One of the first things I saw after typing in 'Terry Richardson' was an article titled 'Is Terry Richardson an artist or a predator?'. This enforces my idea that his work is subject to be taken in the wrong way and to be discarded as the work of a perverted man. After looking deeper into his work and his personal work, I found that his personal work is a lot more graphic than his commercial work, often featuring himself naked and erect, that many find pornographic and misogynistic, and which can make viewers feel very uncomfortable. He has been called 'the worlds most fucked up fashion photographer' by the website jezebel, 'fashion's shameful secret' by the guardian and 'Americans next top scumbag' by wonkette. I personally disagree with these opinions, I feel it's narrow minded to ridicule his work because it makes some people feel uncomfortable.
Richardson has a very distinctive and recognisable method. Shooting his models head on, with a bright flash against a white wall. He excels something increasingly rare in fashion photography, what the designer of Tom Fords calls 'capturing a very real moment'. Richardson's own fame is due, partly, to his habit of including himself in shots of celebrities and partly to his formal consistency. I noticed that most people who are photographed alongside him adopt some aspect of his signature look, such as his glasses or thumbs up gesture.
No comments:
Post a Comment