24.01.2012 Erik Wahlstrom - Stockholm Fashion Week Magazine

A while ago I came across this series made by Erik Wahlstrom for the Stockholm Fashion Week Magazine and found a lot of them very engaging. I feel some are a little samey! But I love the simple styling and natural feel to the images.

"The magazine wanted a full on animal shoot, with the theme taken very literally, but I steered the other way. I had the rather disturbing thought - what if all the animals where gone, what if young people only had learned about horses, dogs and foxes through text books and museums? I wanted to do a story about a gang of youngsters, dressed in urban city wear, but with abstract animal references thrown in. A bunny tattoo on the arm, a feather here, a fox tail attached to the cap, all as a shadow of what once was." 

 

The series was produced with a Mamiya 645 and a Contax G2 on Portra 400 film.

22.01.12 Herb Ritts

Herb Ritts: Classical Eye

Hidden Gems Revealed in the Box Files of the Celebrated Photographer

With an instinctive California-bred approach to light, expansive use of natural landscape and sculptural eye, Ritts set the tone for more than two decades of fashion, celebrity and art photography. “I think he had an extraordinary sense of classicism that you don’t often see,” says Ivan Shaw, Photography Director at American Vogue. “At the same time he brought a modernity to it.” With an upcoming exhibition of Ritts’s work at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the release of a new book, his continuing influence on a new generation of photographers is ensured. “People will remember his photography for his eye, his image, for his graphics,” says Charles Churchward, a close friend and former Design Director at Vogue. “It will come back in a strong way and be very influential.” To celebrate Ritts's work, NOWNESS culled the memories and reflections of his colleagues, friends and muses.

Richard Gere: His purpose was always to make you look good. He had an extremely elegant aesthetic. Some photographers are working so hard to be elegant that they pummel you with it, but to Herb it came effortlessly. Some photographers embalm their subjects, but he enlivened them.
 

Cindy Crawford: I think he photographs women the way they want to look… Herb would always get you naked. You knew that’s the way it went, you are going to look good.
 
Calvin Klein: His sense of light, outside or in the studio, is very strong and very graphic. When you turn a page and see one of his photographs, it’s aggressive. You stop.
 
Naomi Campbell: All of us experienced pain with Herb, but the pain was worth it. You want one of those photographs in your lifetime of modeling.
 

22.01.12 Francois Coquerel

Living and working in Paris, photographer Francois Coquerel has exhibited widely and has produced work for The New York Times, Spin, Wall Street Journal, Monocle, the BBC, Colors Magazine, and many more. Below is a small selection of his impressive portfolio - it's well worth taking a deeper look. 

 I wanted to re-post this as I've only recently discovered these beautifully emotional portraits. I especially like the averted gaze of the subjects, they are not quite engaging with the photographer and therefore make me wonder whether there is another person involved or whether they are just being thoughtful as the expression suggests.

16.12.11 Ryan McGinley at Alison Jacques Gallery

A great exhibition but unfortunately very few prints. The ones on display were fantastic and have so much visual impact in reality compared to in a book or on a computer screen. I'm so happy I got to see some of his work in London and will keep a look out for his work back in the UK again.

14.12.11 style calendar 2012

While on the topic of calendars for the new year I thought I'd blog about this one which I found some months ago. Created by Joanna Schlenzka (former Dazed and Confused fashion editor) and Daniel Baer the pair set out to make the beauteous calendar aiming for it to become a collector’s item. The images were taken by an array of established and emerging photographers including; KT Auleta, David Dunan, Andreas Larsson and Serge Leblon among others. 

   

I love all three of these images especially the girl with the headdress on the blue/green background. I feel at the moment I'm being drawn to colourful work and I'm really appreciating the role colour and colour theory plays in a good photograph. 

13.12.11 Pirelli 2012 Calendar

Before I start talking about the new Pirelli calendar I have to say how happy I am today as my not so little anymore, little sister is 18! She's always been my best friend and as we have so much in common she's always happy to listen to my frequent rants, interesting yet useless information and any news of Eddie Izzard as I follow his progress around the world hoping for another tour soon! So (even if she doesn't read my blog!) CONGRATULATIONS ISABEL BROTHERS a fantastic sister and soon to be an illustrative arts student! I wish her all the luck for the future and hope she always knows her big sis is always there for her, sparing a watchful eye anytime I can!

Back to business-the new Pirelli calendar was released recently for its VIP's and I've had a sneak peak at photographer Mario Sorrenti's wonderful images. Funnily enough this is Sorrenti's first time working with Pirelli and is following high profile names such as Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino, Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber, and Terry Richardson. The Pirelli Calendar is published annually, and regularly features famous actresses and fashion models, this year is no exception featuring Kate Moss, Milla Jovovich and many more huge names in modelling. Sorrenti commented that....

"I always thought about taking clothes off as a way of getting closer to the individual and the person, and of getting something that was more honest and pure, Kate I’ve known for 20 years. I can’t do this without her." 

These image are my favourite from the selection I've seen of the collection, I'm not overly fond of the black and white images included in the calendar but really love the first three colour shots, the body in the landscape has always been an interesting concept to me and of course aesthetically the locations a models are stunning!