LO1 - Street fashion photographers

Seeing as my photographs will fit into the genre of street fashion photography I will be looking into a couple of photographers that relate themselves to this genre in order to gain inspiration for my own work. Both these photographers take their pictures for magazines.

Tommy Ton

Ton is considered a member of the 'new generation' of fashion photographers and critiques mainly for his social media presence that has won him over 263K followers on Instagram alone. He has been praised for the energy reflected in his shots as well as his ability to pick up on the details possessed by the clothing.

A lot of his photographs serve to highlight the atmosphere of the city as much as the models, but do not rely on the background as it made out of focus in order to accentuate the detail of the model's garments. In this particular image on the right he has made use of leading lines- leading to the closely knit and saturated city life taking place in the background, offering the 'energy' to his shots he is so well known for. The composition of the model being on the left hand side of this scene makes the image feel more busy and entertaining for the viewer, and the fun pose she has struck adds a unique and fun prospect to the photograph that wouldn't have been there otherwise. There is also something quite bright (almost saturated) about the colours of his images, which tend to reflect the more mature style of the clothes he is photographing. The attention to detail of the clothes pictured create a lovely effect because of the different textures denoted in frame; considering how wide the shots of his photos can be it is impressive that he manages to capture the

important details so easily and makes the image more aesthetically attractive. The full body image is one I've been considering more for my own work as it gives me more freedom with the model as they will have the chance to be more expressive. On the right here is a more focused shot of Ton's. These offer a wider center of interest because of the focus on the material, so you spend longer looking as you must concentrate on smaller details. If I could use smaller sections of the outfits to convey a sub-culture then I would like to try something like this as the space of the surrounding area is used well to draw your eyes towards the actual focus of the image (their attire). He is more limited with a lot of his photography as the purpose of it is to sell clothes for a particular brand by making them look appealing via use of the models and their surroundings. My photographs are not for advertisement purposes so I have the ability to be less specific with the clothing choices providing they represent a particular sub-culture. Ton commented that whilst working in the industry he found

they felt at times that "the scene outside the shows is turning into a circus and detracting attention from what's important: the clothes on the runway", but he has only recently very ceased photographing on the street himself. His images themselves are more expressive of his 'obsession' to present the personality of the cities being reflected in it's current fashion state, as well as looking at these to forecast upcoming trends in fashion.

Silvia Olsen

Olsen is a Norwegian fashion photographer with a degree in fashion photography. She quickly progressed to working fashion publications worldwide and her images are featured regularly in magazines such as: ELLE UK, Lucky magazine and The Times.

Her images have a fresh and bright styling to them. There is also a distinct level of sharpness which is enhanced as, similarly to Ton's photographs, she ensures the background is slightly out of focus so the viewer focuses solely on the model. The manner in which she photographs designer clothes has an air of casualness towards the wearer, and even a relaxed feel although this aura will be carefully cultivated. Wearers have a tendency to either be looking straight into the camera or off slightly into the distance, the viewer thus gets a sense of awareness from the model making them feel light there is less of a barrier between the onlooker and the subject. Olsen tends to photograph the entirety of the model to create a large centre of interest; the crisp textures of the clothing lends itself wonderfully to this technique. Composition is also a very key factor in her images- almost every photograph shows the model placed directly in the centre of the image to offer a sense of location and give more character to the piece using the backdrops. Its although it tempts the viewer into creating a narrative for the scene, how the model got there and why that specific location was chosen. There is something more relatable about the subject as we are aware and can acknowledge that there is something less natural about the models and more specifically placed. This is how I am hoping my pictures will appear, with some minor alterations.