Beauty is a prominent
subject in today’s society as due to the media women can become obsessed with
trying to become the ‘perfect woman’ etc. from the image of the 'perfect' and
airbrushed models; and so it is important to study the different aspects of
beauty in order to gain an understanding on the depth of the topic. Beauty can
be defined as 'a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that
pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight' (Oxford Online Dictionary).
It can be said that individuals views beauty differently and therefore what is
deemed beautiful to one person would differ to another, and so the concept of
inner beauty may be valued more to some. Inner beauty refers to a nice
personality and similar traits, however this is harder to capture in
photography and so the outer beauty tends to be focused on in 'beauty' shoots.
History
The first fashion magazines,
Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue – both founded in the late 1800’s – were initially
illustrated by hand. It was not until Conde Nast hired Baron Adolph de Meyer in
1913 to shoot portraits of models, actresses and aristocrats for Vogue that
photographs began to be used in fashion editorials.An early example of
beauty/fashion photography is that of Horst P Horst. This is his photograph
Mainbocher Corset from 1939. Historically corsets were used as a tool to make models
waists smaller and so they appear skinny, as this is what is deemed as
beautiful by society. This trend can still be seen today in the selection
process, as thin models are still preferred over other body sizes. At this time
black and white photographs were the only form available and so this may have
limited the creativity of fashion and beauty photographers, as it restricts
photographers from capturing colour and showing the designs of clothing and the
colours of models makeup in its full form. However, the use of black and white
photography is used as an editing form for several photographers today. This
may be because when there is too much colour in a picture it is harder to focus
on the subject of the image. Also black and white images keep you focused on
the composition and texture of the image; it allows you to focus on shapes,
light, shadows, lines and perspective within the photograph. It also gives the
effect of elegance on certain images and so it is still a very common technique
used within the beauty industry.
Photographers Review
This photograph is of Cara
Delevingne, a supermodel, Mario has poured foundation or a similar paint like
substance onto her face and it is running down her face as he has captured this
image. This abstract photograph connotes the efforts women in the media and
society to go to look 'beautiful' as the liquid can symbolise all the makeup
she wears in order for a shoot to occur. It shows her with an emotionless face
and this makes the image feel more serious as it is conveying a subtle message
of the realistic makeup application that occurs in photo shoots across to the
viewers. The final image women see in magazines should therefore not be taken
too seriously, or allow it to affect their own confidence. This photograph
demonstrates an element of surrealism in his work as he has taken the normal
style of beauty and added his own twist on it. The use of colour in photography
has affected the beauty advertising industry as it shows the bold colour - which
adds to the effect of certain images – of products used on models or in
cosmetic images. For example in this photograph by Testino, we know the paint
on her face is representing foundation etc. due to the colour of it on her
skin. However if this image was shot it black and white then we would not be as
certain that it was foundation as it could be any type/colour of paint.
This photograph demonstrates the power of Photoshop,
the image on the left is before any editing has been done and the one on the
right is after; the skin is visibly smoother and all of the freckles have been
removed. This creates a flawless look on the model. This shows that the images
used in adverts etc. have been digitally manipulated most of the time and so
create unrealistic expectations for women in today's society. This may provoke
the thoughts of the lengths photographers go to into creating the ‘perfect’
image etc., the use of this method in photography while it is good for the
products being advertised, it is setting an unrealistic bar for women and men
in today's society to achieve.
The style of beauty
photography has certainly become more abstract as the years have progressed,
the photographs have move from simple portraiture images to more unique
photographs using different techniques like high key and close ups.
This is another photograph
of Rankin’s, in the image above a more comical take on beauty is shown but this
does not reflect his style. All of his work uses bright bold and saturated
colours. I feel this image is more representative of his style as it captures a
model with bold makeup on whilst using his own unique style of portraying it.
The model has half her face showing through a zigzag shaped cut out. As this
cut out is white it makes the bold yellow eye shadow and the red lipstick stand
out more against her skin tone. He is using the contrast of bold colours whilst
using the interesting shape of the white object to portray beauty in a more
compelling way than a standard portrait image would.
This is another photograph
shot by Courtney Dailey. Again the use of saturated colours can be seen as well
as her use of a high key technique. The colours are bold and by using a high
key technique of a bright white background makes the colours stand out more.
She also has arranged the lipsticks in a way that the colours get darker as
they go down the rows. This means that the colours do not clash and make it
soft on the eye to look at, the use of the colours in this photograph show the
range of colours that the lipstick brand has to offer. Due to the clarity of
the image, the colours of the lipsticks look very pigmented and so this would
positively promote the brand. The use of the high key technique is very common
within Dailey’s work as it makes colours look bolder and it captures the
details within the products being shot extremely well due to the fact there are
no other background colours or objects distracting the focus from the actual product
being shot.
Cyril Lagel is a French
fashion and beauty photographer who won the beauty photographer of the year
award in 2014. Her images display a concept of simple beauty as her photographs
are not busy and so it allows her to capture the beauty of the models
effortlessly. This photograph is simple as there is a model with natural makeup
holding flowers. This connotes that there are two forms of beauty; the natural
beauty of the flowers and then the more cosmetic beauty of the model as she is
wearing makeup etc. As the makeup is not dramatic it does not distract the
viewers from looking at the beauty of both the model and the flower. The use of
Photoshop is clear in this image due to her flawless skin that can only be
achieved in post-production touch ups. This also highlights the use of
Photoshop as a common tool amongst the beauty industry to give the illusion
that this perfect skin pictured is as a result of using the products being
advertised.
Personal Work
This is a photograph of
mine and I experimented the outcomes of images using gels in front of the light
to manipulate the colour of the light being projected onto the objects, which
were being photographed. I took 5 lipsticks and arranged them into a triangle formation;
I did this so the range of colours would be visible and go from having the
darker shades at the back of the triangle with the lighter shade at the point
of the triangle. This was to show the range of colours as well as making the
effect of the colours gradually becoming lighter shades. I also took this photo using different
coloured gels e.g. Blue, pink, and orange, however I thought that the pink gel
added a certain feminine effect, which is a theme that is associated with
cosmetic products and beauty photography due to the stereotypes placed upon the
beauty industry that makeup is for women and that pink is a feminine colour and
so due to this the effect the gels has created would lead to more females being
attracted to the image and to the product being shown.
This is another one of my
photographs from a personal shoot focusing on the appreciation of beauty. To
capture this I asked my model to pose in ways, which she felt comfortable, and
so this also captured some of her personality in the images. It shows that not
all shoots need to be serious and this is captured through some of the more
playful, less serious images in the series of photographs. Similarly to Rankin
I wanted to capture a less serious collection of images, as I feel more playful
shoots show beauty well due to the natural nature of them. I decided to use
selective colour in the postproduction editing, I feel that this emphasises the
bold colours of the headscarf as the green and orange both contrast with each
other due to them both being bright colours. I thought this was also a good
technique as the black and white colouring of the photograph has made the dark
contouring on the models cheek stand out more than it would had the picture
been in colour which is capturing the models makeup and is showing the element
of beauty through this.
Future
As the beauty industry
continues to grow with the development of more and more products every year,
there will always be a place for beauty photography in today’s society. As the
boundaries of society blur more there will be room for beauty photography to
evolve and so artists will be able to use take surreal images in shoots and
publish them in magazines. There may also be changes in the way photographers
edit their images in postproduction editing, by this there would be a reduction
in unrealistic images which have been touched up by smoothing skin and reducing
imperfections in models. This change may occur due to the reasons that many
women are struggling with anxieties created from viewing these images and so
are no longer willing to accept that these images are showing natural models
etc., due to the decrease in popularity the photographers may have to revisit
their editing techniques. Life expectancy is also rising meaning that companies
will continue producing products to promote healthy and younger skin as well as
cosmetics used to create an illusion of youth and so photographers will be able
to show these new products in new ways as the industry changes.
Conclusion
Beauty remains a very
important and dominant feature of society today and in the future, and so it is
important to study and explore as it affects everyone in different ways. Beauty
photography is also a key feature as this is the way the industry is able to
portray itself, and so by studying the images produced it will be able to give
us an insight into the industry itself. Photography techniques will also evolve
just as Photoshop has, and beauty photography will grow with this and continue
to develop in future years.
Bibliography
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