A ~ Fantasy
Stranger Than Paradise
W Magazine (May 2013)
Photographer: Tim Walker
Stylist: Jacob K
Model: Tilda Swinton
The idea of visual veracity was once at the forefront of illustration and photography in fashion magazines, however that idea was soon superseded by photographers who sought to portray something more. Once you move away from documentary imagery and into the realm of artistic, or fashion, imagery, the game is quite different. The photographer becomes a story teller, seeking to capture a feeling, a mood, an idea. Fashion is in and of itself an intangible and elusive creature, so to pin it down in some singular clear series of images is close to impossible. Indeed in today's age of instant information, nobody really needs print images to have that accurate portrayal anyway, because we all see the clothes live the moment they hit the catwalk.
Better yet is to try and capture the feeling behind a fashion, or indeed to use fashion in order to create a feeling of one's own. Whether it be Tim Walker, Deborah Turbeville, Sarah Moon, or any other photographer, I am always drawn to those who create something more personal and emotive in their images (just as I am drawn to designers who create from a personal perspective, regardless of whether the aesthetic is one I would myself enjoy). In my mind fashion photography can not be simply about accurate portrayal, or some very clean cut catalogue style, because clothing does not exist in that state in real life. It is dynamic - in its visuality, and in its meaning. So I like when an editorial draws me in and allows me that brief, but wonderful, moment to lose myself in a different world. We all need a little bit of fantasy in our lives.
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