Photography and Text by Ruoyang “Rose” Ni, Copyright 2016
.
IN COLOR
.
The set of editorial photographs intended to play with the concept of vintage fashion employing vibrant colors. For this assignment, I wanted to create over-exposed photographs with high contrast and high saturation to bring old fashion into contemporary time and lifestyle. The shot took place in Fisher Fine Arts library, on the UPenn campus where bold red blocks and delicate glass windows set the tone for the photographs.
The photographs created under the flash setting are chosen for effect. Long time exposures were also attempted on set, but this technique was not chosen; because the sense of crispness that flash can produce is masked and undermined by a warm shield from the ambient light that was also present on set.
For the purpose of the editorial, I asked my models to look for floral dresses, white silk blouses, loose pants and other items related to the concept of vintage fashion; however, since the photographs employed much color and sharp brightness/contrast, I styled the makeup and hair with a contemporary sense as a means to bring vintage fashion alive in modern time.
I also intended to narrate certain stories within the set of pictures I have created. Role play and storyline contributed to the playfulness of the images which allows the audience to further empathize with the emotion underlying the static moment.
Post production for this set of pictures came with very specific stylistic choices in Photoshop. As mentioned above, high contrast and high saturation are intended. Color for some of the clothing is manipulated to complement the background, and edges of the photographs are covered by a layer of brightness adjustment for a vignette effect. The set of adjustment are essential to create this tone that imagined how black and white vintage fashion can appear in color.
.
About The Author: Ruoyang Ni is a Sophomore enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, Class of 2019.
