JackBryant11: February 2010

Scott Schuman (3 of 3)

In Schuman's interview, he draws a necessary distinction between fashion and style. Style is a very important part of what we are as humans. We can learn a lot about some one just by defining their style. Fashion is what is popular in the now. In the art form of fashion design, I see style to be a much more important factor in ones presentation. Style is based down to a persons being, their physical appearance they cannot effect. Style is also based off of a persons life events and how they have effected them. Fashion is based off of the now, and the consciousness of society. Both fashion and style are the two elements in fashion design and appearance, but to me, style seems to hold much more of an importance in ones appearance.

This woman's physical appearance is rather unreal, her style follows.

Scott Schuman (2 of 3)

Out of the photos on the Sartorialist blog, this image is my favorite. This picture was most likely taken in a studio with a plane backdrop. Usually, Schuman chooses to photograph on the streets of a city. Because this photo is not, it reminds me of a old time portrait. This choice of setting may have been a smart decision by Schuman to create a Ol' time effect. This is Schuman again matching the style of the subject matter, with a setting that matches the style.

A question that often comes into my head when I see Schuman's photos is; how much work is the model doing, and how much instructing is Schuman doing? In this photo, the model's expression is perfect in matching, the clothes, lighting and other elements of the photograph. Because of this, we the viewer truly believes that this is the models true self and style. It seems as though that if these models are actors, this perfection could only be achieved from the skill and instruction of the photographer.

Scott Schuman (1 of 3)

Schuman's skill of photographing models, comes from a great understanding of his subject. In the interview "the Making of the Sartorialist" Schuman says himself, "I have a real understanding of clothes, how they work and how they should fit." This understanding of fashion, crosses over into his photography. Consistently in Schuman's photographs, he captures and matches the style of the model with the context of the photograph. In his photos, he also displays a mood, which a certain evokes. In this photo, Schuman is photographing a older man wearing a tan coat. In my opinion, the style of this older man evokes a happy but professional feeling. The setting that Schuman photographed in somewhat matches the man's coat. This blending in effect may say something about the man's casual clothing.