Self immolation and Tibetan identity

I often go to Majnu Ka Tila after college it’s quite and not crowded, very unlike most of Delhi. It feels good to be there, specially the café at the very heart of ‘MT’ as we fondly call it! Even after having innumerable cups of coffee and the street side treat laping, I had never thought that the same place would one day turn out to be the home of a hero who sacrificed his life for his people, for his country and most importantly for ‘Freedom’. I am talking about Jhampel Yeshi, a 27-year-old Tibetan living in exile in India, set himself aflame at a protest on 26^th March 2012 in New Delhi against the forthcoming arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao. It was at least the 30^th time a Tibetan had self-immolated this year alone, a shocking statistic. But as Yeshi’s fiery protest took place in India - rather than in Tibetan areas of China, where most of the immolations have occurred - it received more coverage by the press.

Yeshi died from his injuries a day later, prompting more demonstrations by Tibetans in India against what they consider the brutal Chinese occupation of their homeland. The Indian government, nervous about upsetting China, engaged in a full-on crackdown, arresting close to 300 Tibetans on an archaic colonial law that wards against such dissent.

Yeshi before self immolating left a poignant hand written note. He wrote, ‘the fact that the Tibetan people are setting themselves on fire in this 21st Century is to let the world know about their suffering.’ The number of Tibetan self immolations in China has crossed over thirty. But is the world listening?

Soon after the incident as usual the Chinese authorities put the blame on the Dalai Lama. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei accused the Dalai Lama of ‘masterminding’ the series of self immolations. The Chinese officials also ‘complimented’ the Indian authorities for their ‘handling’ of the situation. Apart from officials, not many in India would be enthused to receive such a compliment!

And yet the Chinese refuse to take a second look at what is actually causing such unrest in Tibet. Areas inhabited by Tibetans are under harsh security cover. Many new road check points have been built and they are manned by heavily armed Para-Military Police. The Chinese have also instituted ‘monastic management’ plans in order to control religious life. About 21,000 Chinese officials have been deployed to ‘befriend’ Tibetan monks and dossiers have been created on most of the latter. In addition, over a million national flags and Mao portraits have been distributed; monasteries have to compulsorily hang Mao portraits. Such heavy handedness is causing great disaffection amongst the general Tibetan population.

Sadly for the Tibetans, apart from human rights activists, no country has spoken up for them or for their obvious suffering. When a Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi self immolated in Tunis on 17 December 2010, he actually helped launch the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ which led to widespread changes in the Arab World. Unfortunately for Jamphel Yeshi, nothing similar seems to have happened in Tibet. Even when the Chinese occupied Tibet in 1950 and the Tibetans took their case to the UN, no major country including Nehru’s India supported their case. While most are demonstrably anxious about the goings on in Syria and critical of the killings of innocent civilians there, few if any are prepared to shed a tear for the hapless Tibetans.

The reasons are not far to seek. No one wishes to annoy the Chinese. The People’s Republic of China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is the second largest economy in the world after the United States and of recent has also grown considerably in military might. Western countries which used to raise Tibet as an issue in their relations with China now also appear to overlook or bypass it when dealing with China.

On the eve of the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising, mass protests were launched by Tibetans and their support groups from their exiled capital Dharamsala, India. Hunger strikes, Candle light vigils, remonstrations and public anger were witnessed in every Tibetan community across the world.

Lobsang Wangyal, an exiled Tibetan entrepreneur living in India says, "Tibetans in Tibet have long said they are not happy under Chinese rule. The self-immolations are saying that they mean it. But the world is paying little attention. It gives a feeling that 30 Tibetans risking their lives is still not enough to make a point and as if more lives should be sacrificed." 

However, all is not lost for the Tibetans. With the evolution of the new media and social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc., the suffering of the Tibetans is now known worldwide. Millions all over the world who saw the self immolation of Jamphel Yeshi could not but have failed to be moved at the gruesome sight and at the plight of the hapless Tibetans. As more such self immolations take place, the revulsion for Chinese policies in Tibet will grow exponentially.

I for myself will continue going to Majnu Ka tila, to enjoy my cup of coffee and savour the spicy laping; but now MT will no t be the same old MT for me, from now on it is a sacred site where a benevolent soul like Jhampel Yeshi once resided. Bhod Rangzen!! *

* Bhod means TIBET, Rangzen means INDEPENDENCE, in Tibetan it means FREE TIBET.

(I had written this article exactly two years from now, and on the 2nd anniversary of the incident I am finally uploading it on my blog. MT will always have a special place in my heart, forever!)

Australian Film Festival at IIC – Film Review

The Tall Man

Written and Directed by Tony Krawitz, ‘The Tall Man’ is a documentary based on a book of the same name by Chloe Hooper. The documentary is a puzzle which takes the audience on a roller coaster ride to determine the truth behind the famous Cameroon Domadgee death in custody case.

An inebriated Cameroon was arrested one morning for swearing at Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, and just an hour later he was found dead in the Palm Island police station. The police claimed that Domadgee died because he fell and slipped when entering the cell. Nobody cared to explain how he got such bad injuries by just falling: four broken ribs, a badly ruptured liver and condition as bad as after a car accident.

The documentary uses court transcripts, interviews with Doomadgee’s family and fellow residents and video footage of Hurley re-enacting his version of that day’s event. It also touches upon Palm Island’s colonial history where racism was widespread. 

The filmmaker plays fair by allotting almost the same time to Hurley’s supporters as he does to Domadgee’s. The local people of Palm Island would refer to Chris Hurley who was 6 ft 7 in. tall and weighed 115 kg as ‘The Tall Man’ (of the title) because of his giant physique. The documentary highlights the difficulty to bring him to trial, and his final acquittal makes us question the Judiciary. Krawitz couldn’t convince Chris Hurley to be in the film. The film ends with the results of the final investigation conducted in 2010, including an audio recording of Hurley’s statement.

Go Back to Where You Came From: Series 2

The documentary film shows us the lives of refugees and the difficulties they face trying to lead a normal life. The filmmaker tried a new genre of documentary film making i.e., a reality TV show format. This fresh approach makes us as an audience more interested, captivated and receptive. Refugees are vulnerable and prone to exploitation and violence. With no protection and no rights, they are completely helpless. This documentary does try and bring out the debate of asylum seekers in the open.

We were shown Episodes 2 and 3 from Season 1 of the documentary. It begins with a mini introduction of all the 6 participants – their names, ages, backgrounds and their opinion on the Australia's asylum seeker debate. Except one of the participants, all the rest shared a common hatred for refugees and this included an absolute racist (Raquel) and a complete Muslim hater (Adam). From being a part of  immigration raids in Malaysia, to living in a refugee camp in Kenya, from visiting slums in Jordan and going to war torn countries like Congo and Iraq – the participants do it all.

The film screening was followed by a discussion with filmmaker Rick McPhee. During which a woman said that the participants take more of our attention and sympathy than the refugees. Though she meant it otherwise, I felt that was the biggest advantage of the film. It worked well because, in order to win the asylum seekers debate in their favor, we need to convince people who are anti-refugees first. And the film does that easily, as it strikes a chord with especially such people and makes them think. They connect with participants who are challenged by the situations they are put in and change completely by the end of their journey. If the participants on the show could have a change of heart, so can other such people. The documentary gives us all a ray of hope.

Animated Shorts Review

Gopher Broke

The animated short film ‘Gopher Broke’ is about a gopher living on the countryside who is shown trying hard to procure vegetable/fruits in the film to eat. It opens with the sign board which reads ‘Farmers house’ and then at the root of the board we see the gopher. It is in this way that the main character – the gopher is introduced.

The characterization of the gopher is very good. He has an innocent looking face and has two big frontal teeth which further show his gullibility and country fool characteristic. The naiveté and yet the clever tactics he applies to procure food reveal to us the interesting character that he is.

He is on a road where trucks are moving produce to market. He digs a pit on the road so that every time a truck passes it jumps up and fruits-vegetables fly into the sky. The fruits-vegetables are shown in slow motion for added effect, and the sparkle in his eyes when this happens is a very heartwarming moment. But he can never really enjoy the feast as the crows always get it before him.

The audience feels sorry for him, we connect with him because we have seen him try for food, get really close and then get disappointed. We too get disappointed with him.

The film has a comical ending, as this time around a truck carrying a cow passes and jumps up because of the same pit he had dug. The animal then flies out and lands on the poor gopher! Following this we see the truck go away with the cow in it and the gopher stuck on his behind! :D

A very cute short, with a simple storyline and basic human emotions we can connect too.

A Gentlemen's Duel

This animated short film opens like a typical princess in the castle or fairy tale. We see a beautiful pond, with two frogs trying to have the same butterfly. Then the frame expands and we see a very pretty lady looking out from the balcony to the left and there the title of the film is shown.

The film as the name suggests is about two men fighting for a girl. The girl like in all classical fairy tales is shown as a passive participant who has a pretty face. The characterisation of the two men is very interesting, one is very English and the other is very French in his appearance. So the classic rivalry between the English and the French is revived.

They fight verbally, bicker over the lunch, but the main fight happens with the men running huge robots. In this too fun is made of English traditions like the evening tea. In the middle of the fight, at a very decisive moment the servant comes and rings a tiny bell. All of a sudden the fighting stops and we see both the men and the lady at table sipping tea like civilized human beings!

Once it’s over, they return and resume from exactly where they had left. Finally after a lot of destruction, they realize the woman is missing and later see her boots under a boulder. Assuming that she is dead, they both run away. We see all the destruction they’ve caused and then see rustling in the nearby bush. We then see the lady naked in the bush smiling - we wonder who is she with and we soon see the servant pop out of the shrub too. So somewhere in the middle, the lady had gone out with the servant leaving both the men to fight! :) An unconventional end to a very predictable plotline. 

German Expressionism and Architecture in Cinema

Introduction

The Expressionist movement began in Germany around the 1900’s. Originally the idea was for the artist to produce a piece of work entirely from a subjective point of view. Popular examples are: The Scream by Edward Munch, and Starry Night by Van Gogh.

Expressionism in architecture also began in Germany around the early 1900’s. It refers to German, Dutch, Czech, Austrian and Danish Avante Gard from 1910-30. Architecture showing original, unique design was popular.  Research from Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung helped start the Expressionist movement. There was more focus on the psychological effects of form and space when designing. Socialist government was repressing towards art, it was a way to act out for the artists/architects. 

Characteristics:

• Distortion of the form to invoke emotion
• Striving to be new and original
• Heavy use of ‘Artisan Craftsmanship’
• The idea of architecture as a work of art

Some e.g. of buildings:

• Einsteins tower - This was built by Erich Mendelsohn and is the most iconic representation of expressionism in architecture.
• Goetheanum - This can be found in Dornach, Switzerland. It is the world centre for anthroposophical movement.  Designed by Rudolph Steiner, this building is basically a perfect definition of expressionist architecture.

Cinema and Architecture

Many critics see a direct tie between cinema and architecture of the time, stating that the sets and scene artwork of Expressionist films often reveal buildings of sharp angles, great heights, and crowded environments, such as the frequently shown Tower of Babel in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

This film movement paralleled Expressionist painting and theater in rejecting realism. The creators of the time sought to convey inner, subjective experience through external, objective means. Their films were characterized by highly stylized sets and acting; they used a new visual style which embodied high contrast and simple editing. The films were shot in studios where they could employ deliberately exaggerated and dramatic lighting and camera angles to emphasize some particular affect - fear, horror, pain.

So I discuss two films belonging to the early Expressionist phase (1920’s and 30’s): The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and Metropolis (1927). Films then were highly symbolic and deliberately surrealistic portrayals of filmed stories. The extreme non-realism of Expressionism was short-lived, and it faded away (along with Dadaism) after only a few years. However, the themes of Expressionism were integrated into later films of the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in an artistic control over the placement of scenery, light, and shadow to enhance the mood of a film. Therefore I discuss two recent films influenced by German Expressionism: Blade Runner (1982) and Batman Returns (1992) in my paper very briefly before I end.

 

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)

With this movie, director Robert Wiene created a masterpiece.  Not only is the story interesting and engaging, but nearly every shot in the movie looks like an Expressionist painting.   The sets, designed by Hermann Warn along with to painters, Walter Rohrig and Walter Reinmann, are filled with strange angles, triangular doors, and crooked roofs.  Complex and intricate architecture, odd stairways, and bizarre props such as giant stools near enormously tall desks all serve to give the film a unique look. The entire production feels like the dream of a madman.

The characters too have been worked upon.  The heavy, exaggerated make-up with sharp angular lines painted across the characters faces and the triangular costumes serve to accent the sets and props.   No film has ever captured insanity so well. The lighting is very important in this film, and a key aspect to expressionist film.  The stark, harsh, shadow filled lighting gives all of the scenes a nightmarish quality.  The sets are painted with shadows which makes the movie even more eerie and otherworldly than it would have been otherwise.  In one of key and often imitated moments in the film, a murder is shown only as shadows on a wall. 

This scene demonstrates the effect created through the Expressionist technique of using angular structures to help represent a disjointed mood and a nightmarish atmosphere.

Cesare’s movements were stiff and robotic. His makeup was excessive and overdone. Some of the shadows in this scene were created by wall paintings to enhance contrast between light and dark. The “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” employed the Expressionist technique of using dream sequences and flashbacks to twist reality and warp chronology.The unnatural and exaggerated character of Cesare carried out frightening acts during the dream sequences.

Designed by the Expressionist Bahaus School, the films’ sets were contorted and artificial. The distorted designs helped to develop the atmosphere of disorientation.

Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang's film Metropolis demonstrates a visually progressive 'Futurist' society dealing with relevant issues of 1920s Germany in relation to labour and society. It contains a lot of weird, futuristic elements that have stuck with science fiction ever since they first appeared in this movie, and the shots of the robot with electricity in circles around her has become quite iconic.

In keeping with Expressionist concepts, Lang portrayed women in the unnatural form of machines.

Huge sets that dwarf the actors is very well evidenced by the enormous power plant and glimpses of the massive yet pristine 'upper' city.

Lang accentuated the dark mood of the film by including lighting practices characteristic of Expressionist cinema.

Blade Runner (1982)

Many analysts believe that Expressionist media often contains an underlying and ambiguous social critique. In the science fiction movie, “Blade Runner”, directed by Ridley Scott, poetic speeches contained vague political themes and ideologies.

In the manner of Expressionism, Ridley Scott incorporated dark shadows, hazy lighting and odd camera movements into the film. In addition to the parallels to movie “Metropolis”, “Blade Runner” imitated sequences from other German Expressionist films. Bladerunner’s emphasis on the degraded, alienating city resembled that of many expressionist "street films" taken together. Some propose that “Bladerunner” was a remake of Lang's Metropolis. 

Similar to the earlier Expressionist film, “Metropolis” (above), “Bladerunner” portrayed a futuristic city as bleak and dark (below). 

Ridley Scott contrasted light and dark and used straight angles and silhouettes.

Batman Returns (1992)

Ambitious adaptations of the style are depicted throughout the contemporary filmography of director Tim Burton. His 1992 film Batman Returns is often cited as a modern attempt to capture the essence of German Expressionism. The angular building designs and severe-looking city squares of Gotham City evoke the loom and menace present in Lang’s Metropolis. The angular building designs and severe looking city squares of Gotham City bore resemblance to Lang’s futuristic city. The urban design of Gotham city resembled a dream or nightmare like landscape. A variety of architectural styles including Expressionism were borrowed from in the creation of the city.

Conclusion

I would conclude with the following quote which sums up Expressionist movement as a whole:

“The Expressionist does not see, he has visions”

-         German Expressionist writer, Kasimir Edschmid, (1919)

This holds true for expressionism everywhere, be it buildings, paintings, theatre or films. 

How ‘Fashion Blogging’ is changing the face of fashion photography (Part III)

Hanneli Mustaparta                     www.hanneli.com/

Norwegian street style titan Hanneli Mustaparta is a model-turned-photographer, blogger and stylist. It's easy to dismiss her as yet another all-singing, all-dancing, multi-tasking model, but for her eponymous blog, which American Vogue reports "sees more traffic than a SoHo sidewalk on a Saturday afternoon", each post prompting hundreds of rapturous comments.

Hanneli began modelling at seventeen, but after realising that she was "never going to be a supermodel," she turned the lens on herself. She's nonchalant about the switch: "I started out taking pictures and posting them on my blog to practise reviewing my own work. In between modelling jobs, I styled editorials, music videos, and worked as a wardrobe consultant. Then out of the blue I gained this big following, which grew and grew."

  

Some of her photographs that have been published in fashion magazines.

Now based in New York, she clearly relishes the control that comes with occupying both sides of the camera: "As a model you are there to be a piece in someone's creative puzzle. Once in a while it's okay to be part of the ideas, bouncing ideas around on set, but mostly you don't. Since I couldn't do much while at work, I would always soak in the shoot every step of the way, asking questions if I saw fit.

She considers herself to be "a photographer slash fashion blogger slash writer and contributor to Vogue.com. Lots of slashes!" Everything on her blog she shoots herself, both street style shots of worthy subjects and photographs of herself. Does she use a self-timer? "I set up the shot and then have an assistant who presses the button."

Some photographs from her blog.

For her a  perfect street style shot would be: “A sunny afternoon in New York with a thin scattering of clouds, a person that is wearing something because they really love it and not because it's a trend. An outfit that's been put together in a unique way with confidence and charm.”

In her interview with the Telegraph (March 2012) she says “I have always found photography magical, and became more taken with it whilst modelling. I got my first proper SLR camera four years ago and started shooting and learning about the different settings. I'm self-taught and emailed photographers I knew if I had questions I couldn't figure out from the manual or online. I took a brief summer class for a month three years back, only to realise the class was at beginners' level. So I didn't learn much, but had fun developing my own images in the dark room. I use a Nikon D700.”

Despite officially 'retiring' in 2008, she still does a bit of modelling on the side - Massimo Dutti have signed her up as the face of their spring/summer 2012 campaign, and she was immortalised on a series of T-shirts by Zara in 2011 - but it's her extra-curricular skills that have made her a real hit. Calvin Klein snapped her up as their social media co-ordinator over fashion week in February of this year (she manned the CK twitter account and launched their tumblr) and she presented American Vogue 's coverage of their shopping event, Fashion's Night Out, on CBS in 2010.

Conclusion

I will conclude by talking about the short 10 minute documentary “Take My Picture” by Garage Magazine which talks about how much has changed in the past 20 years in the fashion industry. With the integration of bloggers and the boom of photographers, fashion has morphed into this ever growing industry. The film examines the phenomenon from the perspectives of bloggers and street style icons as well as fashion magazine editors and other industry professionals. The Garage Magazine sat down with one of the world’s most influential fashion journalists, Tim Blanks. He says in the film: “Things are changing. Street style photography is getting more and more critical when is comes to good photographers, such as the Sartorialists or Tommy Tons.”

The Fashion industry used to be distinctly more insular than it is today, an elitism that was encouraged, a desired lifestyle laced with campness. This elitism and campness got reflected in the fashion photographs too, which has been the same for ages, until now with the fashion photo blogs finally being accepted by the mainstream even if grudgingly. The idealized image of desire, which once was the over-groomed body beautiful, now seems to be the soul searching teenager on her gap year, like the runway favourite Julia Nobis. Where before the must-have invite was for the red carpet, the most influential and photographed forum today seems to be the street or music festival. Could it be said, then, that drama has left the stage for a generation of people on the streets? Yes seems to be the answer seeing the present scenario, and I feel it’s headed the right way.

How ‘Fashion Blogging’ is changing the face of fashion photography (Part II)

Scott Schuman              http://www.thesartorialist.com

Scott Schuman in Autumn 2007. Photo by Christopher Peterson.

Scott Schuman is an American blogger and fashion photographer who created "The Sartorialist." After leaving his position as director of men's fashion at his showroom to take care of his daughter in September 2005, he began carrying a digital camera around and photographing people he saw on the street whose style he found striking. He then posted these to his blog, sometimes with short comments, always either favorable or open-minded. He is well known for photographing what have been described as 'real people.' He pioneered fashion photography in blog form.

Photographs from his blog

"The Sartorialist" quickly became a regular read for fashionistas, both on the street and in the upper echelons of the industry. Schuman began his site with the hopes of connecting fashion and everyday street life. He describes his philosophy as trying to echo how fashion designers looked at what they saw on the street: “My only strategy when I began The Sartorialist was to try and shoot style in a way that I knew most designers hunted for inspiration.”

Condé Nast tapped him to do something similar during Fashion Week in Paris for its style.com website. He has covered shows during New York's Fashion Week for Saks Fifth Avenue. Schuman has been featured in GQ Magazine where he was given his own page in every issue for nearly four years, as well as work appearing in Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris and Interview Magazine.

 An image from Schuman's Coach Campaign.

Schuman collaborated with numerous advertising campaigns: for The Gap and Verizon, with Kiehl’s on an exclusively commissioned product and campaign surrounding Father’s Day, Nespresso, DKNY Jeans, Gant, OVS, Crate & Barrel. Burberry, meanwhile, tapped Schuman to shoot the groundbreaking social media-cum-advertising “Art of the Trench” project.

About his shooting style in a Harper’s Bazaar interview, on how he chooses who to photograph he says: “No. I mean, there is that element–the [person who] totally wants to get shot, and dressed crazy. But that’s never what I shoot. It’s the people who want to be famous, shot by people who want to make their blog famous. But it’s not what I’m interested in. So the only way it affects me is I guess a more congested background when I’m shooting.”

In his interview with Vitamin Daily he says: “It took me a long time to be able to call myself a photographer. I didn’t train with anyone; I didn’t go to school for it. It took me a long time to get to the point where I could say that I have my own unique look, and people recognize my photographs.”

In 2009, an anthology of Schuman's favourite shots from around the world was published as a book entitled The Sartorialist.

 

Some pages from The Sartorialist (2009)

Schuman cites as inspiration the photography of documentary style cameramen like National Geographic’s SteveMcCurry, the man behind the now-famous June 1985 cover photo featuring an Afghani girl with haunting sea green eyes. Looking at Schuman’s photos, you can sense that he is trying to capture the inner spirit of his subjects, not only their fashion sense. “I’m not reporting on a bag; who’s carrying what bag and who’s wearing what dress. I’m not reporting on people,” he explained. “What I am looking for is a certain grace.”

But Mr. Schuman’s influence is felt far beyond the blogosphere. His beautifully framed photos, which feature fashion insiders and football fans alike, now appear on mood boards in design studios around the world. His photographic style has inspired countless advertising campaigns and editorials.

SusieLau                           www.stylebubble.co.uk/

Susanna Lau, also known as Susie Bubble, is a writer, editor and photographer living and working in London. Lau started her blog "Style Bubble" in March 2006, and since then she has enjoyed many fashion and photography adventures. Every day, Susie Lau logs on to her blog, Style Bubble, photographs her outfit, raves about a new designer and inspires her international fanbase. She's one of the first bloggers to be recognised by the industry - she was one of only two bloggers invited to a Gucci show in New York, and has since accepted tickets to Chanel and Lanvin.

“I'm self taught when it comes to photography, but at the beginning I would learn from the pro photographers and just mess around. I spent six months just auto shooting, and just built up my confidence.” she says in an interview with Cosmo magazine.

An overcast day, which is Susie’s preferred outdoor lighting, is much easier to work with, as it produces a friendlier and more diffused light - you'll see no dramatic shadows here! “And in any case, think of the poor model having to squint up at the sun while you get the correct camera settings. A screwed up face is never a good look.” she is quick to point in an interview with Marie Claire (2013). 'In terms of shooting, I have a set order of what shots I want to get in my head – a full length, a 3/4 and then catch any details close-up (shoes, bags etc.),' she says.

 

Photographs from her blog

“You want the attention to be focused on the person you’re photographing, not on the background. Scaffolding and white van don’t create the best background. It changes the entire photograph; you find your focus is drawn away from those beautiful clothes to read the background sign. If you want to express calm in a portrait, choose a calm background. Rather than shooting on a flat wall (Susie loves to get depth in a photograph) placing a model in the centre of a road, preferably a quieter one, will create an instant frame.” says Sussie in ‘How to become a fashion photographer: a masterclass with Susie Lau’ in Cosmo magazine (2013).

Style Bubble's Susie loves to photograph details. She often finds her self snapping away in restaurant or walking down the street when she sees wonderful textures all around her. These snapshots are great for inspiration on colours and themes for future shoots.

Some other photographs from her blog.

Lau was editor of Dazed Digital, the website of Dazed & Confused magazine, from 2008-2010. Lau now works full-time on her blog and other freelance projects, including writing for Elle, The Daily Rubbish and Dazed Digital.

How ‘Fashion Blogging’ is changing the face of fashion photography (Part I)

Introduction

If you Google the term ‘Fashion photography’ the definition you generally get is that it is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. In present times there is a contradiction here: In theory, its purpose is the same as that of a catalog: to depict the clothes and help to sell them. In practice however, fashion photography has been used as a vehicle for self-expression by some of the world's greatest photographers. Over time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by exotic locations and story lines.

In order to discuss fashion photography, it should first be understood as a unique type of photograph, one that is simultaneously documentary and art work. In addressing fashion photography in his book The Fashion System, Roland Barthes explains that the world is a backdrop. That backdrop can be transformed into particular stages for specific theater themes. The theater of meaning in fashion then walks the line between the serious and the whimsical. Barthes describes fashion photography as an exorcism in which everything in the photo is made “outrageous” so that the garment alone seems real and convincing. Barthes identifies 3 common strategies in the fashion photograph:

1)      Literal representation: the catalog shot displaying the garment. 

2)      Romanticized: fashion becomes referential, a story where real life becomes art like in acting out dreams. 

3)    Mockery: a model in an outrageous situation using unreal juxtapositions, unlike the previous there is no romance or reason but total absurdity. 

Since its inception in the 1880s, the fashion photograph has generated criticism. Some photographers consider it too commercial, an impure application of the art form. It has sometimes been dismissed as frivolous and criticized for promoting negative stereotypes.

Latest development: Fashion Photography blogs

Fashion photography blogs are blogs that cover the fashion industry, clothing, and personal style. They cover fashion at all levels from the biggest names to the smallest indie-designers.

Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has considerable impact on the way ordinary people dress and present themselves. But there is more to fashion than the different articles of clothing, fashion is made up of designers, buyers, retailers, editors, columnists and photographers. While all parties work together to create an image, all of these parties can simultaneously be affected by outside forces, especially blogs. Fashion is trend-driven and fashion blogs provide a new way to follow and oversee these fast-paced trends, it is likely that the blogoshepere will have a considerable long-term influence on the industry, as the number of fashion based blogs continue to grow. All this will eventually (and is presently also) influencing fashion photography.

Fashion is ever so changing and so is fashion photography.

Even photographers from yesteryear like Richard Avedon brought movement to the pages of fashion magazines which were so posed and stiff before he came along and Helmut, well, Helmut brought out the kink and free spirit in everyday fashion. The new breed of street fashion photographers is just taking the momentum they created forward.

Also often, the creative desires of the photographers are at odds with the intentions of the editor, as Anna Wintour, fashion editor at Vogue, illustrates: Our needs are simple. We want a photographer to take a dress, make the girl look pretty, give us lots of images to choose from, and not give us any attitude. Photographers - if they are any good - want to create art. So, bloggers have been chipping away at the mainstream media as more and more people want to hear about fashion from people who apply it to everyday life.

The historical aspect aside, fashion photographers should love fashion! Live it, love it, and dream about it. Fashion photographers have to be aware of a lot of things; you’re photographing garments that need to grab the viewer’s attention, you need to know how to photograph them well and may even have to lend your eye in styling them to make an image. Even Paolo Roversi has occasionally styled his own editorials!  Obviously, a strong background in fashion is a must for this. It’s not something I wish on anyone, but there will always be one of those days where you need a stylist and the only person that can come through is you, so you better know how to put an outfit together! And this is one trait that a lot of mainstream fashion photographers lack presently and this is where our new breed of fashion bloggers scores over them.

“Fashion used to be very dictatorial,” said Constance White, style director of eBay and a former fashion journalist, speaking at a panel on fashion blogging hosted by glam.com last year. Getting access to the fashion tents is very difficult for outsiders. For years fashion was something written about and photographed by a small number of publications whose writers and photographers guarded their access to shows and designers as fiercely as their Chanel handbags. Many people might not have heard of Scott Schuman, Susie Bubble and Hanelli Mustaparta but they are household names to dedicated followers of fashion photography blogs. All three are big players in the blogging revolution that has turned the fashion world on its head.

Bloggers see themselves as truth tellers in a world where the truth is hard to come by. “What we offer is a personal point of view,” said Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist. “I love magazines, but they can come across as corporate.” “If you’re a junior writer at Vogue, you can’t write a scathing review of Oscar de La Renta,” said Kathryn Finney of The Budget Fashionista. “Whereas, as a blogger, I have a lot more flexibility because my boss is me.

Like consumers, the blogs come in all shapes and sizes. Schuman's Sartorialist blog photographs style as it catches his eye on the street, finding inspiration in everything from designer dresses to filthy workwear. The hierarchical fashion landscape changed beyond all recognition with the advent of digital media.

Early adopters such as Susie Lau of Style Bubble and Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist have become part of the new digital media establishment, where they face increasingly well-heeled competition from digital editions of Elle and Vogue, as well as the brands themselves. The situation was summed up by the flamboyant, meat-dress wearing Lady Gaga in her column for V Magazine: "The reality of today's media is that there are no echelons" –this applies to fashion photography perfectly today.