Research on the Concept of Fashion and Beauty Photography

Abstract

It is a fact that many individuals as well as organizations use fashion and beauty photography to express various ideas and feelings, making it entail some unique features that enable it to acquire enough relevance as a discipline. This research intends to bring out some facts surrounding the meanings and relationships that connect beauty and the whole art of fashion and photography, giving an insight on how the concept of beauty and fashion in photography can be not only acceptable but also beneficial to every interested party in the photography industry.  As such, it will begin by giving out an introduction with a critical analysis of the research question before reviewing the literature related to the concept. It will then give out a summary of the research methodology, the findings and the recommendations on what can be done to elevate the visibility and wide acceptance of the fashion and beauty in photography.

Introduction

Unlike many people that think beauty and fashion photography are aimed at bringing out the truthful elements of the audience, its actual objective is having the ability of appealing to their respective hopes and perceptions. It is also important to note the various principles that play key role in catching the intended beauty of images, e.g. having the capacity of evaluating the function played by the brain in the decoding of information, and the proper and prudent usage of the available and relevant instruments in the capture of the beauty in a particular image.

The research question in this article is “what makes a picture beautiful?” This question proves appropriate to this study in that it helps capture the detailed characteristics of beauty, which makes it such a key concept in photography. The objective of this study is finding out the perfect answer to this question by exploring the components of beauty/fashion photography.

Literature Review

Rubenstein, Langlois and Roggman (2002, 78), state that determining the meaningful part of an aspect, is both the genesis and the key pillar of fashion and beautiful photography as a sub-discipline. They confirm that until the photographer manages to capture the authenticity element in fashion photography, they may not be able to bring out the beauty aspect as expected. Besides, Apicella, Little and Marlowe, (2007, 1815) add that good, quality and efficient lighting is another primary feature when it comes to beauty photography, without which failure of capturing a beautiful shot is to be expected. Finally, Daniel and Stephen, (2014, 1) talk of the power of beauty in photography, illustrating how moments of intimacy can come about as a result of the combination of the photographer’s passion, and the model’s beauty and belief in the former, clearly showing how strong beauty is in fashion and photography.

Research Methodology

The main research designs applicable in this study are the review and descriptive designs. The geographical region of concern is the USA, and two randomly sampled beauty photographers in the area will make up the sample size. Qualitative data collection methods, i.e. interview and observation, as well as qualitative analysis methods, i.e. inspection, classification and comparison of the data will be useful.

Data Presentation

Under observation method, we viewed how four different photographers balanced the concept of portraiture and fashion, and the connection they initiated with the subjects to attain perfection in their beauty photography. Nevertheless, an interview given to one of the respondents asking how great beauty photography can be achieved and challenges associated with this discipline in the photography industry. The first interviewee confirmed that beauty actually has power in fashion photography, and that not only enough but also quality and regulated light is a requirement in capturing the good beauty images. The second respondent stated that lack of concentration on critical aspects and principles of beauty and fashion photography is the core challenge in the attainment of desirable and acceptable beauty photography. He also brought to our understanding the fact that the determination of the beauty in a picture is relative to individuals even though there are some specific elements accepted universally by every person.

Data Analysis and Recommendations

The data attained above insinuate that the concept of beauty photography is more complex than it appears, and thereby requires more than just a connection between the photographer and the subject. Additionally, it is clear that the beauty in a picture is made of more than just what can be seen physically, and it is unavoidable to find something meaningful if the photographer intends to find something beautiful in his captures. It is as such recommended that every person interested in discovering the secrets of beauty or fashion photography takes keen interest in abiding by the principles and policies of beauty photography in particular.

Conclusion

Beauty in fashion and photography has not only drawn a lot of attention recently in the fashion and design and photography sector, but has also raised many interests in as far as the perfection of the art is concerned. this research has tried to establish a revelation of what links fashion to photography and the problems that have made it difficult for the concept to be brought to perfection. It has proved the fact that beauty photography is a vital emerging discipline in the wide fashion and photography field.

References

Apicella, C.L., Little, A.C., and Marlowe, F.W. 2007. “Facial averageness and attractiveness in an isolated population of hunter-gatherers.” Perception 36, 1813–1820.

Daniel H., and Stephen J. D., 2014. “Reasons to not be ugly: full transcript”. Freakonomics.

Gough, L., 2011. C. Northcote Parkinson’s Parkinson’s law. Oxford, U.K: Infinite Ideas Ltd.

Hoss, R.A., and Langlois, J.H. 2003. Infants prefer attractive faces. In O. Pascalis & A. Slater (Eds.), The Development of Face Processing in infancy and early childhood: Current perspectives. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Lorenz, K., 2005. “Do pretty people earn more?” CNN News, Time Warner.

Rhodes, G. 2006. “The evolutionary psychology of facial beauty”. Annual Review of Psychology. 57: 199–226.

Rubenstein, A.J., Langlois, J.H., Roggman, L.A. 2002. “What makes a face attractive and why: The role of averageness in defining facial beauty.” In G. Rhodes & L.A. Zebrowitz (Eds.), Facial Attractiveness: Evolutionary, Cognitive, and Social Perspectives: Westport, CT: Ablex