Nick Knight and Seamus Murphy compare and contrast
The next step in his career was when he was asked by I-D magazine to create 100 portraits for the 5 anniversary issue . This is where his career in the fashion industry seemed to really begin , when from this his work caught the eye of marc ascoli who then commissioned him to shoot the 1986 catalogue of Avant garde by Japanese designer yohji yamamoto . This step seemed to lead him away from his first collection images using the skin head to now be part of the up and coming fashion industry of the 80s. through out the years after this nick then became one of the world’s most influential and visionary photographers of today. Thought out his career knight has worked his way up to now work for vogue where he has been shooting covers since 1993 . he has photographed many a list celebrities from Victoria beckham and yoko to his shoots with Kate moss who he has shot 14 covers over the years. Nicks fashion work on these covers I think stands out because he shots bright bold images that have a deep out line in which you can almost follow the lines and shapes of the subject around the image which I think draws you in . I also think the way in which you can see the eye contact and emotion between him and his subject draws you into image which I think is an important skill to have as a photographer because the closer relationship you have with your subject the stronger the image I think.
Knight has also produced other collections of images in 2009 he released A 12 year retrospective flora , this is a series of lower pictures . in this he stunning images of flowers this images he manipulated to look like the colours were almost washing away as they changed shape and form . this I think gave the images a creepy feeling to them with them looking like the colours almost trying to escape and in doing this it changes the shape and form of the flower which to me changes to a mixed narrative with the story behind this being what ever the on looker interprets the change in form to show. To me I think this shows almost a sadness and a constant want to escape from an original form . although these are again a different style to the fashion images that he produces I think you can still see a link in his thought process with the way he transfers the colour bursts from this collection into some of his fashion portraits. For example in his collection War the he published on SHOWstudio . The exploding reds in this to me are almost like the ideas from his flora collection exploding out of this collection . which I think shows a strong link in his work and ideas for work.
Exhibitions:
Knight has had his work displayed in many of the world’s biggest international gallery’s :
Tate modern
V &A
Saatchi
He also has a permanent insulation – plant flower at the national history museum London .
SHOW studio – website
Showstudio is nick knights fashion website that he started up in 2000 – The home of fashion. This in his own words “is showing the entire creative process from conception to competition”. This website is to not only for showing his latest fashion contracts and shoots . But to also show fashion films that knight has either made himself or has collaborated with others to make. These videos are used some times to explain and document some fashion shows and collections . but the mostly as a way of showing his work other than just printing images or posting them individually on a website. This I think is a great way to show this with the videos and soundtracks that are mixed with this making them more eye catching. This website since its realise has become one of the most popular fashion based websites on line with its wide variety of eye catching videos and stills by nick and also pieces that have been collaborated with celebrities such as Kanye west and lady gaga.
Other works
Nick has also produces work for album covers for high end celebrities such as bjord , elvis Costello , boy George , david bowie , lady gaga , gwen Stefani , Cheryl cole , etc .
Music videos : knight has also direct several music videos :
First – Bjork pagan poetry 2001
Lady gaga born this way 2011
Kayne west bound 2 – 2013
This videos and other collaborated work with this artists are a small amount of the videos that are shown on show studio .
Through out looking through knights work I have found that even though the topics in the type of images he choses to produce seem to be really distanced from each other at a glance but after researching and studying several of his pieces I feel that you can see a strong link between his work . except for his first piece , skinheads that I feel strays from what is now seen as his colourful in your face surreal style that he produces . for example his flower and flora work I feel links with the fashion work with the use of bright running colours. This almost looks like the colour explosion from the flora work are exploding from the subject. This I think represents the deep powerfulness that comes from his work , with the use of surreal expression with an almost abstract look . I feel that the categories of his work link in with the power and the in your face feeling weather its by using the bold bright colours or the direct eye contact between the subject and knight in his portrait work. This is one of the main things that I love about his work because the power of the image with the direct line between model and photographer seems to draw you into the image . which to me makes you study and look into the narrative in the image and the detail . I think that his surreal images with the explosions of colour also drag you into what seems like a dream world of fantasy and surreal colours scenes.
Digital manipulation
Through out knights work he uses a lot of photo manipulation in out of camera editing to create his surreal images. This is one of the things I looked at after using some of his ideas for inspiration in my own work , because this links with the experimental side to my project . i feel that his images are a great example of image manipulation because the individual images that he puts together to create this blend together into one piece with no clear signs other than the surreal ness of the images to show that these have been pieced together. This I think is one of the hardest part when using photo manipulation to create images because you want to create a professional piece that blends well and doesn’t look pieced together badly.
His work has given me some of my inspiration for my final idea with the use of the bright lighting that creates the bold shape and clear outline that you can follow with you eyes on the back drop . I would like to use this in my own work to create bold shapes of the body parts of my models to create surreal and abstract images of the human form . but for my images I will be using black and white and not colour but I still want to give across the deep strong connection in my images that I feel I get from the sharp bold images of nicks .
All the images above show examples of nick knights many collections of work nick has show these in exhibitions using printed and digital and projected insulation. as well as this he uses the showstudio site that i have mentioned earlier in which he shows video and film : show studio web link : http://showstudio.com/contributor/nick_knight .
links to examples of nicks fashion video :
Seamus Murphy
Seamus murphy was born 1959 and grew up in ireland but is now bases him self in london. He works with as a photojournalist and also with film. His work has taken him travelling all the world for example , Europe , middle east , Africa and many more , photographing places and people . but overall his main focus being war which he has focused on from 1994 to 2004 in detail. In doing this he produced a project in Afghanistan using photojournalism to capture not only the devastation of war its self. But also the political side and the lives of the people behind the turmoil of war.
Film
He has produced a series of 12 films . This collection he colloborated with musican PJ harvey to accompany her album let england shake . These 12 videos were made to link with the tracks on PJ harveys album.
These videos I think show a clear narrative for each individual video / song , For example the film , The words that maketh murder I think follows a narrative of a fast moving life thats almost a blur.
This I think also shows the different sides to peoples lives and the way in which they live from the young boy going to war to then the couple dancing in what is seen as an everyday normal environment with out a care in the world.
I love the way this shows the even though we all live in the same world. we all live such different lives and in some way dont even realise what is going on around us out side of the bubble that we call our own lives.
comparing nick knight and Seamus Murphy :
comparing nick knight and Seamus Murphy :
After taking a detailed look in to the work of Seamus Murphy and Nick Knight, I have found that other than their use of the same mediums
. Their work is completely different in many ways. for example Seamus Murphy focuses on war photography where we works on location to photograph life as it happens, which will one day become a Historic document.
When planning his projects Seamus will have some control for example he will research or be told about situations like wars in many different countries. But from getting this information and traveling to said location he then looses all control and has to work on the spot and quickly to produce his images.
Seamus will be using natural light and possibly a flash gun, but will have his camera ready and set up for shots that will later be seen as a crucial moment that may happen whilst in the location.
Where as in Nick Knights work in fashion photography is at the opposite end of the scale. Because he picks his models and then photographs them in a controlled environment in a studio, where he stages his shots and lighting to make his own narrative.
I do feel though that both Seamus and Nicks images are powerful in their own ways, as Nicks fashion images give off bright, vibrant and surreal feeling that is in your face and exciting, with the added fictional narrative.
Where as Seamus' images whilst still being in your face, are taken to push a message by using real life events and natural lighting. to compose images that are still powerful, but give a sense of sadness and anger. As you see in the real un-edited world that we live in.
These points I think are also reflected in both Seamus and nicks film work. Where nick makes short films that are based around fashion and advertising with a more conceptual look.
Seamus' short films show reality and the difference between peoples lives and world events.
Overall I eel that both photographers/ film makers push the boundaries of their work to extremes and aim to produce the highest standard of work in their preferred field.
But one does this y using bright colours, staging sets and fictional narrative (Nick Knight) and the other uses natural and real life events ad they happen (Seamus Murphy).
Through Studying and comparing Seamus Murphy and Nick Knight I have realised that whatever medium field you are in. to produce work that is powerful and interesting enough that the people want to explore. you need to push yourself and your ideas to create something unique.
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