Phillip Wong Photography
Fashion Photography
The Art and the Commerce
The Art And Commerce
of Fashion Photography
Photography may be an art form, or a tool, in itself. But unlike painting or writing, it creates only what actually exists. There are other art forms that can leave reality and deal with imagination.So when photography crosses into fashion, landscape, architecture, nudes, dance, portraits, it has to begin with what actually exists, and then look to the looker’s perception of that reality.Fashion was a subject that I wasn’t raised with, but I had a sense of, from my father’s architectural calling, and his assimilation of the Bauhaus of Mies van der Rohe, and the philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright – “Less is more” (Mies) and “Form follows function” (Wright).But I was drawn into the melding of fashion and glamour and story of Helmut Newton. And the poetic composition of Akira Kurosawa.
As a tool, photography tells a story that crosses language barriers, boundaries of time and culture. It is immediate and can be lasting. Understanding how the impact can work, gives it greater power.
Editorial photography, should be like film, telling a clear, decisive, story that, from the photographer’s place, captures the emotion and thought, and from the audience’s position, discovers feeling, and enlightenment.
Fashion Editorial, is not JUST about the designer, the clothing, but who and what and where and how and when of the story – and how the audience feels (and later thinks). It is about character, time, place, and forever. Good stories never end. Everything else, is forgotten.
But photography as a tool, in anything, has to serve a function, in the most basic of situations. That does not mean it has to be done without thought, purpose, intent, and an awareness.
To show a designer’s designs, we have to KNOW what the designer does, why they do it, what they intend, intuitively.
To show a Brand, there is an identity, what connects the brand, to the audience. But in the e-commerce world, there also has to be an understanding of the customer who needs to see, understand, something they are taking a chance on.
The Editorial Voice: Xaymaca: Land of Wood and Water
Phillip Wong Photography
Xaymaca: Land of Wood and Water
Jamaica Production
Xaymaca: Verve Fashion Magazine
The Editorial Voice
Over the years, I have believed that in a Free World, with a Free Press, we must have thoughts, opinions, and they have to be grounded in the values of our audiences.
This does not mean pandering to them, telling them what to think, or feel, but offering them perspectives and views they hadn’t considered.
In 1962, David Lean released “Lawrence of Arabia.” Lean said that he wanted to take his audiences to places, and times, that they had never encountered. He showed them a young Arab monarchy, a land of sand and endless dunes. A land influenced by European wars in the 1930s.
Films, music, television, magazines, media all sought to do that, “take audiences to places and times, they never encountered.” Today we have the technical ability to do that, but not the storytelling ability to make it matter to audiences.
I have shot fashion with the intent of “making it matter.” But many other people and situations – all with the intent of introducing a “discovery,” to my audiences.
A new way of seeing. Fresh eyes. Nuanced opinion. Not just “feeling,” but “thought” and “consideration.”
Xaymaca is that: Why the name? The first Taino people exploring the seas between South and North America found the island of Jamaica, and called it Xaymaca. It’s history of Spain, Britain, independence, defines the culture and values of the country.
I still want to pursue fashion as editorial.
Final Words about
“Editorial.”
I have always recognized that editorial production, film production, publishing, events, are just as organizational and collaborative as building a company, a brand, a manufacturing plant, or a family. We identify what our story is, what are the angles, who are the participants, but also, how will it be budgeted or funded?
Creative endeavors are more flexible because they offer “creativity.” It is a democratic contribution to the work that drives forward – not chaos, but directed agreement.I use editorials to give companies and brands, opportunities they wouldn’t get without a much higher budget: to explore, discover, find what they like about themselves, and the markets that they want to pursue.
Years ago, I discovered the freedom of shooting with European press. They were willing to TRUST my ideas and visions, and were willing to trust the people I worked with, the agencies, models, and behind-the-scenes artisans. American publications operated like dictatorships, telling me what to do, how to do it, and constraining everything around us, because “they knew everything.” Unwilling to discuss, only to order. And always using money to get their way.
These works, are my visions. Try me.
