Mario Testino or not

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I was in London in 2002 and was lucky enough to be invited to a photography exhibition of celebrities. It turned out to be a Mario Testino exhibition. At the time I did not know who he was, however after I left I wanted to know more. One specific photo certainly caught my attention. I stood in the one position in the gallery staring at a particular photo of Nicole Kidman which highlighted how blue her eyes were. It was simply mezmorising. I have never been a follower or fan of her work and, speaking from a male perspective, never truly found her traditionally attractive, however the exquisiteness of this photo changed my perspective. It somehow encapsulated what traditional beauty is all about and provided me with further insight on how to take something as simple of someone’s eyes and turn them into the focal point of the photo.
I do not consider myself particularly inspired by portrait photography, however that particular exhibition and more so that photo, certainly did provide some motivation to pursue this interest further.
From this day on I took particular attention and pride in what I was photographing. I have travelled to many exotic places around the world and believe this is where my talent lies. In the many locations, faces, cultures, villages etc. Whether it is the smile on the face of a small African boy oblivious to the world’s problems, a first time skier accidently taking a wrong turn on the mountain and heading for a black run or a local fisherman on the islands of Tahiti catching dinner for his family; I believe these are the moments, the expressions, the unforgettable images, the stages of life that the world should see and, like Mario Testino’s work, I would make every attempt to highlight the inner beauty of the moment and emphasise it through the photograph.
The focus of a singular moment, of an inspirational achievement, no matter how minor, is what emphasises life in this situation. Not only is this what I want to capture and share with those willing to view this work and hopefully inspire them to achieving great things, but it is also incredibly satisfying and at the same time humbling to witness these moments, particular those of less fortunate backgrounds. Photography of this manner can change perception around the world and make people think differently about life. This is what has happened to me and I am very thankful for it.
While Mario Testino’s work is not the particular line of photography I wish to pursue, his exhibition did inspire me and his attention to detail highlighting the singular beauty in each subject was truly enchanting.

[Duncan Rawlinson]

Thanks for your submission. I will post a critique within 24 hours.

Thanks.

[Duncan Rawlinson]

Thanks for submitting another assignment.

Your piece shows how impactful one single photograph can be on someone else, or on lots of other people.

Photography of this manner can change perception around the world and make people think differently about life.

Photographs can change the world. In this case Mario Testino changed the way you think about photography with one image.

This is another interesting dynamic that goes on in Photography. Other people interpret your work in countless different ways.

One thing is for sure, you should aim to illicit some type of reaction. Even if people HATE your work that is better than people not caring.

Thanks for your submission. This was a thoughtful and well written piece.

I hope the course and this assignment in particular is making you refine the way you think about photography.

[Author]

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