This year I decided I would like to put together an exhibition of fashion photography that would do a couple of things - at least! The first was to show that fashion photography, at it's best is a true art form, a fine art. As I pitched the idea to photographers, sometimes via their agents, I started saying I wanted to show that fashion photography was, 'not just for magazines and then the bin'. I wanted to show that fashion photography was not disposable imagery and that great creative photography was visual art worth collecting, well worth space on your wall. One of the main prompts for this idea - especially the role of Australia, was Brett Hilder's image that he has often referred to as 'Legs Over Ayres Rock' (Uluru 1976 - then known as Ayres Rock) which is one of my favourite fashion pictures and virtually unknown as I don't think it is part of any of the major gallery collections - god knows why, it really should be! So I certainly wanted to exhibit that picture - if Brett would let me? Thank you Brett. I then began looking around for other fashion photographs that featured something typically Australian - identifiably part of Australia or Australian identity.
Australia + Fashion Photography - Head On 2023
Fashion photography often embraces the generic in how it uses landscapes and location though of course there are exceptions - perhaps laughingly sometimes the only way to identify a location is by the description! 'Shot in pick-a-location' with the model against an unidentifiable beach/wall/garden or in an international modern hotel suite - the same in every major city. This is not the kind of picture I was looking for. I had recently connected with Tony Potts who had some stellar B&W fashion from the mid 1980s, and he was happy to come onboard. I followed up with an approach to Grant Matthews, Ditto. Australia, Beach, Bondi, these two had me covered. Liz Ham; who could forget her Newtown Punks series which took that very English Punk ideal and yet somehow transformed them into emo-esque Aussie larrikins, though here we have some young women with chickens. Juli Balla bringing a European sensibility to the Australian light and dare I say, an approach to colour and modulating her landscape in a way not dissimilar to the approach of the early European painters when representing the Australian countryside, well mannered, and never too wild. And I have some pictures in the show, from two stories set in Costal and Bush landscapes, both places a deep part of the Australian psyche. Michele Aboud brings a famous Australian to the Australia theme and the saturation of the blue Australian sky as a feature of the land down-under. The exhibition is Co-curated with Head On Director Moshe Rosenzveig OAM.
Fashion Photography by Kent Johnson - Bondi Beach Promenade - Australia + Fashion Photography
The pictures are on show now 11 Nov 2023 - 03 Dec 2023, Bondi Beach Promenade Queen Elizabeth Dr Bondi Beach. I also interviewed each of the photographers about their pictures in the exhibition and the information I uncovered about their inspiration and ways of working are, I think absolutely fascinating. The first 30 minute edit of the interviews can be seen or listened too on YouTube here
Best viewed on Bondi Beach - perhaps while listening to the YouTube interviews above.
Photographs by Michele Aboud - Bondi Beach Promenade - Australia + Fashion Photography
Juli Balla (middle 3) - Bondi Beach Promenade - Australia + Fashion Photography
Grant Matthews - Liz Ham - Bondi Beach Promenade - Australia + Fashion Photography
Brett Hilder & Tony Potts - Bondi Beach Promenade - Australia + Fashion Photography
Photographs by Liz Ham - Bondi Beach Promenade - Australia + Fashion Photography
Thanks to Director Moshe Rosenzveig and the Head On Photo Festival Team & to the photographers in the show, Brett Hilder, Grant Matthews, Juli Balla, Kent Johnson, Liz Ham and Michele Aboud - there would be no show without you. https://headon.org.au/exhibitions/australia-fashion-photography
This shoot started with an email in July or August last year, about shooting a range, in 2022. It seemed such a long lead time, I wondered if it would happen. We had a mood board. A long siesta.. then back to it. The words were Lingerie and The Hunger Games, the mood board inspo was elegance. I found some good location options. Then as we closed in on our shoot date the weather really turned on us. We started thinking studio - then my partner suggested hotels. Of course! I've been shooting them for White Caviar Life for years now, how did this not occur to me; an interior location for around the same cost as a studio!
We went with The Old Clare Hotel which has an inspired mix of old and new - and - heating! I dialled that thermostat up to 28 C the minute I got in the room. Our talent for the shoot was dancer, Micaela who was a great choice for our story in four outfits.
Click Pictures To View Large
I was looking for moody, not dark, vintage but not old fashioned.
We changed it up a bit, or laid it down.. the model anyway - with her feet up.
We shot four looks and included front and back shots and worked on capturing key details. Like the splits in the pants in the opening shot of this blog. The fabric panels, the shape and drape of the sleeves. Look at those sleeves! How can you not want to find a way to feature them, so beautiful! I'm glad we opted for the room. Though it was not as large as a studio, it gave us enough of the world to help us tell this fashion story, a little mystery, moody though not dark, vintage but not old fashioned.
I am please to announce that I am part of a curated exhibition here in Sydney this Thursday the 3rd of November! I know this Thursday is a very busy art evening, however do come along and see my work my work 'Fast Food From the Freeway' as part of the Click exhibition at Badger & Fox Gallery. The show is a mix of classic photography and contemporary including my friend and mentor Brett Hilder and friend MikiNobu Komatsu. The three of us cover Cuba, Sydney & Brisbane so lots to see right there, please join us, I look forward to seeing you there. The rest of the show really is a who's who of photography so it's not to be missed even if you cannot make the opening night festivities.
You know this just might have been my dream job for the next year or two. Regular income, regular shoots for clients(??) A 40 hour week (well so they said). All you had to do was apply. Well no actually you had to tender for the role - but don't worry you won't need to work out how much to charge us, we have 80K for the role and its all yours. You just have to do your own Super, pay your insurances, indemnify the City against anything that might go wrong along the way, waiver all rights to the images, may be used for international marketing purposes, you may have to meet short deadlines, the hours may be outside office ours, etc etc. OK maybe not the dream job I had been dreaming of; not for that sort of money and I have serious doubts the job can be done in 40 hours a week; well maybe occasionally, and that's without any solid briefs to go by. Good point; how to decide if it's a year of grip-and-grin event work (which would be about about triple the 80K at least in the commercial market if you had the hours) or some sort of even more profitable commercial work. 80K, you aren't looking so good; and its not really a job; you get "embedded" with the council. At least it's Sydney not Iraq!!!
So I decided not to apply for my dream job, but I did think it would be a good exercise to put together a presentation of Love You Sydney photographic work. After all I have been shooting my personal project Street Fashion Sydney since 2008 and have been invited to lots of great fashion & marketing events, and like everyone else I have done my of share grip and grin shoots too over the years. But what would the panel be looking for? Apparently "MORE than just documentation" "creative" "photography". Hell I reckon that's my main problem, I have been a little too creative for way too long; and I feel like I haven't even gotten started! So from over 300 Street Fashion Sydney blog posts, and a few shots that have never been seen before here's the portfolio that might have, or might not have put me on the short list. BUT If YOU like what you SEE - I'm here in Sydney, I am still freelancing, and I am taking bookings direct right now. Better call Saul? Hell No, call me!kent@artcommuniation.com.au 0433 796 863
My location photo shoot for Baraka Women's Fashion label was produced a little before Ksenija landed her new gig with !E Australia. Congratulations Ksenija! I am thrilled about your new role.
It's always great working with designers and models who really do live their dreams.This is my fourth photo shoot for Baraka and our first on location. The beautiful textured wall was chosen to reflect a change in direction for the designer while not being a 'complete outdoor' departure from the indoor studio look of our previous shoots. All images are for use across the designers web site and social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram and traditional media.
Client, Baraka
Model, Ksenija Lukich at Chic
Hair and Make Up, Friederike Letzin
Book your Campaign with Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.
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