'Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion'

Here is a link to 'Seven Photographs that Changed Fashion'
http://www.skininc.com/treatments/cosmetics/19070719.html

It is a programme based on famous photographs that have been taken in the past, and how photography can have such a big impact on fashion and the images that were portrayed. A photographer named Rankin went into detail and research about seven different photos, in which he then reconstructed himself with a contemporary twist on it; suitable for the 21st century!Rankin chose those particular photos as he felt they were a big impact in the history of fashion and beauty.


Rankin focused on seven artists; Cecil Neaton, Erwin Blumenfeld, Richard Avedon ,David Bailey, Helmut Newton, Guy Bordin, and Herb Ritts.
Cecil Beaton
'Sir Cecil Beaton earned renown as a fashion photographer in the 1920s and '30s before becoming an award-winning costume designer for stage and film productions.'

He was a well known photographer for his unusual backgrounds; which I feel suits well with the photo in which Rankin chose for the programme. I feel this photo is very different to any other photograph due to the model's surroundings. The original photo in which was taken by Cecil Beaton, was photographed with a very old camera in comparison to the digital cameras nowadays. When Cecil would photograph with the camera, the image would be seen upside down which therefore made it very difficult to make judgement of whether or not he had taken a good shot. Rankin himself tried it out to see just how challenging it was, and he did of course find it difficult.

I absolutely love the contemporary version of the photo, as it is crisp, clean and Sophie Ellis Bextor looks stunning. I feel the contrast of the white box with the black hat and dark makeup works excellently and really makes Sophie stand out from the image. I prefer it to the original as I do not feel that it really stands out for me, and she almost looks frightened of having her photo taken in my opinion. She doesn't look as though she enjoyed the shoot - I'm sure she would say otherwise! The original image is still a beautiful capture, but I strongly think that the contemporary photo overpowers the original with its crisp and clear finish.

Image Reference - (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzLVS_A5BpwoX7XJxlgKwQnb2oMT9JhrQ5d3vRNESi_ietoUy2eUTCiBV1xhRMTS_qfNaMxGa4WbKo6DszI0T_aM5SfVb_A-CuzTJVQzOukKTSjwznP4n9Q32noHbgiMvz5XjBh7Pvvdi/s1600/White-Panama-Hat.jpg)


Erwin BluminfieldThe original of this photograph is for a cover of Vogue in the 1950's. The facial features used in the cover was originally Jean Rackett, but in the modernised version, Rankin used a well known model named Heidi Klum. Back in the 1950's, the editing software was non existent and camera's were not as high tech as they are in this day and age. Therefore, a lot more effort and hard work was put into creating such a great image. Due to their being no photoshop around in that era, most of the image  was erased. To create more colour into the image, it had to be painted on afterwards as there was no way of editing or upping the saturation/contrast on the photograph.

I really love the original photograph. This is because so much hard work was put into it, yet it looks so effortless and flawless. It's such a beautiful shot, and I really enjoy the idea of only having the main features of the face; eyes and lips. It brings real focus to the beauty of her makeup and perfect features. Although you would expect to see the rest of the face, I feel it really works without the nose and it goes unnoticed as the rest of the image is so effective and powerful.

The contemporary image is also great, but I feel it would have been better if Rankin had also left out the nose feature. I feel the image is a lot more provocative too, which I dislike as our era is much more sexual and aims to please the opposite sex too much. It is cheeky and brings out the model's personality which I like, but I still prefer the original.

Richard Avedon
This image was created with Dorothy Horan (also known as Dovima) in 1995. It was recreated using Erin O'Connor. I think both photographs work really well, but my personal eye is drawn to the original photograph. Everything looks far more natural and I feel it tells more of a story. The recreated look seems as though Erin looks rather uncomfortable; almost as though the elephants are enjoying the shoot more than she is! The original looks like the model is trying to relax the elephants as they are under stress with the chains wrapped around their legs and she is there to try and calm the situation. I don't personally feel any vibes from the recreated photograph however beautiful it looks.

David Bailey
David Bailey did a shoot with one of her lovers named Jean Shrimpton in the 1960's. It is a very feminine photograph which accentuates the female features and how beautiful her silhouette is. The recreated photo by Rankin is rather beautiful too, but it does not quite compare to the original. Her arm looks too stiff, and the positioning of her hands do not look as feminine to me as the original. I like the authenticity of the original, and how soft the lighting is. I feel it really works well.

Helmut Newton
The original photo here was taken in 1975. I feel both photographs match up to one another for almost the same reasons. I love the grunginess of the original due to the rough surfaced road, and the masculinity of the model. The recreated photograph by Rankin is also great as it was taken on the exact same road as the original and you can see how the area has not changed all that much, apart from the road has been resurfaced. I think I prefer the original due to that extra bit of grunge because of the roads, and the lighting is gorgeous. The original image almost gives off an aura of a cold evening where this model is waiting for someone else with a cigarette in her hand.

Guy Bordin
The original image was taken in the 1970's, and I'm personally not a fan of either of the photographs. If I were to choose one over the other, it would be the original photograph first. I like the simplicity of it in comparison to the recreated. I'd say the recreated looks far too provocative and I can't really understand the concept or story behind the photograph. Although more skin is showing in the original photograph, it looks a lot less 'tacky' in my eyes. For this particular photo shoot, the simplicity makes the image look better.

Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts was known for creating 'Homo erotic imagery'. The model in the original is a gentleman named Fred, and it was taken in 1984. In this particular era, it was very frowned upon for men to be model's as it was seen as a 'homosexual' career to take. That perception of modelling has changed so much since then, and men are now proud to be seen as model for advertisements etc. In my opinion, both images look great but I prefer the recreated photograph by Rankin. This is because it looks a lot more natural, as if they have just caught him off guard.