Surrealism and Photography
- Hannah Allport
- Dec 7, 2016
- 2 min read
For the last stage of the FCP triangle , the execution stage, my group were given an existing vogue editorial by Tim Gutt as I wrote about in my last blog post. This brief triggered a further interest for me into surrealism and the post production that can transform photographs. Photoshop is not something I am very familiar with. I used it briefly in my A levels but being an FCP student, it is something that I am excited to develop my skills in. When identifying key themes and elements of Tim Gutt’s star signs editorial, surrealism was a key theme in both the editorial and in his photography in general. The surrealist movement in art was established in the early 20th century and aims to release creativity in the audience by making them think outside the box. Surrealists do this by creating juxtaposition in their photographs through elements such as scale and objects. This is an element of surrealist photography that I particularly like. From a previous task I was set, researching various fashion photographers, I discovered the genius of Tim Walker. I am a great fan of his surrealist photography and I like how he incorporates the theme of fantasy in his work. His close work with set designer Shona Heath is a perfect partnership as their combination of styles creates photographic masterpieces that stand out amongst the rest. Shona Heath also worked alongside Tim Gutt in the star sign editorial for Vogue 2010, which I think is part of the reason I like those images as much as I do. She was able to create a simplistic, modern set that encompassed the themes of fantasy and surrealism perfectly through the use of props and colour scheme.
From this project I have developed a wider understanding of fashion photography and elements that go into creating great photography. It has taught me factors that I must consider when conducting my own photoshoot and which I did when creating the photographs as part of my execution brief, such as lighting, location, props, models, post production and colour.
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