The power of a woman: poses that inspire me. (Kat)

The power of a woman.

Lindsey Wixson shot by Karl Lagerfeld for fall/winter 2015-2016 collection.

I think this is very empowering. She isn't being prerogative in any way and has a punk rock feel to her. The hard makeup and hair with the soft and floaty fabrics of the clothes give the perfect contrast. She is still feminine but is strong and powerful.

Lindsey Wixson shot by Karl Lagerfeld for fall/winter 2015-2016 collection.

Rose Mcgowan shot by Tony Duran

 I think this is stunning. Beautiful and powerful. I feel like there is a lot of female energy and power in this image. Red symbolises power and it can also signify passion and sexuality so as it might seem suggestive, I feel that its her own power and ownership of that that makes this a powerful image. 

Penelope Cruz shot by Mario Testino date and place unknown.

 Emotions are always powerful and for me women's vulnerability and sensitivity is some of the many things that make women powerful and beautiful. I love this image I feel very emotional looking at it. Its an incredibly raw image displaying raw emotion. 

Penelope Cruz shot by Mario Testino for Allure January 2014

 I feel that this carries on really well from the last one. Women have incredible strength and when facing hardships always manage to keep going. They fix there makeup and carry on. This is a beautiful shot and feels intimate like its a glimpse of her moment. It has a vintage feel also which I love. 

Drew Barrymore shot by Tony Duran 

 This is really stunning. It's light and fun and the lighting and composition are perfect. Lighting from behind is one of my favourites. This is a lovely soft image Drew is vivacious here. 

Rihanna for 'Harpers Bazaar China' April 2015 cover shot by Chen Man  

 I love this one. Rihanna as a chinese princess. This is such a crisp image. So warm and beautiful. Theres so many contrasts here. Her nails and hair and clothes are very hard and edgy but her makeup is very soft and glowy. 

Mary.J.Blige shot by Tony Duran

 Raw emotion here again. This photo says a lot. Its beautifully vulnerable like she's been stripped of everything but herself. beautiful lighting almost like the sun was setting. 

Jessica Chastain shot for Vogue by Annie Leibovitz

 I absolutely Love Annie leibovitz I feel like she always captures the woman's essence in her photographs. She doesn't need to over sexualise her images because her work speaks for itself. She see's that there is more to a woman. This is a beautiful photo of Jessica and a beautiful example of that.

Image of myself

Glamourous 1920's socialites represent wealth to me. They were born into families with long lines of accumulated wealth. Its in their blood. It was in the clothes they wore, the jewellery that adorned their bodies. The champagne they drunk, the houses they lived in, the cars they drove, the events they attended and the people they associated with. It seemed as though they lived lives of frivolous spending partying. They had Material wealth. 

For my second image I was asked to take a selfie containing things that symbolise me and my life and loves and who I am.

I think I'm quite a self reflective person. That is a big part of who I am. Self development is a huge part of who I am too and I always want to grow. I'm also a very passionate person that enjoys the richness of the world art, music, culture etc. I have also got my daughter in my image as she is the biggest part of my life. She grounds me and is my biggest inspiration and motivation to be the best version of myself. She is my compass and she is with me with whatever I do. 

I feel this image represents me really well. It incorporates everything that I am that is the most important to me. 

David Bailey

Vogue 1969

I have really enjoyed researching David Bailey. I absolutely love his energy and his approach to fashion photography and portrait photography. He has a very relaxed approach to his work with regards to his subjects. I watched his documentary Fame, Fashion and Photography: Bailey 70's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S678bcdXsag and absolutely 'got' why he is considered one of the 7 photographers that changed fashion photography. His sense of humour and relaxed attitude on set really put his Celebrity subjects at ease. He brought the best out of them and you can see from his portraits that they felt comfortable in front of his camera. His raw approach to his personal work was simple yet he managed to break the celebrity out of there alter ego, public image and bring them back to normality. He was however known for not being so relaxed when it came to his work with models. They said he could be quite hard and demanding when it came to what he wanted out of them.
Despite this he pushed boundaries with his work and pushed fashion photography into the modern world. He broke the rules and gave you what you wouldn't expect. He was one of the first fashion photographers to break away from the mundane backdrop of the studio and take his camera around the world shooting covers for vogue in morocco, Egypt and India among many other countries. This inspired his work in Papa New Guinea and would become his first of many ventures into reportage Photography.

Richard Avedon.

Richard Avedon was an artist. Famous for his moving portraiture of the rich and famous. He delved deeper into his subjects. Pulling out of them their individual darkness and of course their lightness too. He had a fascination with people and who they really were. He has said that he found his work creatively cathartic and therapeutic, getting to know his own dark side through every person he photographed.

He grew up in Manhattan, New York in 1923. His father owned a fashion retail store and this- he said- was where he got his start with fashion education.
One of his first subjects was his sister Louise who he loved dearly. He has said that within his career he was always drawn to models who reminded him of his sister.
He has experimented greatly with photography and has explored most genre's including Commercial, Political, Documental before settling on art and fashion photography.
Richard began his career in Paris. In 1946 the war had ended and Richard was hired by Harpers Bazaar and Vogue to photograph the couture collections in Paris. He would wander around at night taking pictures of the most glamorous Parisians drinking and dancing.
He went on to take some of the most powerful images in the history of fashion. He moved on from vogue in 1988. He then moved more towards portraiture, photographing some of the most famous people in politics, fashion, art, comedy and the film industry.
His style was raw and emotive. He took an interest in who his subject was, not just what they do. He wanted to know what moved and pained them.
I was moved by his images of Bert Lahr. I also connected to his pictured of Marilyn Monroe. Richard Avedon was able to build a unique trust and connection with his subjects. He allowed them to expose themselves to him. To expose there darker side and vulnerability. I've learned a lot from Richard Avedon. I realise how important it is to make your model/subject feel comfortable. The more of you, you give to them. The more they can give to you of themselves. I think he was an incredible photographer and an icon. Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1f3egvLwVE

 

Marilyn Monroe 1957

Bert Lahr 1956

Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton, a renowned fashion, war and portrait photographer. His life spanned 76 years. He was known for his interior design, costume design for film and theatre and maybe best known for his contribution to the world of photography. He has taken some of the most famous and most beautiful images ever taken. Twiggy's famed doe eyed sixties portrait, Audrey Hepburn's flower hat portrait and of course Marilyn Monroe's famous Ambassador hotel shoot in 1956 to name a few. He had an almost fairytale feel to his photographs and you can see that his love of nature always crept in to his shoots. This, he said, came from his upbringing in Hampstead Heath. He would take photographs of his sisters amongst the flowers in the garden. He loved the beauty of nature and the freeness of it. I really feel this when i see his photos. All his subjects are very natural and and the lighting is always soft and beautiful. They are captured in such a way that you can see feel them through the photographs.

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCKx72zhbUU 

Research

Research