Friday, November 4, 2011

We're all artists...

Instagram, Hipstamatic, Incredibooth!

Retro, grain, bad exposure, burned corners, polaroid frames, I love it, it's fun, everybody looks great is their grainy, mysterious, artsy representation...

It's strange to think that we're sort of going back to the beginning of photography as far as look & feel is concerned though. Since it's invention, it evolved to be the best replica of what the eye could see. Photography captures everything, the smallest details, the unflattering pores & scars included.

Photoshop came next to solve all those beauty problems, and nowadays, almost every session people ask me: "You can fix this in Photoshop, right?"

Now the trend is quite obvious, all the apps out there simulate old cameras with all their defects: brilliant!

How does this reflect on fashion photography though? Are there two schools of photographers? Those who try to capture the truth (to be Photoshopped later on) and those who choose the grain, the flou, the less obvious lighting and tell a story? I usually find the first in high end fashion magazine editorials, polished, detailed, touched up... And the second in more underground, less known artistic fashion magazines where maybe the production budget was not as high.

Is one better than the other though? Will the trend given by consumers (of apps) follow in magazines as well? In Corporate communications? In recruitment?

I guess I've always put myself in the first category. Maybe it's time to try the other side?