seminar task 2

The set of images from Daniel Riera (Vacation) 2012 for fantastic man are clear and have a strong sense of fashion when you look at them. the way in which the photographer has created the set really make it a stylised set of images, while there are many things that contribute to how the set gets this feeling across it is the poses of the models that really imposes the clothing. Bright bold and crisp colours are used throughout the set and there is a strong emphasis on line which creates a feeling of conformity. the photos carry a certain unprofessional angle to them and i think this adds to the overall style of the set. After looking at this set it was apparent that there was something that was not necessarily initially visible that was putting a slant on the images and on closer inspection it became clear that the models posses where offsetting something within the images creating a slight juxtaposition. As the set itself focuses mainly on the garments worn by the models and the location that they are in the fact the model fits in in a genuinely realistic way creates a slightly uncomfortable feeling as these poses wouldn't usually be related to this genre of photography. A false , artificial facial expression is used in most of the images and this indirectly creates slightly uncomfortable sense of happiness and the clothes worn by the model also try to make the viewer relate these clothes to health and happiness and the models appear to be all of this and more. "Moreover, the traditional distinction between realism and idealism is passed over in the gestures and postures of fashion photography, as it represents neither the real world nor an aesthetic ideal" i feel this quote makes a lot of sense and relates to what this set represents as the set shows what a vacation should be like, wearing your best clothes in a nice sunny environment with a large smile on your face.

Compare this to the set Cruise by Andreas Larsson 2012 where there is a altogether different approach to fashion photography it is clear that although many things within a set can be different but the gestures and poses adopted by the models can create a very particular set of associated emotions. As the sets both carry a holiday theme it makes the differentiation between the two sets not as clear but the way in which the photographer uses the models gestures makes the set carry and altogether different emotional attachment. in this set the models look into a mirror while creating a pose that almost seems like they envision them selves to be in the perfect scenario while wearing these clothes. So these poses almost take the models out of the actual image and put them into a unknown ideal. The fact that the set is in black and white takes away something from the image but we can almost make an assumption about what colour they clothes actually are. the gestures give an impression that the models feel empowered by the clothes they are wearing which is similar to the Vacation set however it appears that by looking into the mirror the models are reassuring themselves that they still look happy and healthy and i feel that this relates to the quote used earlier as the photographer is trying to create a sense of realism and by using appropriate posses it becomes less about environment and more about emotion and association as we can all relate to looking in the mirror for our own approval.

To conclude i would say that the two sets carry very different but at the same time similar techniques and ways of showing fashion but by using a particular gesture and posse the sets have an enforced overall meaning that people can relate to.