In 1911, exactly a century ago, American photographer Edward Steichen was "dared" by Lucien Vogel, the publisher of Jardin des Modes and La Gazetta du Bon Ton, to promote fashion as a fine art by the use of photography.* This shoot is now widely considered as the first ever modern fashion photography shoot. Since then fashion photography has been represented and developed further by iconic artists such as Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, and many more.
A few years ago, fashion photography was synonymous with names such as Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, and Peter Lindbergh. However, this is surely about to change. With the evolution of new media, the bars have been lowered and we have seen a remarkable increase in aspiring artists. Everyone can publish their work before an international audience now by posting an image on Facebook or Flickr. Some might say ubiquity isn't a good thing, pointing out that these days almost everyone can call themselves a "photographer", let alone a fashion photographer. I beg to differ. If only you learn to filter the good from the bad, you will see that the evolution of new media has more than anything enabled unaccomplished artists to explore their creativity at a much faster pace, while at the same time making the process much cheaper and more accessible than what it used to be. The availability has made it easier for the artists to discover and nurture their passions and abilities. Also, the availability of good, affordable cameras as well as the internet, has handed us many talented artists that it is unlikely we would have discovered only ten years ago....
In 1911, exactly a century ago, American photographer Edward Steichen was "dared" by Lucien Vogel, the publisher of Jardin des Modes and La Gazetta du Bon Ton, to promote fashion as a fine art by the use of photography.* This shoot is now widely considered as the first ever modern fashion photography shoot. Since then fashion photography has been represented and developed further by iconic artists such as Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, and many more.
A few years ago, fashion photography was synonymous with names such as Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, and Peter Lindbergh. However, this is surely about to change. With the evolution of new media, the bars have been lowered and we have seen a remarkable increase in aspiring artists. Everyone can publish their work before an international audience now by posting an image on Facebook or Flickr. Some might say ubiquity isn't a good thing, pointing out that these days almost everyone can call themselves a "photographer", let alone a fashion photographer. I beg to differ. If only you learn to filter the good from the bad, you will see that the evolution of new media has more than anything enabled unaccomplished artists to explore their creativity at a much faster pace, while at the same time making the process much cheaper and more accessible than what it used to be. The availability has made it easier for the artists to discover and nurture their passions and abilities. Also, the availability of good, affordable cameras as well as the internet, has handed us many talented artists that it is unlikely we would have discovered only ten years ago....