Sunday, July 08, 2007
WANTED: FASHION STREET PHOTOGRAPHER
For a dash of added spice to our city life, especially for our local women, I think we need to have a fashion street photographer like The New York Times' Bill Cunningham, who, according to PopPhoto, is "the almost invisible but all-seeing eye of the fashion world, catching images of its traveling troupe of characters—models, designers, stylists, celebrities, and acolytes. Shooting at the corner of New York’s 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, he has captured fashion’s real life. His images, seen in the New York Times, suggest an awareness of the connections between the artifice of the self-conscious world of fashion and the everyday expressions of personal style."
It's a tempting enough proposition for me to even want to do it, but unfortunately, I don't know much about the fashion scene to become effective at it. But I'm sure we have enough fashion-conscious photographers out there who'd be up for such a fun job.
I'm also confident that our local broadsheets, such as The Philippine Star, would be receptive to such an idea and provide space for it -- a regular feature of sort.
I once knew of a couple of fashionistas back in New York who would always be on the lookout for Bill Cunningham; one was lucky enough to have finally run into him and had her picture taken with her brand new faux leopard coat. The next day, she frantically searched the New York Times' fashion section, and upon finding her picture, she immediately cut it out to get it framed professionally.
posted by Señor Enrique at 5:01 PM
22 Comments:
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said... Street fashion photography eh? Pretty cool, especially if it covers the entire spectrum of Philippine society. Women in duster dresses, fashion victims, etc. Hehe. Of course, you can't leave out the self-proclaimed fashionistas out there who often grace magazines and lifestyle sections of newspapers. But it would be great to also see what the ordinary folks are wearing. :)
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said...
another great street fashion photographer is the sartorialist, scott schuman...thesartorialist.blogspot.com
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Señor Enrique said... As long as the overall look is, as they say, well put together, Ced.
But mostly non-celebrities; ordinary local women looking as wonderful as can be as they go about their daily life:)-
Señor Enrique said...
Aaah, thanks much, anonymous! A very interesting side, indeed.
Hmmmm ... come to think of it, we should also add the local guys as in this site.-
said...
i'd rather we have a local William H. Whyte.
but then that probably won't interest the broadsheets.-
cga said...
pinoy street fashion photography... it's a brilliant idea. there's a lot of fashion sense here paired with a lot more fashion nonsense (i.e. people with no fashion sense at all, including me!). the pinoy women in dusters is an appealing concept :-)
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Francesca said...
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7246/759/1600/IMG_1022-1.jpg
yung photo dyan, pwede na kaya as fashion photographer's entry?
Taken from Italy.-
carlotta1924 said...
that's a very eye-catching photo. =)
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cacofonix said...
fashion photographers on the streets of Manila would definitely spike up the creative/glamour consciousness of its urban dwellers !:) errrrr, senor enrique allow me to correct you, i'm definitely not a pro photographer, not even remotely close to it.,,:). I do paint though (albeit tres tres amateurish) and from this discipline developed the habit of dissecting every little detail that comprise a picture/scene in order to come up with a more oft than not, viscerally-triggered visual perspective...:).
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Señor Enrique said...
A very interesting site, Urbano. I'm sure there is equal exposure given by the media on such concept, but not here though :) The New York Times often has features on this matter.
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Señor Enrique said...
I think it'll be a lots of fun, cga.
We always see those highly-polished fashion spreads (editorial and advertisements) so why not a street version, right?
A fashion editor friend of mine in NYC once traced the emerging fashion trends not so much in the designers' studios, but out there in the streets of New York.-
Señor Enrique said...
That will all depend upon the photographer, Francesca. If that's what he sees as the popular trend then that is what he'll have to share with his readers.
Again, it's all for fun.-
Señor Enrique said...
Thanks, Carla!
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Señor Enrique said...
A point well taken, Cacofonix, but don't you think it'll be fun to feature what our urban folks' favored style is?
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pusa said...
it's really a good idea to have a fashio photographer same with NYC's the sartorialist...
just yesterday i really find this cute gurl strutting her stuff along recto and i made tons of photos of her coz she really looked cute with her outfit.
maybe you should start one, and we can contribute some photos on the page? =)-
said...
Street Fashion Photography sounds like a good idea. It's not of the norm and I believe it can work out and be more provocative in its own ways.
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-= dave =- said...
Street fashion in the Philippine Star? I wonder how that would sound to Celine, the Star's fashion editor? If there's a decent sample, I guess it would sell, though I wouldn't know since I rarely read .that part of the paper. The online edition especially is sorely lacking in pictures.
In response to Urbano, I think urban design and architecture has more exposure in the broadsheets, since for instance the Star features them in the Saturday Lifestyle section. Again the lack of pictures in the online edition diminishes its impact.-
Señor Enrique said...
That's exactly my point, Pusa. There are many people out there who actually put a lot of effort into the way they look as they head out to go about their daily activities. Why not feature them in the papers, right?
However, for someone, especially for a man, to be able to do it effectively, he must be wearing a bonafide broadsheet press ID so as not to make the women in the streets uncomfortable. Bill Cunningham would actually stop his subjects and ask for their permission first. And since he's quite well known, the ladies are always flattered.
But just taking sniper shots of people out in the streets may sooner or later prove not be as much fun an activity.-
Señor Enrique said...
I agree with you, Kyels. It'd be lots of fun, especially for the fashion conscious folks of our cities. It's a way of celebrating their efforts in creating a colorful life for themselves.
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Señor Enrique said...
Also, Dave, it is quite tiring to see contrived fashion editorial features; whereas, street fashion photography projects more life and zest in both the clothes and the people wearing them.
Now I wonder, why there's a lack of pictures in such sections of the Philippine Star, Dave? Perhaps, no one thought of the idea before.-
said...
not really into fashion. i'd buy myself a pair of jeans only once every 2-3 years. :)
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Señor Enrique said...
That in itself is a fashion statement, BiyahengPinoy!
Interestingly, many people would pay lots of money for distressed jeans looking like they've had them for five years or so. In Japan, there was a time when old worn out Levis were going for lots of money.
