Kiki is one cool girl. She’s a high school senior at Vancouver’s magnet school V.S.A.A. (Vancouver School of Arts and Academics). Graduating from a school where the curriculum is based around the arts, she wanted senior portraits that reflected that sensibility— unique and artistic. Her spirit and enthusiasm are as infectious as her smile and…
Monthly Archives: September 2009
Wedding photography is a reflection of the times we live in. However, this does not mean it should be trendy. Just because you have the tools to alter an image in Photoshop doesn’t mean that you should. Take a step back. Look at the work of the Masters and learn what makes an image timeless….
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Interesting read, thanks for posting.
You mention “apart from the obvious give-away of clothing fashions” … fashions come around time and time again, in some form or another (yes, even the God-awful 80′s LOL) and so “timeless” is a relative term … some clothing is “timeless” (I still have my trusty pencil skirts)- a great photo will NEVER go out of fashion (read: Henri Cartier Bresson, Mario Testino, to name a couple).
But here’s the thing … were these photos “trendy” for their time?
Thanks for the comment. I think that we are talking about two things here. Fashion and image making. The point David was making is that these fashion images are NOT about a reflection of trendy photographic technique. It was about the content of the image, the way it was framed, the simplicity of black and white and the beautiful light.
These photos are NOT over processed. They are not cross processed or toned or retouched apart from the original vision of the artist. They are timeless in the sense that they are not a reflection of the photography trend that was present at the time. It’s about sensitivity, feel and LIGHT!
Agree. But then a girl IS allowed to crow over classy clothing ! LOL
Too many photographers these days try to polish mediochre images within PS … isn’t it a joy to get them bang on right in-camera?
These are beautiful images, Randy, thanks for pushing me to yet another great book purchase (or 2) 
FWIW, I still think these photos / poses were ahead of their time.
It is interesting to note that even with trends, things come back in style. What makes one trend timeless and classic. Why do certain clothing items never seem to go out of style? Something to ponder.
Two of my very favorite photographers, Randy… thank you for sharing David Williams very valid worries.
Form and light will always come first and we have to see it before we can photograph it.
Ever seen Lillian Bassman’s work?
She had the form and the light in her original works but decades later took some of them into the darkroom bleaches and made stunning new work out of stunning old work.
David is a class act, some of his ideas regarding family portraiture as family heirlooms have stayed with me. Still meaning to check out some of the classic fine artwork for posing and lighting ideas as well.
Found my way here through DWF Randy. This post is spot on, and very timely (in a timeless sort of way).
-E
“You cannot create great art without mastering your tools. Unless you transcend their influence, they will hinder your vision. Turning vision into art requires technique.” — Minor White I’ve always felt that getting it right in the camera is the most important step in creating great images. Too often you hear people comment “you can…
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Randy as you know I recently picked up the action set and the way you have them structured really makes you think about your image prior to shooting also. They are fantastic! I plan to give my clients an explanation of the process of processing soon on my site and I think it will be great to show them the vision, the sooc image and the completed art piece. Here is a recent shoot that I used the RK Fundamental set to process completely.
http://dennisbullock.net/2009/08/meet-kristi-2010-senior/
I have yet to pull the full power from the action set but I am really excited to continue working with it! Good stuff as always and I would love your feedback on the images.
Thanks Dennis. I’m glad you are enjoying the actions. Yes, there is much under the hood that will be realized as you use them and CUSTOMIZE them to fit your style. Instructions for customizing are included.
I took a look at your recent senior session and will contact you privately with my thoughts.
Thanks for the comment!
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Beautiful work, just gorgeous !
Thanks Gill…Kiki is a beautiful girl and was a lot of fun to work with. She has a LOT of expressions. I had an entire series of just facial expressions, but that could be a post unto itself.