When it came time to pick a photographer for PB1 (one that would hopefully inspire our future photographs for PB2) I was overwhelmed, who was I gonna pick?

I decided to look at my art blog for inspiration as it features hundreds of my favourite works from various photographers, painters and sculptors etc. This was an easy way to source a photographer whose work I already loved and was familiar with.  I wanted to find a photographer whose work encompassed some aspects of my preferred approach to photography.

Cecy Young stood out quickly, she often photographs fashion editorials but does so with a unique and distinctly ‘her’ aesthetic. Her aesthetic is bold, colourful, high contrast and edgy but at the same time technically refined, simple and inventive. I like how Cecy is experimental, but operates within a set of known principles. Her work is not total madness, it’s madness with a refined aesthetic – which I’m totally into.

Cecy’s work inspires me because I love fashion,  fashion photography and self expression. I also love how her work explores notions of gender and how we as a species consume images of other humans.

For my presentation I tried to address the main aspects of composition & technique that felt the most pivotal in Cecy’s work. For me this was Cecy’s use of leading lines, clashing colours, depth of field, playing with colour, non-conventional landscapes, use of lighting and a sense of the surreal, some example images are shown below.

 

Leading Lines:

 

Clashing Colours:

 

Depth of Field:

 

Playing with Colour:

 

Non-conventional Landscapes:

 

Lighting:

 

Sense of the Surreal:

 

Within Project Brief 2 I hope to fully encompass all of these aspects of Cecy’s work within my own photography, and will spend the next few weeks investigating exactly how I will do that. Wish me luck!

 

Until next time,

Louise Alice Wilson