Chalkie Davies was a British rock photographer known for his crystal clear shots of artists like Elvis Costello and the Buzzcocks in the new wave era. His photographs helped define the look of many classic rock albums through a style that brought to mind Technicolor Westerns, promising sharper thinking than the psychedelic era. Davies drew inspiration from earlier photographer David Bailey, who documented London's swinging scene. This photo of David Bowie from the 1970s demonstrates Davies' signature monochrome style and use of contrast to create a sharp focus on the subject.

1. Chalkie Davies
The British rock photographer Chalkie Davies is associated so strongly with the look of
many of new wave rock's classic recordings that it is fair to question whether the music
would have been the same without him. The presumption is based on the importance of
image in rock music, a point that certainly does not require extended stretching. In this
case it was the crystalline shots of artists such as Elvis Costello and the Buzzcocks, often
utilizing a colour mix that brought to mind a rich Technicolor Western from Hollywood.
In some ways it promised a sharper sense of thinking than the fuzzy, out-of-focus
heroes of the psychedelic era. The real source of inspiration was an earlier
photographer, David Bailey, associated with London's swinging scene in the pre-mod
years.
This photo was of David Bowie was
taken by Chalkie Davies in the 70s.
The photographer has decided to use
rule of thirds by placing the person on
the far left intersect of the photo but
also using props all in the left
intersect. Chalkie has also chosen to
make the image monochrome which is
trend you see throughout all of his
music photographs he has produced.
The shot of the image is a medium
shot and has been taken from an eyelevel angle. You can also tell that the
photographer has changed the
contrast of the picture to make the
whole image look sharper. The main
focus of the photo is David Bowie as
this is the first thing that draws
attention to your eye when you look at it. This has been done because there is nothing
distracting the eye in the right hand intersecting of the image.