Because of the current need for social distancing, fashion photography has embraced alternate ways to take pictures. However, this crisis may have a more profound impact in the long run.
Currently, fashion photographer Alessio Albi has quarantined himself in Perugia and is concerned about work opportunities. Thus, he has decided to shift his business from in-person to online. He now shoots pictures of his friends and models on zoom calls and Facebook. Then, he edits them and posts them on his social media accounts. This activity not only keeps him busy but also helps him have a creative outlet.
It is true that this approach has a minimal financial benefit and is not very promising in terms of logistics. It is especially hard for an internationally-traveling photographer who works on a generous day rate and has a whole crew for help and support. Even still, this online way of photography is getting popular day by day.
Photographer Willy Vanderperre recently shot 19 models for ID magazine. These models included Adult Akech, Vittoria Ceretti, Adesuwa Aighewi, Mona Tougaard, Gigi Hadid, and several others. He conducted the shoot over FaceTime, and they were each given a set of instructions regarding wardrobe, hair, and makeup. The photographer and the model then moved around her apartment to see which corner had the best light. When they shot the pictures, and the final versions were released digitally, they labeled it as safe + sound.
The editor of ID shared the unique idea of releasing work digitally and then making it a part of the magazine. The new ways of shooting editorials and creating digital content are broadening the minds of fashion content creators.
With the current situation worldwide, fashion-related demands have dramatically decreased. For this, brands and businesses have started to cut back on their budgets for marketing. This change has had a direct impact on the content creators that worked on the brand campaigns. Plus, it has also had a toll on the publishers who depend on a brand’s ad sale. For now, however, magazines and websites are still going. You can still find lots of new content on there, and the magazines, along with their creatives, are trying to leverage the increased engagement on social media. This reason is why more and more content creators and photographers are shifting away from studio equipment and large-format cameras. They are moving towards webcams and mobile lenses instead. Indoor settings and living rooms have replaced elaborate lighting rigs and massive set designs, and only two to three people work on a project instead of a whole crew.
In April, Vogue Italia also hired about 40 creatives to conduct shoots for the concept “far away so close.” The team of Creative included Harley Weir, David Sims, and Ibrahim Kamara. They wanted to avoid pictures that were pre-cooked, so the team had to keep social distancing and other rules in mind during the shoot. Despite the limitations, they had to create high-quality, impactful images for the magazine.
The creative director of Vogue Italia, Ferdinando Verderi, shared that these images challenged today’s expectations from the industry. The pictures were a reminder that one can create rich and meaningful content without hi-fi lights, equipment, and setups.
Similarly, M Le Magazine recently conducted a shoot involving 16 photographers and asked them to take pictures of themselves while they stayed in confinement. Karim Sadli photographed himself having a FaceTime conversation with Lily-Rose Depp. The creative director of the magazine Jean-Baptiste Talbourdet-Napoleone stated that he did not want the photoshoot to be of a typical advertising nature with constraints and limitations due to the ongoing crisis.
But the critical question to consider is whether or not these new modes of taking photographs impact fashion photography in the long run.
The pioneer of the intersection of fashion photography and digital media, and the owner of the excellent platform SHOWstudio, Nick Knight, shares that these new approaches can help the industry grow. According to him, the fashion world is at the tip of the iceberg. He thinks that there is excellent equipment available for everyone; people are unable to see it and use it creatively.
These words are much possibly right. These days, smartphone cameras and webcams have lenses with higher quality than professional cameras. Plus, software and digital tools have made the whole process more comfortable and more convenient. It is also adding to the versatility of the images. Also, models are more comfortable posing while they take their own pictures.
Because of the increasing shift of the fashion industry from print to digital, many speculate that these innovations may stick around for longer than we assume. They realize that most of the audience has a web presence, which is an excellent opportunity for the industry. Apart from being able to reach a wider audience, being digital has many other perks in terms of finance and administration, according to Knight.
While many people think that the change in typical fashion photographs is irrelevant to the problems that the world is facing, many disagree. Other than the rising trend of digital tools, low-key productions, and self-done makeup and hair make waves in the aesthetics of fashion photography. This change may have a more profound impact on the overall industry than most people think.
Vogue Italia’s editor-in-chief, Emanuele Farneti, shares that she understands how the original concept behind a fashion magazine is related to displaying beautiful people’s gorgeous images in trendy clothes. However, she adds that shifting slightly from that typical road has an impact on everyone as well.
Thurstan Redding, the photographer, featured in M Le Magazine for his self-portraiture, suggests that the ongoing worldwide crisis may speed up the fashion industry changes. According to him, fashion photography’s visual language will become much more than the typical display and representation of beauty.
In conclusion, while the coronavirus outbreak is seemingly not coming to a halt any time soon, the fashion industry is moving and shifting its ways to get through this time. While many have positive feedback to give in the face of new creative ways to photograph, many have their concerns and questions.