Monday 27 February 2012

Styling

Outfit inspiration for my project - purely visual ideas from Asian Models


Jenny Packham
DKNY
Billy Reid


Sonia Rykiel
Mugler
Barbieri and Ridet
Paola Frani
John Rocha

Thursday 23 February 2012

The 1970s

Farrah Fawcett by Bruce McBroom
1978
1976

1978
Looking at Farrah Fawcett, she had the girl next door, all American look. I am most interested in her because of her iconic 'flick' hair style. With Bruce McBroom's huge archive of images it is hard to see him as just a 70s photographer. I am therefore concentrating on these images of Farrah Fawcett. They are three sexual images, with her posing nude in two of them, the other in a bathing suit. What I like about Fawcett is that she is a real woman, size wise, not a model, but an actress loved by men. The style of photography is simple, focusing on Fawcett, I love the first image, with her on the striped background. The colours are typically 70s. Her hair iconic, I love the flicks, which are something I could consider recreating with tassels maybe? To get the same kind of volume and texture.


Diana Ross



Diana Ross, with her soulful voice and diva attitude was known for her big hair and sequins. The images I have found I think are really interesting. I love the big eye lashes and the doe eyed look it gives to her. Her lips are shapely and big, and they are nude in all the photos. I think she has a really distinctive look to her which is something to consider when I cast my model for this era. 



Jane Fonda




Jane Fonda, famously outspoken and the starter of the aerobics craze has a really interesting look. I have always known her for her part as Barberella. I like the dark eyes, long hair and innocence she brings to these images. 

Monday 20 February 2012

Inspiration

Sui He for i-D magazine 

I have been looking at Asian Models on blogspot for inspiration for my  hair and make up for my shoot. In my sketchbook I have already discussed how I need to be considerate of the model I use and her facial structure. By looking at all Asian models I will have a good idea of what to show my make up artist.

I really love the eye brows on Sui He for i-D magazine, I think having another line drawn over them is really interesting, and the red lips really stand out. Because the hair, lip stick and eyebrows are so strong her eyes have been left bare which I like, as it does look natural.



Sui He for Lane Crawford

The next image I found, also Sui He, really caught my attention. Because she does have such strong cheek bones I do not think she needs a huge amount of make up to make her look beautiful. I like the small amount of darkness beneath her eyes, and the red/pink lips really suit her. Also her hair is so pretty, which is something I could consider for my project. It is very simple, but edgy at the same time.



Tian Yi for Sephora

I wanted to look at this image because the eye make up is darker and more grundgy, however I am not sure how well it works here. For my taste it might be a little bit too much, especially when compared to the other model. I think her eyebrows could be a little better, however it is a look to consider with my project, just maybe a little more toned down. 


Lui Wen in Vogue China


With this editorial, I really love the black under her eyes and the slicked back hair, it makes it very contemporary and edgy. Could I consider this hair style with my images? I think I am starting to prefer lesser eye make up and darker lips, but it is still early days. 


Tian Yi in Vogue China

Looking at this I absolutely love her hair, it is cut so straight which makes it visually interesting to look at. I think it adds something else to these images, a new shape and I have never seen hair this simple yet edgy in a shoot. 


Jing Ma in Vogue China

I am not really a fan of the blonde hair/wig, however I do think the eyebrows are amazing. I am a big fan of massive eyebrows so this is something I would really like to try with my shoot. Her eye make up is also very powerful, but subtle at the same time which I think works really well with her features. 



Wang Xiao for Wonderland Magazine

I really love the hair here, the styling is a little too bright to consider for the shoot, but ignoring that I think the style could work with my concept, when referring to Breathless and the actresses pixie cut. 


Miao Bin Si in Elle Vietnam

I don't know if I am a fan of the purple make up, however I do really like the way it blends on the eyelid and almost touches the eyebrows. The lipstick works with the eye make up, but I think I want to stick to more blacks with the eye shadow.

Ming Xi for Numero China

I really love the bold make up here, it does really draw attention to her and is interesting to look at.

Wang Xiao in Vogue China

I like this image a lot more than the other heavy black eye make up image I found. I think it is much cleaner and works well because of the hair surrounding her face and the fringe. I also love how you can see the bold eye brows through the hair. 


Lee Hye and Lina Zhang in Schon Magazine

Really edgy hair cut, but I think it may be too much for my shoot. Love the length of the black hair. 








Thursday 16 February 2012

The 1960s

David Bailey


Wikipedia Entry on Bailey:


In 1959 he became a photographic assistant at the John French studio, and in May 1960, he was a photographer for John Cole's Studio Fivebefore being contracted as a fashion photographer for British Vogue magazine later that year.[7][page needed] He also undertook a large amount of freelance work.[8]
Along with Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy, he captured and helped create the 'Swinging London' of the 1960s: a culture of high fashion and celebrity chic. The three photographers socialised with actors, musicians and royalty, and found themselves elevated to celebrity status. Together, they were the first real celebrity photographers, named by Norman Parkinson as "the Black Trinity".[9]
The film Blowup (1966), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, concerns the work and sexual habits of a London fashion photographer played byDavid Hemmings and is largely based on Bailey.[citation needed]
The "Swinging London" scene was aptly reflected in his Box of Pin-Ups (1964): a box of poster-prints of 1960s celebrities and socialites including Terence StampThe BeatlesMick JaggerJean ShrimptonPJ ProbyCecil BeatonRudolf NureyevAndy Warhol and notoriousEast End gangsters the Kray twins (see photo).
The box was an unusual and unique commercial release, and it reflected the changing status of the photographer that one could sell a collection of prints in this way. (The strong objection to the presence of the Krays on the part of fellow photographer Lord Snowdon was the major reason no American edition of the "Box" ever appeared, nor a British second edition issued.) The record sale for a copy of 'Box of Pin-Ups' is reported as "north of £20,000".[10]
Bailey's ascent at Vogue was meteoric. Within months he was shooting covers and at the height of his productivity he shot 800 pages of Vogue editorial in one year.[11] Penelope Tree, a former girlfriend, described him as "the king lion on the Savannah: incredibly attractive, with a dangerous vibe. He was the electricity, the brightest, most powerful, most talented, most energetic force at the magazine".[11]
American Vogue's creative director Grace Coddington, then a model herself said "It was the Sixties, it was a raving time, and Bailey was unbelievably good-looking. He was everything that you wanted him to be – like the Beatles but accessible – and when he went on the market everyone went in. We were all killing ourselves to be his model, although he hooked up with Jean Shrimpton pretty quickly".[11]
Of supermodel Jean Shrimpton, Bailey said:
She was magic and the camera loved her too. In a way she was the cheapest model in the world – you only needed to shoot half a roll of film and then you had it. She had the knack of having her hand in the right place, she knew where the light was, she was just a natural.[8]
Since 1966, Bailey has also directed several television commercials and documentaries. From 1968 to 1971 he directed and produced the TV documentaries entitled "Beaton", "Warhol" and "Visconti".
As well as fashion photography, Bailey has been responsible for record album sleeve art for performers including The Rolling Stones and Marianne Faithfull. One of Bailey's most famous works depicts the Rolling Stones. It features Brian Jones, who drowned in 1969 while under the influence of drink and drugs. He is seen standing slightly apart from the rest of the group.[8]
Bailey was hired in 1970 by Island RecordsChris Blackwell to shoot publicity photos of Cat Stevens for his upcoming album Tea for the Tillerman. Stevens (now known as Yusuf Islam) maintains that he disliked having his photo on the cover of his albums, as had previously been the case, although he gave consent to allow Bailey's photographs to be placed on the inner sleeve of the album.[12]
In 1972 rock star Alice Cooper was photographed by Bailey for Vogue magazine, almost naked covered with a snake. Cooper used Bailey the following year to shoot for the groups chart topping 'Billion Dollar Babies' album, with one billion dollars and a baby wearing mascara, being shot under armed guard.
In 1976, Bailey published Ritz Newspaper together with David Litchfield.[13][dead link]
In 1992 Bailey directed the BBC Drama "Who Dealt?" starring Juliet Stevenson, story by Ring Lardner. In 1995 he directed and wrote the South Bank Film; "The Lady is a Tramp" featuring his wife Catherine Bailey. In 1998 he directed a documentary with Ginger Television Production, "Models Close Up", commissioned by Channel 4 Television.
Bailey was awarded the CBE in 2001.[8]
In 2005, he was involved in a feature titled "British Rule" for GQ, charting the British influence on rock n' roll, photographing several artists including Paul WellerJarvis Cocker,RazorlightBrian EnoM.I.A.Ian BrownThe FutureheadsBelle & SebastianDamon AlbarnDizzee RascalKaiser ChiefsRobyn HitchcockSuper Furry Animals, and Colin Blunstone for the spread.[14]
In 2010, he visited Afghanistan to photograph British troops raising money for the charity Help For Heroes.[15]
In 2011 Jerome de Missolz released a documentary called 'David Bailey: Four Beats to the Bar and No Cheating".
He maintains that his style of photography remains the same:
I've always tried to do pictures that don't date. I always go for simplicity.[8


Jean Shrimpton 1965
Jane Birkin 1969 
John Lennon 1965
Mick Jagger 1964


Looking at Baileys archive images they all feature iconic celebrities. As stated in the wikipedia entry, his work is timeless and simple. This style of image making will always be contemporary, the subjects of them give away the decade. I wanted to look at Bailey because he is one of the most famous English fashion photograhers. It is interesting how his use of black and white is so different to that of the 20s and 30s. These are dramatic in their own way. The Shrimpton image shows the 60s style, with the mascara and the line under the eyes, whilst the Birkin one is more natural.

1964
This image shows the 60s so well, with the big hair and the eye make up. The whole series is so contrasty and interesting. With all my research I do really like the harsh blacks and whites, but I do not want to copy any of the work I have seen, therefore I am still experimenting with my editing style. 


Looking at the photographers of the time I felt I had to mention Richard Avedon, this image is completely relevant to my project:

Jean Shrimpton, 1965

The style it is shot is not dissimilar to Bailey, with the high lights and shadows. I was really interested in the hair. It is incredible. This is something I could consider for my project for this era, however it would be directly referencing Avedon. I love the make up, the eyebrows, nude lips and the line on the eye lid.



1960s Actresses 
Audrey Hepburn




Audrey Hepburn is another iconic actress. She has the distinctive eye make up that is recognised everywhere, I used that little flick in my previous beauty project. The first image is a still from my fair lady, showing her with the bun. The other images are more of the time, showing the line on the lid and the big eye brows. I am not as interested in her hair styles here, as I do not think they would be recognised as typical 60s if I were to knit them.



Melina Mercouri





Looking at these images the top two feature more of a 1950s hair style, the third one I am more interested in as it has the volume of a beehive. I love the colour of the hair. I think the make up is also very traditional, I like the black quite heavy on the lip and the big brows. 



Britt Ekland




I really like Ekland's look, the beehive is probably what attracted me the most. The hair band across it is a nice touch, as it is very 60s. I love the make up on the second and third image, the second is quite doe eyed, with the lashes on the bottom. And the third had the flick on the side with a nice shade on the lid.

Monday 13 February 2012

Location Ideas

I have been looking at some ideas to shoot for my location, as I am still a little unsure of what to do. There is the option of shooting in the studio, or finding a suitable location to shoot against. I want to concentrate more on the world that my model is in, rather than the setting. I have had a look on 28 days later and found some inspiration for my shoot and potential locations.

Local Places:

Newton Methodist Church in Poole, Images by 'High Voltage'



I like the idea of using a church and relating it back to the religious themes in Les Mis, however this is not particularly interesting. I think I would centre more around the cross?


High Angle Battery - Portland by 'Urban Warrior'





I thought this place could be interesting because it does look very empty, it has the stone work and a strange feel to it. This is something I am really interested in, as I think texture could be an important element in this series.


Church of St. Felix - Norfolk




I am interested in this church because it is in complete ruins, it has the religious link to it, and I also really like the stone work. 


All Saints Church - Berners Roding - Essex




I think going through these websites the best suited for my project could be a religious building? I am still not sure on it, but I do really love this place. But it has been shot without colour so it does make me a little apprehensive about seeing it in full colour. 


Smugglers Cave - Mupe Bay - Dorset






Finally I had a look at a local rural place, Smugglers Cave in Dorset does have a lot of interesting texture, which I am interested in. However I am not sure how it would fit in with my work that well. I think I need to talk it over with my team and see how they feel about it.

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