Photography Essay - Fashion and Portraiture

Evaluate 2 photographers: Fashion and Portraiture, using examples, reference to historical and cultural reference.

«Feminity through the lense».

How do we define femininity? Is there a type of women we can mark as feminine and beautiful, or is there a culture, or an age limit? Recently all women have been unconditionally divided on supermodels and ordinary female. Models were idols of perfection and beauty, at the same time becoming muses of many photographers. Though ordinary women were not left a side, being photographed and idealized in a different way, with a great treatment of their spirituality and simplicity. To investigate two different ways of seeing beauty of women, I have chosen photographers of different spheres but same subject of unfeigned interest.

Portraiture and Fashion are the subjects with the most quantity of photographed female, but mostly I was interested in choosing a man and a woman, who were engaged with capturing femininity, but working in different areas. For Fashion photography I, without a doubt, have chosen Peter Lindbergh, as "a man who adores women". Germany born perfectionist, counted among the leading international fashion photographers of our time. For portraiture I was hesitating, but later found a woman, who could capture the most brilliant and charismatic women of our times. And she was not identified as a feminist, although inevitably leading feminists were included in her catalogue. Jane Bown is a very English photographer, who loves the esprit, the idiosyncratic independence and backbone of English women. Her appearance belies the sharpness of her mind and eye, but she knows it helps put her subjects at ease.

Comparing those two, stylistically different photographers, didn't seem to be a great deal, until you find their similarities, but not in the subject, but their techniques and feelings, while taking the photograph. They were both working in 2 different ways, of capturing femininity, but the pictures, contrasting each other, are absolutely alike. That, as a consequence, set up 2 different opinions about femininity and through the advertising and photography, divided this stereotype. Although, considering the fact, that Jane Bown was active during 60s-80s and Lindbergh during 90s, this can can be reviewed from the point, where women treated on different levels, during different decades. This picture of Diana Mosley, taken by Jane Bown in 1981, it was taken for her own collection, and for the book 'Women of Consequence' which was published in 1986. It is a beautiful portrait, which has got a hint of a background story. Diana Mosley, ex politician, leader and just one of the powerful women with strong spirit, one of the sisters of British Mitford family. Here, she