Fashion photographers who made fashion fun...and memorable

Photo by Richard Avedon

Fashion photography at its best becomes an art form best known for invention, humor, and the unexpected.

Iconic names in fashion photography like Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindburgh and before them, Edward Steichen, have illustrated how photography has truly elevated fashion’s status.

Ever since Avedon photographed a model for Vogue in a white and black evening gown shown mimicking the gesture of each elephant’s trunk with her long black gloved arm as they stood beside her, fashion photography’s predilection for placing models in unlikely settings has juxtaposed haute couture with the everyday and, at times, the sensational.

Photo by Edward Steichen

Few people realize that Edward Steichen, worked for Vogue. His work, often characterized by a play of light, is illustrated in a fashion shoot of two models standing side-by-side. One dressed in a white evening gown and the other in black. The subtle play of light and dark is enough to suggest the photographer used a natural element, light, to draw attention to the contrast between each model’s gown.

Photo by Irving Penn

Irving Penn’s revolutionary graphic black-and-white photos for Vogue of a 50s Paris collection isolated single elements of a garment to show attention to detail: detail being an important feature of haute couture. 

Vogue set up a studio in Paris for Penn so he could shoot in natural light. He used a discarded theater curtain as a backdrop which suited his editorial style of shooting fashion; an innovation in fashion photography at the time.

Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair

Annie Leibovitz’s elaborately-orchestrated scenes – often with an ensemble cast – resemble backstage movie sets. With meticulous attention to detail, models look like actors costumed as if they are confections.  

Leonardo DiCaprio by Annie Leibovitz

While this style relies on a long tradition, her portraits, like this image of young Leonardo DiCaprio holding a white swan whose neck is wrapped around his, shows the creativity Leibovitz employed in celebrity/fashion photography.

A near perfect pairing for fashion photography, in my mind, is calling on past trends while trumpeting new forms.

Ultimately, the best fashion photos give the viewer a sense of ambiguity. Staging that looks spontaneous adds an element of “being in the moment”.

Many fashion photos make fun of “haute”.  They let us make fun of “dressing up,” while still allowing us to relish the beauty in each garment.

To capture the best fashion photos, I say, street photography first, then think of a model and clothing as still-life (Penn).  In the studio, it’s a portrait first, including all the elements that make up a great portrait: lighting, staging, posing, capturing identity and mood, expression (Leibovitz).

Hats off to these and other serious photographers who don’t take themselves so seriously; who have as much fun behind the camera as some of us do in front of it. Thanks to their images, they make fashion fun…and memorable.

Need styling advise? Email me at info@velvetpictures.com for a complimentary one hour styling session.