Sign of the Times

I was talking with a good friend the other day about the "trend" pieces in the New York Times and how they are usually a little behind the times (ahem, sorry, couldn't resist). My point in that discussion was that, if you're the New York Times, no one expects you to be on the cutting edge. Instead, when the Times writes about a trend it makes it true somehow...they are the arbiters of trends, not the hounds.

It was thus with much interest (and some glee) that I saw that the Times Style section today leads with a story about a trend in photography toward the increasing acceptability and collectability of "fashion" photos. Hmm, why does this sound familiar? Oh yes, that's right, American Photo highlighted the same trend in its Nov/Dec feature on everything "emerging" in photography.

So I guess my point is, although it's not that hard to be ahead of the Times with our trend pieces, it's nice to know that they agree that something is going on here. And nice to see even more examples of this new high-art fashion paradigm. Plus, they simultaneously hit on another topic we cover in the Jan/Feb American Photo (on stands soon): the booming collecting market in photography--even, and sometimes especially, fashion photography.

One thing I'm curious about, though, is how everyone else feels about this assertion:
 

A paradoxical dimension of the current lively interest in the field is that the innovative spirit and visual daring of the late ’90s — when many photographers were mining their personal lives as well as the weirder byways of pop culture, including pornography, and were also eschewing technological wizardry in favor of raw emotional response — appears to have gone into retreat.

I've heard this from lots of people in the industry, truth be told, who, like the Times, point out that today's big fashion photographers were "already the establishment a decade ago." But I get the feeling that the people toeing this line just don't know where to look. Maybe Vogue and the like aren't publishing the most cutting edge fashion photography, but they also haven't been cutting edge in much else for quite some time. But there are so many tiny, independent, niche fashion magazine out there now...and some of them are quite innovative. And what about stuff that isn't really even a magazine...websites, DVD magazines (like Fly), etc. Where should we be looking when we look for the next revolution in fashion photography? Suggestions welcome.

~Miki Johnson

(Photo: © Guy Aroch, an image from our fashion photography story)

Comments

[Stupid Photographer]

As with everything smartly hip, like Web 2.0, Fashion 2.0 will come from the stupid street.

[J.M. Giordano]

Miki,
I co-publish an on-line magazine (linked to my name) that highlights fashion.and emerging photographers. This is the way of the future. More and more magazines are afraid to take a chance on young talent. And the mags that are niche and hidden in the far corners's of the mag shop.
Another awesome on-line fashion mag is zoozoom.com.
Why doesn't State do a column on on-line only fashion mags?