I got out of the habit of my Wednesday Photographer Who Inspires Feature. Now that I'm somewhat back to a normal schedule, I thought it was time to get back to it.
First of all, if you spend any amount of time with me, you will know that I tend to get things mixed up in my brain when I'm trying to explain things. For example:
First of all, if you spend any amount of time with me, you will know that I tend to get things mixed up in my brain when I'm trying to explain things. For example:
- I went to the MAC counter a few months ago to get some new powder. The woman asked me if I knew what my color was and I said (fully assured I was dead-on the money) "NC-17." She looked at me for a minute and said "... that's a movie rating, not a powder color." Shoot! If anyone cares, my powder color is really NC-35.
- A few weeks ago, I was at a women's ministry dinner and Megan and I were talking about jewelry and designing wedding rings. I was telling her about a site I went to when Josh and I were dating. "It's so great, you can build your own ring from scratch! Check it out, it's www.westnile.com." .... nope. West Nile is a virus. The real site I was trying to tell her about was www.bluenile.com.
What does this have to do with a photographer who inspires me? This week it's Mario Testino. When I was googled his name, I put in "Mario Tostino." I love google... if you misspell something you're searching for, it has the reference at the top of the page that says "Did you mean: "mario testino" Yep. Sure did. Tostino is a chip. Thanks, google, for making me feel like an idiot. Now on to the reason for this post... [***edited: nope... Tostino is a pizza... see?! I can't get anything right!***]
A few weeks ago, Josh and I were at Barnes & Noble drinking coffee and looking at magazines. I had the March issue of Vanity Fair, he had some golf magazine. Anyway, in honor of their 25th anniversary, they have been doing a series of articles titled Masters of Photography, highlighting famous photographers who have contributed to their pages throughout the years. Last month's issue was the first one I read--it happened to be on Mario Testino, and it was so interesting. Rather than trying to sum it up (and get mixed up with my brain associations in the process), here are some quotes that have been stuck in my mind since I read the article:
"Indeed, if any fashioned-trained portraitist is considered photographic royalty, it is Testino. In 1997, when Diana, Princess of Wales, sat for what would be her last major portrait session, the photographer she chose was Testino, whose classic images of her were first published in Vanity Fair--12 weeks before she died in a Paris Car Crash...though Diana was the woman whom cameras followed everywhere, even to her death, it is Testino's images by which we remember her at her most glamorous... He has made some of the most photographed people in the world appear as if for the first time in his pictures."
That excerpt had me hooked, and the rest of the article is just as intriguing. My favorite quote of the entire spread is one Testino said in describing his work:
"'It's like the result of a formula in algebra... You document a moment that is so minimal--a split second. And many times I look at a laptop to edit my film: there aren't 20 pictures that are great. There's one.' The marvel of the photographic portrait, he insists, is that 'in our lives, that are 85 years, on average, a single moment can exist that synthesizes your whole being, who you are. What is magical [is] if you manage to capture in that moment your subject's joy, their kindness, their essence."
Awesome! I'm in a season where I'm intrigued by these type of photographers. The Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar contributors. I don't necessarily want to be a celebrity photographer. But I find myself studying the pages, and wondering how I can incorporate the feeling of expansive, luxurious sets and incredible fashion design to the stay-at-home mom, the senior just graduating high school, and the bride on her wedding way... using their own sense of fashion, in their own personal space, decorated in their own style.
By the way, I'm really hoping Vanity Fair decides to put these articles together in a book. It's one I would definitely have on my coffee table!
A few weeks ago, Josh and I were at Barnes & Noble drinking coffee and looking at magazines. I had the March issue of Vanity Fair, he had some golf magazine. Anyway, in honor of their 25th anniversary, they have been doing a series of articles titled Masters of Photography, highlighting famous photographers who have contributed to their pages throughout the years. Last month's issue was the first one I read--it happened to be on Mario Testino, and it was so interesting. Rather than trying to sum it up (and get mixed up with my brain associations in the process), here are some quotes that have been stuck in my mind since I read the article:
"Indeed, if any fashioned-trained portraitist is considered photographic royalty, it is Testino. In 1997, when Diana, Princess of Wales, sat for what would be her last major portrait session, the photographer she chose was Testino, whose classic images of her were first published in Vanity Fair--12 weeks before she died in a Paris Car Crash...though Diana was the woman whom cameras followed everywhere, even to her death, it is Testino's images by which we remember her at her most glamorous... He has made some of the most photographed people in the world appear as if for the first time in his pictures."
That excerpt had me hooked, and the rest of the article is just as intriguing. My favorite quote of the entire spread is one Testino said in describing his work:
"'It's like the result of a formula in algebra... You document a moment that is so minimal--a split second. And many times I look at a laptop to edit my film: there aren't 20 pictures that are great. There's one.' The marvel of the photographic portrait, he insists, is that 'in our lives, that are 85 years, on average, a single moment can exist that synthesizes your whole being, who you are. What is magical [is] if you manage to capture in that moment your subject's joy, their kindness, their essence."
Awesome! I'm in a season where I'm intrigued by these type of photographers. The Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar contributors. I don't necessarily want to be a celebrity photographer. But I find myself studying the pages, and wondering how I can incorporate the feeling of expansive, luxurious sets and incredible fashion design to the stay-at-home mom, the senior just graduating high school, and the bride on her wedding way... using their own sense of fashion, in their own personal space, decorated in their own style.
By the way, I'm really hoping Vanity Fair decides to put these articles together in a book. It's one I would definitely have on my coffee table!
