their wardrobes. “ was in Italy filming , so far as the newspapers and fan magazines were concerned, she spent most of her time looking at the latest European fashions. The blonde wig wears in her first scenes in the movie, for example, was said to be the result of a shopping expedition to Vienna. Upon her return to the United States, press photographers captured her in Paris gowns designed by leading couturiers such as ” ( 2002, p.108). After the publication of such photo, wigs became more popular (see Example 1 & 2). Thus, the presentation and the model herself persuaded people to imitate what she wore.
Example 1
in a feather beret
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Example 2
in a gown and in a wig accentuated with artificial berries
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In reality, models for fashion photography are stars and celebrities. Because they are considered as such, the tendency is that their fans will be greatly influenced by the acts, ways, and looks they portray. Evidence that will support this observation is the fact that fans do not only collect and display the photos but were encouraged to imaginatively reinterpret and manipulate the images published in the magazines. It is deemed that the process of looking at stars’ photographs, for the most devoted followers, was highly interactive and creative ( 2002, p.102).
Further, today’s fashion industry is multifaceted. If before, fashion industry is largely concentrated to women, today, men are also engage to the trend. Because the studios sold primarily to women, the products that came to be associated with the female were largely domestic ranging from intimate cosmetics or lingerie, for example, to functional household objects, to more subtle aspects of style and taste ( 2002, 108). For men, perfume, sports items and designer’s clothes like jeans is the inclination. Some of the most popular brands endorsed by men and women are (see Example 3 and 4), (see Example 5) and the likes. The presentations of photos for such instances are depicted to be highly attractive that it will serve its persuasive function. Traditionally, women models are photographed wearing their particular dress in a specified setting. For example, ball gowns (like wedding gown) are depicted in an environment of elegance, nobility and high taste of quality like fabulous party scenes (see Example 6). Men endorsing clothes, aside from being handsome, the overall appearance of the suit and tie they wear correspond to the superficiality of the venue (see Example 7). With these instances, it could be said that the main aim of fashion photography in stimulating desire by using attractive presentation is valid and true.
Examples 3 & 4
A woman in lingerie and a man on pants – a typical ad located in today’s magazines
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Example 5
Versace’s latest ad
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Examples 6 & 7
A lady in a wedding gown photographed in peculiar location and two gents in their suit and bow/tie
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Moreover, it is a common notion by many historians and critics that the fashion magazine and the fashion photograph is an ephemeral and exiguous form of cultural production ( 1999, p.1). It is a potential medium of transferring cultural characteristics of people with diverse origins. For example, in the anthology ( 2005), several portraits in fashion were showcased including the works of and fashion photos, African studio photography, art, and documentary stills that holds the relativity of people when it comes to fashion sense. The collection of essay about the “idea” of Africa and Europe fashion is used as a useful medium to establish social relationships, local institutions, and transnational connection”. In here, “fashion creates fantasy onto which qualities such as seduction, eroticism, exuberance – and desire – are projected” (). The book provides a comparative analysis of “the random mixing of ethnic and contemporary elements” that makes the fundamental result both “strange and beautiful”.
Fashion photography is not as simple as having a catalogue in which people can see what is new in the fashion industry. It is not also necessary that it should be a way for people such as the fashion shoppers in big commercial trading, to know what and how clothes may or really look like (1999, p.2). In reality, the photographic presentation of fashion has something to do with the process or the act of capturing the moment and the subject. For fashion, there are several considerations to be taken into account. Aside from the items and the models to be used, among these considerations are “the catwalk, designer’s studio and changing room perform this function, affording the opportunity for scrutinising garments on bodies in movement, or for trying them on, while simultaneously enhancing their appeal with atmospheric music and lighting” ( 1999, p.2).
Certainly, photos about fashion create an image of blissful and “beautiful” in the ordinary eyes of the viewer. It increases or even enhances the actual look of the item. Fashion photography offers an illustration of clothing that does not offer exactly the equivalent point of identification as it was demonstrated on the stage, or displayed on a mannequin or model in the studio ( 1999, p.2). Relatively, almost all images in fashion photography designate people into a world of unconcealed illusions and fantasies. It places fashion and the body in any number of rational contexts. More often, the sessions in fashion photography is far from the reality of imagery. It has either little or nothing to do with clothing. Or even clothing itself seems to become an alibi for the representation of other contemporaneous issues and ideas ( 1999, p.2).
The Issue of Digital Photography: Visual Truth in Fashion
With the advent of high technology in all segments of living, the process of fashion photography nowadays is also sophisticated. The presence of digital photography is another consideration to be taken into its revolutionary course of change. Researches find that digital photography has become immensely popular among recreational photographers and professionals alike while the benefits are multitudinous. The most pronounced benefits are the ease of reproduction and the effortless manipulation digital photography allows for exact replicas of images that can be made instantly and sent out where they have the potential to reach and affect millions of individuals. Furthermore, photo editing software allows for the manipulation of images, where any element can be altered, added or extracted but in doing so, the computer has followed the law of unintended consequences: the box that came to be seen as the conclusive media machine has made conclusions themselves more difficult to reach. The status of photos as visual truth has been severely shaken by this digitization of photography.
The debate over the level of visual truth in photography has only been heightened with the arrival of digital imaging. Visual truth is the notion that a photograph has the power to project images of the truth and can be seen as an unmediated copy of reality ( 2001, p. 362). While this view is extreme, traditional photographs do indeed all have a referent in the real world something of which they mimic and are reflections of. While simply digitizing a photo does not change that, when photographs are altered through the use of a digital technology, they lose this referent and can present a distorted view of reality. This thought is unsettling for some, as determining the authenticity of a photograph is nearly impossible. This can allow for people to create completely fictitious events and execute elaborate hoaxes.
Clearly, (1999, p.3) believes that the expression of an attitude such as this in fashion photography bears witness to the fact that it can both make a profound impact on the social and cultural scene, and have the potential to make a lasting rather than fleeting impression on the consciousness of any individual. The deceiving tactics in order to persuade or stimulate the desire of viewers and more importantly buyers in the subject presented is evident in every images shown and products endorsed.
Often, photographs are not meant to be strictly a depiction of reality, but instead to be art and evoke an emotion from its viewer. Thus, digital manipulation simply becomes another tool for the artist which allows them to convey meanings that would be otherwise impossible. One must not forget that the interpretation of a picture takes place in one’s heads. The meaning of what people see is never what they see but what it means to them. Pictures are not to concretize reality, but to interpret.
Although the digitization of photography is an unavoidable evolution, it is important to understand that digitization does not necessarily include alteration. Digitization is an astounding advancement that will allow for endless and rapid distribution of photography worldwide especially to the fashion and even advertising industries. As tempting as digital manipulation may be, it is crucial that fashion photography maintains its integrity and continues to display unaltered photographs. Even in an unaltered state, however, photography will always be a subjective art, void of any absolute visual truth. It is digitization though, that allows for a new level of image that can be made to fulfill any desire. According to sources, it is said that the world becomes more controllable and we become more capable of projecting and confirming ourselves and our own world and in our own image as well provided that these digitally altered images are not labeled as authentic, one should be able to appreciate and accept this reconstructed version of photography.
There has been a general argument that the diverse and complex array of images people encounter in their everyday lives, from paintings to news images to digital representations, are subject to the dynamics of social power and ideology, and that images acquire meaning and value according to context and use.
Fashion photography aims not the excessively and overly visual presentation of images but to the artistic and realistic way that will induce the desire of people who loves fashion and the art of photography as a whole. As in deemed, “fashion photography provokes viewers and consumers into confirming their own identity through structures of desire … constituting a nexus between fashion and selfhood” (cited 1999, p. 3).
In my own opinion, fashion photography must not be overly interpreted. The images should be attributed from the standpoint of a lens’ creative and technical capabilities such as angle view, zooming, depth of field, perspective, aperture control, contrast or tonal and color reproductions. The element of visual truth is the most important aim that fashion photographers must meet. Thus, the presentation of images and subjects is not beyond the limits of real characteristics of fashion items, clothes, and models in the picture. The extent of fashion photography is limited to the execution and presentation of what is true and artistic in the eyes of every individual. Balancing artistry and honesty when it comes to stimulating desires of people is another vital denominator. Thus, people can observe fashion photography play with their own desires and fears and appreciate how the rational images appears without the main influences of “attractive presentation using colours, exotic themes, lighting effects and phantasmagoria of abundance” but with the idea that fashion is relative and that everyone is exceptional in the eyes of one another.
References
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