Miles Aldridge - Photographer 5

Miles Aldridge is a photographer based in London who shoots fashion, he is also an artist. Aldridge has worked for many prestige magazine companies such as GQ, Teen Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, etc. Aldridge has also worked in advertising photographer for again quite prestige brands e.g. MAC Cosmetics, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, etc. In his work he seems to portray the women he photographs in quite a Stepford Wife manner, meaning then are also seen overly happy doing mediocre jobs, or straight faced in their every day routine, which they continue to repeat. He also uses location as a big sector to his work, the locations seem to always be quite original e.g. a court case, an art exhibit, a club. He makes these locations even more original with the hair and make up he photographs and how he leaves the women to be the focal point and as if they are the most important thing within the photograph. I have chosen this photographer because I am very intrigued in the setting he uses for his beauty photography and I feel that it makes a story for his photographs and emphasizes any characters he has attempted to create.

In this photo Aldridge has used a woman as a model and put her in a court setting, this is shown through the mise en scene of the image which shows a book which she lays her hand (in which most people know is where you take an oath before god to tell the truth) and microphones (which allow the audience of a court to hear her statement). I like how when making this photo Aldridge has considered colour and has made the court room very dull with browns (which they usually are), however has made the outfit of the model very bright blue which brings her out making her the focal point of the picture.

This picture has influenced me to consider a contrast of colours in the same way this image has, and use these colours to bring out a focal point, for example the bright colours against boring ones. This brings out the person making their outfit very noticeable, which works very well for fashion photography. This image has also influenced me to consider props in photography to create a scene, and to also arrange these props in believable setting to make the picture more believable and interesting.

In this image Aldridge has been quite indifferent by not actually making the model a literal model but by putting her on a mug shot and making her a prop of the setting, I really like this effect and I have not seen it done before. I like how the photographer has overlapped her picture with things making it seem very natural as opposed to being arranged. It also adds to the story that the woman is a suggested criminal, this denoted from the fact that she has a mug shot. This image reminds me of selective colour because whilst everything else is a noticeable colour the black and white still remains to be the most noticeable thing as it is indifferent and therefore stands out.

This image has influenced me to consider using pictures within my own pictures as a prop as I think it has a really nice effect and it is quite indifferent, esepcially in the content that it has been in this image, it has been use to add to the scenery and to create a story within the image. This image has also influenced me to think of a story for a shoot before completing it so I can brainstorm the different types of photos I can do and think of a suitable setting which will emphasize the narrative.

In this photo Aldridge has used the technique of blurring which works really well with the context as the woman is holding a drink and suggests she is drinking quickly and constantly so her vision becomes hazed, and we see this image how she sees herself, from her exact vision, almost like a mirror image. The use of the permed hair suggests she is quite domestic and therefore could be a housewife which leads to the story that she may be bored and that she uses alcohol as an escape. I like the form in this image as he has incorporated a formal element in his work, and I think it works well with the blurring as the shadow itself isn't blurred, suggest a conscience, however she comes out bigger than this shadow/conscience.

This image has influenced me to look at blurring in a different light, I have always thought of it to be quite a pointless technique and I would just rush past it when having to complete it for technique, simply showing that I have done it and understand it, however with this image I think it fits perfectly to build a narrative for this photograph and I really enjoy it when a photo has a story to it, which Aldridge seems to have down to a tee. This photo has also influenced me to use form for a deeper meaning as opposed to just not working lighting correctly as I think it can hold meaning to it, e.g. a conscience, a dark spooky vibe emphasizing a character, or even being followed or having two sides to a person.

In this photo Aldridge has seemed to use a blue back drop which to me suggests a night time. He has used a prop of flowers which to me, with the backdrop, seems as if the model is outside in her potential garden. Like the last picture, in this image the model is holding a glass of what is decoded to be alcohol, her hair is seen to be slightly out of tact and her face looks very bored. To me this picture suggests that again she is a housewife and sneaks off in the night to have alone time, and has grown very bored with. In this image Aldridge has again used form however in this picture I think it is to show how it is night time and how shadows are being formed through the use of moonlight. Overall I really like this image, especially the use of facial expression.

This picture has influenced me to consider facial expression when taking a photo as I think it can create a narrative within photography as in Aldridges photographs it can display how the model is bored or sad or happy, and through his use of prop the characters feelings can be emphasized. This picture has also influenced me to consider colour which can be brought out against other colours, for example the bright pink is very noticeable against the dark blue, this has been done on purpose and isn't simply an accident. This is a very bright outfit in the picture, and the field of work this is for is fashion photography, I think this is a very subtle way to show that it is a fashion photo however I think it is a brilliant way.

Overall I really like this photographer as I like the characters he develops and the way he shows them in a beautiful way. Despite this, still on a positive note, I find he incorporates the idea that being beautiful doesnt mean you have everything, as in his photography work a lot of his stepford wife models are seen drinking and with bored expressions, allowing me to decode the characters as they need excitement. I love Aldridges use of setting as I think he really thinks outside the box, for example the use of the court I found to be very unique and I think it really worked. I think his use of dull settings (which aren't dull in the photograph but are considered to be in real life) really brings out the beauty of the model and/or her make up, which is the aim of the shoot, therefore I think Aldridge is a brilliant, successful photographer.