The document provides a critical evaluation of photographs taken by Jonah for a fashion photography assignment. Jonah discusses various techniques used such as plain backdrops to focus attention on the subject, high apertures to blur backgrounds, and black and white editing to further simplify images. Jonah also comments on the intentions to create natural-looking photos inspired by streetwear brands and to showcase clothing trends. Areas for improvement include using natural light and further editing highlights and shadows.

1. Critical Evaluation
Jonah

2. With all of my photographs I have tried to keep the focus of the viewer on the model and the
clothing they are wearing. To do this I have adopted a number of techniques and styles that I have
learnt and so believe that I have achieved my aim on the whole.
All of my photographs apart from one, feature the model against almost totally black or very
plain, passive backdrops such as brickwork containing repetition, this helps to focus the audiences
attention on the main subject as there is not much to be distracted by. This technique is used a lot
by photographers who shoot in studios such as Terry Richardson who uses a white backdrop to
ensure that all the attention is placed on his subjects.
A strength of my photograph is that the background ensures all attention is placed on the
model. I think that if doing the photograph again I would try it during the day to get more natural
light into the photograph. I could even do a shoot in a studio and replicate Richardson’s photography
even closer.
Here you can
see the white
backdrop that is
a common
feature of Terry
Richardson’s
photography.
This is similar to
the completely
black
background in
my image.
Visual Language.

3. The only photograph I took that does not use a blank background is the one below where
the model has been placed in front of a gate with the union jack painted on it. I included this
because I do not believe it takes attention away from the model as the geometrical shapes and
lines of the flag lead to the middle, where the model is stood and draw the eye.
The fashion style of the model in the photograph is Skin Head inspired, a fashion style and
subculture that emerged in 1960s working class London and so is associated with Britain. Because
of this I think the Union Jack backdrop makes sense. Skinheads are seen as hard and rough and so
the raised fist works well here. The photograph is made more interesting with the juxtaposition of
the smiling model in the Skin Head clothing. This makes the image very interesting and adds a new
quality for the viewer to think about.
Lines in the union jack lead
into the model and the thick
red middle stripe helps to
frame him.
Typical image of Skinheads that the
audience will be used to seeing. Has
the same raised fist as in mine but
the children look stern, a contrast to
my smiling model.

4. I have chosen to edit a number of my photographs so that they are monochrome and I believe this adds to
the photographs, sometimes giving a moody feel to the image and others serving to further cut down distractions
and focus attention on the main subject.
I took a lot of inspiration from the photographs of Helmut Newton. He was an incredibly successful fashion
photographer in the mid 1900’s who many believe shaped the way fashion photography is shot today. His black
and white images focus solely on the style of the subject and put heavy stress on the clothing they wear.
I think my black and white images replicate the style of Newton well and allow focus to be drawn to the cut
and shape of the clothing rather than on the colours in the image.
The style of the coat in the photograph below is very simplistic and clean and I have tried to reflect this in
the images with the black and white coloring and passive background. Thinking carefully about the background of
the image in relation to what the model is wearing is an essential part of fashion photography.
The way the model is sat on the light almost like a podium illuminating him is really effective in this
photograph, and the black and white effect works well making the light look very bright and a stark contrast
against the dark background.
The image is very dark though and I could have changed the leveling slightly in post production to improve
it. The mid lights are quite dark meaning that some of the detail is too dark to see, editing this in Photoshop would
have made the highlights much cleaner and the photograph would have had much better detail.

5. The strange face the model is pulling in the image below is interesting and draws attention to him. It
contrasts the works of photographers such as Tyrone Lebon who usually block out the faces of the models
in their fashion photographs but I believe in this instance the face works. It makes the viewer take a double
take and then look at the clothes he is wearing and I think the long black coat blending the model into the
background is eerily effective with the strange face he is pulling.
In some photographs I instructed my model to have a straight face and not show much emotion
whereas some images are quite expressive showing him pulling a face or laughing such as the one bellow.
In both cases the photographs worked well but in very different ways; when the model is being
emotionless it can add a moody feel to the image and the lack of emotion can allow the focus to be on the
clothing rather than the model himself. This is another way to block out the face and is maybe where
Lebon got his inspiration for his images. On the other hand the expression a model is pulling can give a
certain feel to the photograph such as excitement or happiness and even give the impression it is the
clothes themselves causing these feelings.
The highlight levels could have again been tweaked slightly in Photoshop to improve this image. It is
very dark and some detail and definition is lost especially around the head and on the coat.

6. I would like to recreate Lebon’s technique by using some kind of shape in post production
to block out the face of the model and if doing this project again I would experiment with this. I
may try out cartoon masks or mannequin faces to make the object blocking the face slightly more
interesting.
In Photoshop I edited a few images by only making the face and hands black and white. The
effect is completely different to Lebon's in fact making more of a striking feature of the face. I
think it is however very effective at drawing the eye of a viewer.

7. I tried not to create an overly superficial, set up look to my photographs and hoped that this
would create a naturalistic feel. This is difficult when doing a photography shoot but I tried to achieve
it by mostly having the model doing things and moving around, as opposed to standing completely
still in a fixed pose as I took photographs of him.
This naturalistic technique is something often used in fashion photography and one that I have
noticed companies such as Supreme and Palace using a lot. The photograph below is from the
Supreme X North Face collaboration. The models are walking away from the camera as if talking but
you can still see the clothing in good detail. This creates a good natural looking photo that still
showcases the clothing well.
Many of my photographs replicate this style and the one I captured with the model looking
down, tucking in his polo shirt and not paying attention to the camera showcases this perfectly. It
gives the model a more normal appearance as they are not looking at the camera and posing. This
makes them more relatable to an audience member who may not be comfortable in front of a camera
and may feel alienated from these models striking poses inside studios.

8. The main focus of each photograph is clear throughout
all of my images because I consistently keep a passive
background. Occasionally the use of lines and/or details in the
background can help frame my subject or add to the aesthetic
quality of the photograph, such as the lights in the background
of the photograph to the side. The pose he is adopting is very
proud and tall and the line of lights running above his head
make him seem important and the center of attention as if the
lights are there solely to illuminate him. Only the bottom two
lights that can be seen in the image where actually there, I
added the rest post production in order for them to be a
subtle but interesting feature that would add to the quality of
the image. The organic upward curve of the lights featured In
this image is aesthetically pleasing.
Fashion photography often shows the model doing
things that are seen as cool to make them look desirable.
Riding scooters is popular at the moment and this is why I
made the decision to include it. The proud way the model is
stood also makes him look cool and this would increase a
viewers desire to look like him and so increase the chance of
them buying the clothes he is wearing.

9. Making the models look cool is a technique commonly used in fashion photography.
The image below is a screenshot from a promotional video for the Palace X Adidas
collaboration and I took some inspiration from this. They have got a very talented
skateboarder wearing all the clothes from the collaboration riding around a skate park. He
will ride towards the camera and execute a trick close to it showcasing the clothing in action.
The viewer may be much more tempted to buy the clothes after seeing the video and how
impressive he looks as they will want to look like this too and this is the reason I have
ensured my model looked cool in all of my photographs.

10. For some of the photographs I have made the aperture of the camera larger to decrease
the depth of field making it so the subject is in focus but the background is blurred or slightly
out of focus. This again draws the attention of the viewer to the model while also adding an
interesting effect to the backdrop.
Some of my photographs featuring footwear as the main subject very close up to the
camera and it is essential that the trainer is in sharp focus. When the background is very
blurry and out of focus it really brings the trainer out of the page and makes it stand out.
Almost all of the photographs I had seen on trainer websites have images of the trainers
like this with a wide aperture to blur the background and so I replicated this style in my
images.

11. In post production I used various tools such as the spot-cleanser and clone stamp to ensure
the trainers looked brand new with no scuffs or dirt and as you can see this worked perfectly. This is
essential in order to allow the viewer to see the trainer in a new and clean condition. Fashion
images of trainers never shows the them in bad condition as this may make the viewer not want to
buy them, especially in trainers with lots of white on them that can get dirty easily. I did see some
adverts that contrasted this and showed shoes beaten up and old but these were for products such
as Doc Martens and Caterpillar work boots and so I don’t think it would have worked for these
trainers. You can see an example of this contrasting advert at the bottom right.

12. Audience.
When taking my photographs I kept in mind the sort of people I was aiming to reach as an audience. I
wanted my photos to be the sort of fashion photography you would find in a “how to wear” or “look book”
section of a brand’s website or a magazine featuring the brand. One of the magazines I looked at that often
features these kinds of advertisements is Vice magazine. They have a very large readership and online following
with 68% being under 30 and 63% being male. In surveys run by Vice the magazine has found that 52% of their
readers like to know about new fashion brands/designers before everyone else and 83% buy new clothing
every month. These demographics show me that Vice’s audience fit with the audience profile that I am aiming
for of young, fashion conscious males. Because of this I was able to use the fashion articles and photography
featured in this magazine to gain inspiration.
An audience of young males will relate best to photographs featuring another young male as it is easier
to visualise themselves in the clothes that someone of a similar age is wearing. I thought carefully about the
clothes I had my model wear by researching what is in fashion and the clothes young males are wearing or
want to purchase at the moment.

13. Historical and Cultural Context.
I think my work fits with the trends of current advertisements, “look books” and “how to wear” sections
released by street wear brands such as Stussy, Supreme, Obey and Huff. The style of fashion photography adopted by
brands such as these seems to be a more informal relaxed one and shooting more dynamic scenes involving the model
being active are becoming more and more common. I have researched the fashion photographer Tyrone Lebon, who
shoots for Stussy, and noticed how he uses this same kind of style and has said he often allows the model to decide
where the photo-shoot takes them so it is more of a joint adventure than a photographer dictated task. I feel this
approach gives a relatability to the target demographic and allows them to see the clothing being worn in more of a
real life context, something that high end studio fashion photography does not offer.
I tried to adopt this informal style seen in a lot of contemporary fashion photography when doing my own shoot,
encouraging my model to be active. Instead of giving instructions on how to pose and where to stand I followed him as
he did what he wanted. For example he himself decided to pick up the scooter and play with it which in turn allowed
me to achieve what I believe to be some of my most natural looking and successful shots from my final photographs.
For some of my photographs I had my model dressed in clothes inspired by the 1960’s Skinhead subculture. The
Fred Perry polo shirt, Doc Marten boots, Harrington jacket and braces are iconic pieces of clothing with heavy links to
the Skinhead fashion movement as was the union flag featured in the backdrop of one of my photographs. In some of
the other photographs the model is stood in front of a brick wall, this architectural feature has connotations of the city,
in particular the working class estates where the Skinhead subculture was born and so works well in the way it fits
with the theme, but also as an aesthetically pleasing backdrop.
Following the 2006 drama “This Is England” and the 2010 Channel 4 spin-off “This Is England ‘86” the Skinhead
subculture has seen a slight revival, becoming quite fashionable and remaining so, with filming beginning on another
spin-off “This Is England ’90” soon. Because of these influences and current trends I felt it was relevant to use the
Skinhead subculture for inspiration.

14. Intentions and fitness for purpose.
I have always had an interest in photography and fashion and because of this I decided to choose fashion
photography as my application as it brought together two elements that I am interested in. I enjoy following current
trends and movements in society and have a good knowledge of fashion trends both current and from the past,
allowing me to gain inspiration as I did from the Skinhead fashion movement. When setting out on the task, I
wanted to use the knowledge and inspiration I had gained from certain types of fashion photography to produce
aesthetic images with my own style that could be used commercially.
I know that the presentation of the model is very important, fashion photography is, after all, mainly for
promotional and advertising purposes and so my model must look good and the photograph must look professional
in order to attract the right attention. I wanted my model’s look to seem relatable, accessible but also aspirational
and have my audience thinking that in the same clothing they could look as good. This would motivate an audience
to make a purchase and I believe I achieved this quite well. The photographs I took look professional. I think I could
have explored with the manual settings more to experiment with different effects and also could have taken more
photos in the daylight to see what effect that had on my photographs.

15. Technical Competence.
During my photo shoot I had to consider what camera settings to use in order to achieve the best results
with my photographs. I found that when shooting at night it was quite difficult to get the right settings without
using the flash to help light the subject but after a period of experimenting and trial and error I produced some
good photos.
With this kind of photography a large aperture is often used to shorten the depth of field. This can blur or
soften the background whilst keeping the foreground of the image in sharp focus. The softening of the background
can minimalise distraction from the main subject and the contrast between blurry background and sharp subject
can make the subject stand out and attract the most attention. I used this theory in most of my images setting a
large aperture to allow me to get a shallow depth of field. This worked particularly well with some of my
photographs featuring footwear when I made the aperture large allowing for a very close up shot with a crisp
foreground against a very blurry background.
With the majority of my photographs being shot at night I had to use quite a high ISO. This allowed the
camera to pick up light better and so illuminate my images. I used the flash in some cases and so could make the
ISO slightly lower allowing their to be less grain which in turn improved the quality of the image slightly. In the
images where I did not use the flash however, the grain was not too bad and the images still came out well as long
as I set a higher ISO.
I kept the white balance on automatic for all of my photographs because, after experimenting with all the
manual settings I deemed appropriate for the light conditions present, the automatic setting was still producing
the best results.

16. Creative Ability.
I believe that this photography task has really brought out and developed my creativity as it is something I
am very interested in and enjoy. I have enjoyed researching other photographers and exposing myself to different
ideas, techniques and sources of information and have adopted many of these new influences into my own
photography.
One of the main ways my creative ability had developed is through gaining inspiration from other existing
fashion photographers who I admire such as Tyrone Lebon and Terry Richardson. Terry Richardson shoots almost
exclusively in a studio with an all white background and I think this gave me the inspiration for the very passive
backdrops present in many of my photographs, focusing the attention on the subject. Both photographers also
seem to share an informal style trying to get naturalistic looking photographs, another aspect of their photography
I try to replicate.
I think that gaining a better understanding of the camera and how it works also helped with my creativity as
I could get better results with some of my photographs by tailoring the settings to my needs. Becoming better with
the post production side of things also aided my creativity as I could add effects and improve images in ways I
would not have known how to do before. For example in the photographs of the trainers I researched how to
eliminate dirt from an image and seamlessly clean it up. In doing so I progressed from merely using the paint tool
to cover the unwanted grime badly, to using the clone stamp, a tool I had never heard of before. This tool uses
selected pixels to cover up unwanted ones adding not only a colour match but also the correct texture and shade
blend, something that the paint tool is not sophisticated enough to do.
I have learnt more about the science of photography; what works in a photograph and why, for example
leading lines bring the eye into the photograph and geometrical shapes can help to frame a subject or draw
attention to certain aspects of a photograph (e.g. the rule of thirds). In the photograph with the Union jack I stood
the model in the middle because the stripe in the middle framed him and all the other lined lead towards him.
Deconstructing images in this way has helped me to decide how to take my photographs and where to frame other
elements of the shot that could help the overall composition.

17. Time Management.
I believe my time management as a whole has been good for this assignment of work. For the week of
production I was not at college so was unable to take the photographs but caught up quickly on my return,
producing the photographs and beginning my post production editing quickly. I did not feel too under pressure, but
there was a higher sense of urgency to get my photographs done quickly. This may have effected the planning and
time I put into them. If I had been at college the week of production I would have had a lot more time and may
have been able to take photographs in a variety of settings, at different times of day to see what results I could
have achieved. From here however, once caught up, I did not fall behind again and have completed everything I set
out to complete.
In the future I will formulate a better contingency plan in case of the event of my absence so I can give
myself a larger amount of time to work on my images.