Fashion Photography in its Early Days - Contributions of Edward Steichen and Richard Avedon

Today fashion photography in London and other parts of the world is considered a distinct creative. Advanced editing software and applications are used to turn simple pictures into extraordinary visuals that capture attention in newspaper ads, on billboards and in other marketing collateral. However, things were very different when this style of taking pictures came upon the horizon in early 20th century.

If you have attended some photography workshops in London, you may have learned how the medium evolved over the past 100 years as a valid and legit form of expression. Some of the fashion campaigns in the past went on to become as iconic as the brands that they helped to market.

There are photographers who captured the voice, beauty and soul of the designed products so well that they added a new level of context to the brand. It may be due to the model chosen, the styling of the dress, the studio props or background or the unique skills of the photographers, the best of campaigns outshined even the dresses in focus and enabled the narration of a unique story.

The art of editorial photography london however is not set in stone. Shooting pictures of well dressed models is an art with multiple moments defined by talents of the photographer and the culture of the era. From a humble start in the early 1900s, the art of taking pictures in the fashion world has moved through a track of glamour, artistry, commercialisation and even rebellion to establish an entire industry.

To most people who have attended photography workshops london, Edward Steichen is the founding father of fashion photography as we know it today. He had taken a series of pictures featuring gowns designed by a well known French fashion designer – Paul Poiret. Steichen’s photographs were also printed in the April 1911 issue of the Art et Décoration magazine.

Another critical factor that increased the appeal of fashion and editorial photography was seen in 1909 when the successful publisher Condé Nast bought ‘Vogue’ – a lifestyle magazine of the US. With this he generated one of the first premier fashion journals that slowly gained recognition all over the world. It was this magazine that gave Steichen and other photographers including Cecil Beaton and Horst P. Horst a platform to show pictures taken by them to a huge new audience.

Richard Avedon is another name popular in the history of photography. He was a student at the Design Laboratory started by Brodovitch and started his career in 1944 as an advertising photographer. Brodovitch recognised his talent and asked him to go to Paris to cover the new collections at premier fashion houses. Young Avedon was enthusiastic and creative – he captured many pictures for Harper’s Bazaar and they brought out a fresh direction for fashion photographers.

There was one factor particular about Avedon’s style – movement. He could replace the still and cold poses of the Steichen period with pictures that were replete with vitality. He clicked the photographs of his models in the fleeting moments and highlighted their natural traits. The flowing clothes worn by women models were shown as elegant expression of their silhouettes.

A series of evolving changes and new experiments by other photographers between 1960s and the dawn of 21st century kept refining editorial and fashion photography. Today fashion magazines have been practically replaced by the digital media. For some this is fading of photography culture that was popularised by Steichen and Avedon among others. However, the skilled photographers today have ample opportunities with the democratisation of an art that was fostered by few in history. With access to well propped studios and photography equipment on hire, anyone with a true love for this art can go on to become a professional photographer and create new styles for coming generations to learn from.

Author bio: Founded in 2006 by Photographer Francois Boutemy and Designer Chris Charalambous, Simulacra Studio has worked with a number of high calibre clients for more than a decade. It also organises workshops and artistic development courses to give budding photographers the best of growth opportunities in the industry. For more information on the studio and trainings imparted visit https://www.simulacrastudio.com