Evaluation

The idea of extraordinary that has been included in Editorial photography could be seen as a number of subjects in the assignment that I had been given. To each individual person the word extraordinary means a different thing, this generally results in a range of ideas and concepts. As long as the photographers work supports the written work, whether it be in a book, magazine or newspaper it is seen as editorial. This assignment has been an enjoyable challenge from start to finish because of its difference to everything else I have experienced and produced before. At the beginning the thought of this project was quite overwhelming because I had a number of ideas that overall seemed too hard and confusing to go out and do. After a few discussions and help, my subject matter was decided and conclusive on focusing on my part time job that I have outside of University. This seemed extraordinary because no one else I know and who is also doing this assignment does not have access to photograph the place that is significant to me, making it a totally different subject matter than everyone else’s. Another reason is that the public and other audience's seem to think the store is unique in itself because there is no other clothing shop in Middlesbrough that is like Psyche because of its reputation of being quite overly priced and it stocks designer labels that no where else in the area does. During the seven weeks of this assignment I have explored the shop mostly in the stockrooms, which is what I would call behind the scenes rather than capturing more images on the shop floor. I have done this because my subject matter was to present the process of the clothes that Psyche sells, from the beginning of the items being delivered, to its journey of them being hung up and sold. I wanted to show this because this is what the public do not see, because most of the time people don't think about what goes on behind the walls of the shop that they identify with, they just look at this clothes and consider trying them on or buying them, which I find quite curious, as personally it is what I find most interesting to see the stories behind the clothes, rather than just hung up. Throughout this assignment I have used my own camera, a Canon DSLR 500D, also using a 60mm size lens. I used my own camera because I feel comfortable using it and I knew I wouldn't become confused when taking photographs. Looking through magazines and books helped me broaden my knowledge and understanding on editorial work and researching Photographers such as very successful famous photographers like Mario Testino and William Eggleston, but also photographers who I have came across by just researching for this assignment like Anthony Kwan and Rebecca Tate. If I was to start this assignment again and do things differently, I would definitely shoot and capture a lot more around or even outside the shop so that I would of had more choice of photographs to choose from for my final images. I would have also maybe explored the subject extraordinary and presented a contrast of different images, by shooting in different locations or including a different genre of photography such as portraits of the people I work with. Looking back I would have liked to use different cameras and maybe the use of film to create a different appearance to the images. Above all in my opinion my final prints do represent the term extraordinary and could be used in editorial work. My reason behind these images being the whole process of the clothing explains this and is clear to see in the photograph, although I do think could be more apparent if I had taken more photographs from different objects and areas.

Furthermore this assignment has been a challenge in how vast the subject matter could be, being able to choose my own concept was very difficult at the start because of being able to choose anything as their was no specific route to take as long as it was linked with the term extraordinary and presented Editorial photography. However overall this assignment has helped me progress in understanding what Editorial photography is and includes a lot more and has gave me experience in this genre of photography, which I did not have before. It is something that I did not think about previously to this project, but will continue to progress and want to learn more about in to the future by exploring different genre's surrounding photography that can be editorial work.

Final Prints

Below are the images that I have chosen to use for my final prints to hand in. Throughout the shoots that I have done, these are the photographs that stand out to me as the most extraordinary and editorial. I have chosen these images because they each have an individual story to them that I feel is interesting when knowing what the subject matter is. However I do not think that it is that clear to see what my reason behind taking these photographs where, which is needed to be explained when looking at them, but in the order I have placed them presents the story that I want to put across which is initially the process from the buying of the clothes to the selling of the clothes and the parts of the store that the average person does not see. Overall I feel that my final photographs are successful in representing my subject matter and are extraordinary because I have access to this store that no one else does so it will be different and unique to what others will be presenting. 

Shoot 4

During this shoot I wanted to capture a little more behind the scene's at work. I was told to focus on boxes which is what I tried to do in some of the images below. I feel like I have captures area's in which people can not see, only me and others who have access to the shop in the stockrooms, and in the shop when it is closed and not open to the public, making it seem a lot more desolate and brings a feeling of emptiness. Personally I don't really like the majority of these photographs as I did not have a lot of time to take them so they were a bit rushed. Although the first two images are not in focus, there is something about them that makes them a little bit interesting. The fact that they are not in focus makes them appear to be ghostly, bleak and cold, which adds to my subject matter of the process of the clothes because the clothes don't have feeling, they are hung up and left waiting to be bought. The images of the stairs and fire escape adds a sense of emergency and a difference to what is  on the other side of the walls, that is the clothes that makes people feel happy. Out of all the photographs these ones are my favourite because they show a contrast to what the public see overall. 

James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey is a well known and successful War photographer. His decision to become a photographer came after graduating Dartmouth College with a art history and political science degree. It was images from the American civil rights movement and Vietnam War that had an effect on James, to want be involved in a photographic career. Since this time, James has devoted himself to photographing wars and conflicts going on in the world and has travelled to most places on the planet. Nachtwey has had numerous numbers of his work published in magazines and newspaper, making his documentary work also editorial. I find myself quite speechless when looking at his work because of the truth that is in his images, which can be quite shocking as he has captured some of the main social issues and events in the world such as AIDs sufferers, famine, 9/11 and poverty. His photographs bring a sense of extraordinary because of how real and authentic they are. His contract with Time Magazine has taken him around the world multiple times over 30 years and has spent this time photographing the places and individuals most people would want to avoid. However his work has brought the publication the western world has needed to see during the last three decades and has delivered photographs that will be seen as historic events.

Editorial work featured in Time Magazine

Work from http://www.jamesnachtwey.com

Articles I used for research

http://lightbox.time.com/2014/11/06/james-nachtwey-walter-reed-veterans/#7
http://lightbox.time.com/2014/09/18/james-nachtwey-30-years-in-time/#22

Books

The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence

Mario Testino

Mario Testino is considered to be one of the worlds most famous fashion photographers. He has photographed hundred's of the most famous people in the world, including the Royal Family. He is often featured in big named magazines such as Vogue and Vanity fair, where in 1997 the highpoint in his career came up when photographing Princess Diana for this magazine, which then after the Royal Family have often used his services to this day. He started his career in photography in 1976 when he moved to London where he studied. Without much money, Testino offered wannabe and upcoming models portfolio shoots for £25 that included their hair and makeup. From the days in the 70's, Mario has produced a widely explored portfolio and from the highpoint in his career in the 90's has been a very high in demand photographer for designer clothing brands, celebrities and magazines. Although being recognised as a fashion photographer, his work is also accepted as editorial photography. On the archive on his website, the editorial section includes hundreds of pieces of work that he has produced over his career. I find Testino's work extraordinary because of the range of work he has produced and the status in the photography world he has achieved, because of his experience with the worlds most popular people that the 'normal' people of the world are so obsessed with, which is what I believe is what has made Testino so successful because of his photographs of other successful individual's, along with his talent in photographs.

Anthony Kwan

I came across the work of Anthony Kwan when looking through the Getty Images website. His work was on the Editorial section and stood out to me straight away. After tutorials and discussions about some of my photographs of boxes that appeared to look like a block of flat's I found it quite difficult to find photographers that had similar concepts, the pieces of Kwan's work I have included below is what inspired to carry on my photographs of boxes and what I found most interesting from his portfolio. Anthony is a photojournalist and has been published in many magazines and newspapers. His work ranges from capturing sport and music photography but is also a successful documentary photographer and has shot some political and effects of natural disasters in America. His vast range of photography is what I think makes his portfolio so intriguing to look at and makes it extraordinary to me is because he captures a range of emotion and truth in his images and are mostly of historic, political events.

Images below were taken from Gettyimages.co.uk from Anthony Kwan's page.

Getty Images Grants for Editorial

Getty Images is an American photo agency that often hosts a number of photography competitions for all sorts of different genre's and also is a supplier for business's and companies around the world that can use the thousands of photographers work that is uploaded to the website for a price. It is used by creative professionals in the art industry, the media and marketing uses. The company also hosts exhibitions around the world that presents a number of photographers. The company seem's pretty extraordinary itself, being host to so many different types of photography that have their own interesting subject matter. The website has an editorial option that includes a range of genre's that are classed as editorial photography. I have found this useful in researching and searching for photographers that have inspired me throughout this assignment. Above I have included a video from youtube that has hosted a lecture from a few photographers that have been funded by Getty Images to capture the project that they wanted to do. I find it helpful to hear photographers talk about their work and the reasons behind it because it makes it a lot easier to understand.

Editorial Work Magazines

At Psyche we receive a number of magazines that advertise a sum of the products that the store sells, and also what other store's sell that are across the North East. The magazine's also include restaurants, hotels and event's that are in the area. The audience's is aimed at to those where money is no object and love living the high life, because the things they advertise are expensive. In some cases in La Di Da and Luxe magazine, Psyche will often choose a range of products and clothes that fit with a theme given, that will be used in a shoot to advertise on models. Other magazines that are also sent to the shop, are ones that just include some of the products that we are going to sell. These magazines are not only at Psyche, but at the other companies that are also named, which is a way that the audience who will read them, will know what other stock is different in other shops. The magazines I have included below are La Di Da, which includes stock from Psyche and editorial articles that I consider to be quite extraordinary and Plastic magazine that consists of the brand Melissa shoe's.

Editorial Photographer's

It seem's that, by the more research that I do the more the more clear to see how big the editorial photography industry is. Editorial photography can be any genre of photography as long as the piece of work supports the written work that normally comes beside the photographs, which I have explained in previous posts. Not every single photographer states themselves as an editorial or commercial photographer but often has work published in a book, magazine or newspaper that can be classed as editorial. In my next few posts I am going to explore a number of photographers and hopefully produce research that can show their photography in editorial form. Fashion photography can often be thought as editorial photography and is quite easy to mix them up. Magazines are often the reason for this as it can be quite hard if it is not clear to see to the audience, however I.D, Love and Dazed are often a good source rather than the likes of Vogue and Elle magazines.

Shoot 3

Although this has nothing to do with my main subject matter, I found that when photographing an event last week that the concept of drag queens is pretty extraordinary. I knew that they would be preforming at the event so I took a few photographs to portray their uniqueness. The way that they dress and act is what makes them so extraordinary because it is so over the top down to the style they sing and how flamboyant their outfits and make up is. The photographs below are they most successful ones that I shot. I found it hard to take the photographs of them because they were moving and dancing all the time, so a different lens would of been more suitable. However I do think they express a feeling of extraordinary and show how unique and different these people are because of what they look like and what they do. In the future I would definitely like to shoot something like this this again, but be more prepared with my camera equipment.

I.D Love issue

I.D magazine was created in 1980 and ever since has been a inspiration of fashion culture. Though it is more than just a fashion magazine, it includes articles about modern life and how it impacts fashion, music, love and todays art forms. It is a great source to discover different photographers and designers and is personally one of my favourite forms of magazines because of its diversity to others such as Vogue and Elle, as it is more than just about the fashion, and centres identity which makes it more particular. I find it extraordinary because of the photography it includes and the stories behind them and how it focus's on youth culture and targets new fresh talent and has kept that element since it was founded.  One of the reasons I.D has became a popular magazine over the years, is because of its front covers. On each issue the cover model is winking and smiling, it is a visual representation of the magazines logo rather than including a graphical image, making it's presence a lot more interesting. This years fall issue focus's on Love and what it means to various amounts of people in the creative industry. This subject is especially extraordinary because this exactly is the feeling generally would agree to feel when they love something, wether it maybe their family members, pets, hobbies, passion, ambition or boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. Everyone has a different perception of love which is what makes it so extraordinary, such as what someone would do for you or how it makes you look or what it does to you in the way you act or feel. However in the end, the meaning's of love always link together. What I also find alluring about this issue is the way the photographers have arranged the models how to pose, which links in with love. On each image where there is more than one person, they are touching in someway or looking at the other person, that makes them seem connected and makes the audience feel what the article is about and by reading the quotes and questions that surround the photographs, it presents the emotion and subject of what the issue is about, which is what also makes its a very good editorial magazine. The images below are what I consider to be the most strongest extraordinary and editorial of this source and what define this issue

 

 
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