Cough. Choke. Wheeze.
I'm coughing my insides out, I'm pretty sure I'm running a temperature, and I have the chills. And I just guzzled down the foul TCM medicine mom brewed.
God, I feel like crap.
Anyway, work is fairly ridiculous today. From 1pm to 7pm there were only 3 clients. You look at me, I look at you, both of us shaking legs. From 7 to 10:45, it's like an elephant having gastric flu - the shit just kept on coming. And coming.
Anyway, at least something good happened today - I came across the work of Richard Avedon - whom many consider to be the founder of modern fashion photography. His famous quote:
"All photographs are accurate. None of them are truth."
I think what he meant was that, while a photograph is an accurate, true-to-life depiction of the subject (compared to, say, a painting or a drawing), it is nonetheless artificial in that it is directed, composed and created by a person.
This is true for many photo journalistic work. Take, for example, the famous newspaper photo that was featured in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers.
Richard Avedon described the process of taking a photographic portrait extremely well. A portrait is basically a performance - like a play or ballet - captured as a still image. This is especially true for fashion photography, where usually the whole setting, light and the appearance of the model is directed and manipulated.
This is also true of portraiture. As much as a portrait is meant to be an accurate depiction of the subject, he or she is nonetheless coaxed, cajoled or simply instructed to be what the photographer desires to capture. Even though the focal point is the subject, much of the resulting photograph is the result of what the photographer himself perceive of the subject.
When asked what inspired him to do fashion photography, he mentioned that his household subscribed to fashion magazines and at some point he began to try to imitate the photos using his younger sister as the model.
I am suddenly reminded of a childhood memory, where I was in a park of some kind with my parents. My dad was interested in photography as a hobby, and he had a camera with him. And there, in the middle of the park, was a beautiful lady surrounded by photographers. My dad joined in to take a few shots, and I remember feeling very perplexed at what happened.
Why was the lady sitting there? Why were people taking photos of her? Why did my dad want to take a photo of a complete stranger?
Now I know it's probably a Time for Print session organized by some photography club. One of these days, I'm gonna ask my dad what happened to the photos taken that day. I'm sure he would be shocked that I remembered.
Richard Avedon had managed to reach the highest point that a career in photography can offer - he was making a handsome living from fashion and commercial work and had photographed celebrities and great historical figures - but what interested him most about photography was to tell a story through a portrait.
In this regard, he is an artist in all sense of the word.
"And if a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up. I know that the accident of my being a photographer has made my life possible." - Richard Avedon, 1970
God, I feel like crap.
Anyway, work is fairly ridiculous today. From 1pm to 7pm there were only 3 clients. You look at me, I look at you, both of us shaking legs. From 7 to 10:45, it's like an elephant having gastric flu - the shit just kept on coming. And coming.
Anyway, at least something good happened today - I came across the work of Richard Avedon - whom many consider to be the founder of modern fashion photography. His famous quote:
"All photographs are accurate. None of them are truth."
I think what he meant was that, while a photograph is an accurate, true-to-life depiction of the subject (compared to, say, a painting or a drawing), it is nonetheless artificial in that it is directed, composed and created by a person.
This is true for many photo journalistic work. Take, for example, the famous newspaper photo that was featured in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers.
Richard Avedon described the process of taking a photographic portrait extremely well. A portrait is basically a performance - like a play or ballet - captured as a still image. This is especially true for fashion photography, where usually the whole setting, light and the appearance of the model is directed and manipulated.
This is also true of portraiture. As much as a portrait is meant to be an accurate depiction of the subject, he or she is nonetheless coaxed, cajoled or simply instructed to be what the photographer desires to capture. Even though the focal point is the subject, much of the resulting photograph is the result of what the photographer himself perceive of the subject.
When asked what inspired him to do fashion photography, he mentioned that his household subscribed to fashion magazines and at some point he began to try to imitate the photos using his younger sister as the model.
I am suddenly reminded of a childhood memory, where I was in a park of some kind with my parents. My dad was interested in photography as a hobby, and he had a camera with him. And there, in the middle of the park, was a beautiful lady surrounded by photographers. My dad joined in to take a few shots, and I remember feeling very perplexed at what happened.
Why was the lady sitting there? Why were people taking photos of her? Why did my dad want to take a photo of a complete stranger?
Now I know it's probably a Time for Print session organized by some photography club. One of these days, I'm gonna ask my dad what happened to the photos taken that day. I'm sure he would be shocked that I remembered.
Richard Avedon had managed to reach the highest point that a career in photography can offer - he was making a handsome living from fashion and commercial work and had photographed celebrities and great historical figures - but what interested him most about photography was to tell a story through a portrait.
In this regard, he is an artist in all sense of the word.
"And if a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up. I know that the accident of my being a photographer has made my life possible." - Richard Avedon, 1970