So what happens when you take those glossy images of models strutting their stuff in bright, beautiful clothing and stick them in a gallery setting? Can fashion editorial photography also contain some sort of (albeit loosely) conceptual idea? And is this ‘conceptualism’ only realized once these photographs are viewed in a gallery setting? Like a drawing or painting conjured from the artist’s mind, fashion photography starts off as an idea sketched out by the photographer before it is brought to fruition. True, there is a distinct commercial aspect to these photographs in order to sell a product, but it cannot be impossible to infuse a photographer’s conceptual intentions as well.

Miles Aldridge is one fashion photographer (among many) who has shown that this is, indeed, possible. Based in London, Aldridge (born in 1964) is well known for his breathtaking, surrealistic and mildly erotic fashion photography featured in countless fashion magazines such as Vogue, New York Times Magazine and Paradis.

Blooming, Vogue Italia, 2007

He constructs a series of worlds to photograph that take their cues from cinema; it’s a world like ours but hyper-realized. Often quoted for saying this, I’ll offer it up once more because Aldridge says it best:

“If the world were pretty enough, I’d shoot on location all the time. But the world is just not being designed with aesthetics as a priority. So I prefer to rebuild it instead of photographing the real one. What I’m trying to do is take something from real life and reconstruct it in a cinematic way. That’s why an hour and a half of an Antonioni movie is so much more interesting to me than an hour and a half of real life. Because it’s condensed emotion, condensed colour, condensed light.”

At the Hamiltons Gallery, tucked between a series of quaint flats and condominium buildings at Carlos Place, Aldridge’s work is featured in a series entitled Doll Face.

Hamiltons Gallery, 13 Carlos Place, London

Each photograph is meticulously put together to not only showcase the photographer’s talent and vision, but the gorgeous clothes and make-up while combining elements of cinematography and eroticism. His photographs are highly saturated, flawlessly touched up and full of interesting sets and subjects, each one with its’ own construct – like cinematic stills. In a magazine, the focus is on the clothing and the products being sold. But upon seeing these photographs hung on a gallery wall, one is forced to think about the setting in which they are displayed and what the photograph means beyond clothing, make-up and lighting – the technical. What else do these photographs convey? What was Aldridge trying to prove?

Le Manage Enchantee, Numero, 2007

As a viewer, you’ll walk around the small space, reflecting upon the quiet. Past the reception desk is a greenhouse-like space with more of Aldridge’s work. I’m not sure how the sun through the glass roofing will affect these photographs in the long run (and I’m admittedly a little wary about that), but the natural light allows the colours to truly pop out at the viewer.

Immaculee, Numero, 2007

It is interesting to view these photographs out of a magazine context, because the viewer cannot help but give them a closer, more introspective look. Aldridge combines the art and commercial world, blurring the division that traditionally comes with images such as these. Glenn O’Brian, when he writes in Aldridge’s book, Acid Candy (2008) says: “Aldridge understands that in the post-surrealist world, the world where surreality is reality, there is no strict demarcation between dream and reality, art and commerce, art and fashion […] it is what it is. All is one.”

Kiss of Death, Vogue Nippon, 2008

While Aldridge’s photographs may not be for everyone, I admire that he manages to combine all of the elements used to sell a product and still be able to maintain strong artistic concepts. I was glad to be able to see his work at the Hamiltons Gallery while I’m here as an official ‘Canadian in England’ foreign correspondent. While flattened to fit paper is focused on Canadian photography and Canadian photographers, it’s valuable to pick up inspiration and view the work of international photographers. There is a lot to see out there in the world, things we can easily bring back and work into our own portfolios. And while my ideas – and his ideas, I suppose – are arguable, I think Aldridge’s work is definitely worth checking out.

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You can see Miles Aldridge’s Doll Face series at the Hamiltons Gallery if you’re in the city: 13 Carlos Place, London W1K 2EU. Tel: 020 7499 9493. www.hamiltonsgallery.com.

All source photographs, unless otherwise specified, were taken from Miles Aldridge’s official site: www.milesaldridge.com. flattened to fit paper assumes no financial gain from these photographic sources, and has restricted these photographs for illustrative and exemplary purposes only.

portrait of Roger Ballen (taken by Paul Ballen)

True to how I imagined him to be, Roger Ballen is as every bit as quirky and enigmatic as his photographs. His lecture at the OCAD auditorium was simultaneously vague and informative; vague, in that his lecture perpetuated even more questions from his audience; and informative, in the feeling that the veil of enigma surrounding these places has somewhat been lifted.

His stories are surreal.

Before my starry-eyed self stood a man obsessed with connections. Whether or not this is reflective of a general belief in the interconnectedness that exists within the known universe I may never know; but one thing is for certain: I left the lecture with an even deeper sense of awe for the man.

“Memory, like photography, is not exactly an objective way of remembering the past…”

Listening to his lecture was akin to being drawn into a good and gripping ghost story. These ghost stories, however, are far from fiction. I was suddenly transported into a place that exists only in my wildest nightmares, deep into a world where Pandora’s monsters have materialized into their very tangible counterparts and now roam about unabashedly. And so it would seem that the boarding house[*] Ballen so bravely ventured into has become iconic within the small South African community where he’s spent a good chunk of his career documenting. It is a place where criminals seek refuge, where scandal and injustice run rampant, where mystics, witch doctors, and spirits fill every known and undiscovered crevice. The results of his photographic journey have rendered visuals that come at you at all angles with these well-iterated philosophical questions: Where are we? Who are we?

Ballen accompanies every photograph with a true-to-life ghost story or tragedy; else, he points out various forms within the picture that relate to each other. Furthermore, these relational forms appear as though they were generated by some dark and serendipitous force of fate. Of course, Ballen could just have a knack for capturing these odd moments on film, but my mind is already set on the possibility that Ballen has been commissioned to do these photographs by the devil himself.

Or not.

Ballen explains that photographs are not necessarily a duplication of reality; rather, photographs are really just experiments in seeing and perceiving. To take a photograph is to showcase the ability to perceive visual stimuli through the lens of a camera. His photographs are neither real nor unreal, simply because he believes the notion behind “reality” is based on its propensity to change constantly:

“I don’t really know what’s real, do you? [...] It is not staged – it is all about seeing. Nothing is ever the same, and we can do nothing to control that. You look up from your camera and everything has changed. 1/500th of a second later, and everything is different.”

When you get right down to the meat of the matter, Ballen’s Boarding House is all about the human condition. The animals and the drawings that pervade these odd spaces provide profound evidence of instinct, survival, and tensions [that arise between certain relationships] at play:

“I think good art has to contemplate the human condition. (Though, if I can do one thing with the word ‘art’, it will be to throw it in the trash, burn it, and invent ten or twenty different words to describe the visual experience). [...]

Being in a place like the boarding house tells you a lot about the human condition. Watching TV does not.”

Pathos (c) Roger Ballen, 2005; i: For Ballen, 'pathos' is the ultimate representation of the human condition, as it defines internal pain.; ii: The people who resided within the boarding house refused to move this stuffed ape, for fear that if touched, bad luck will instantly come upon the disturber.

Fragments (c) Roger Ballen, 2005

I suppose it’s only fitting that he ends the lecture with Fragments. Admit it: while you find the photograph unsettling, you also find yourself torn between thinking this is real and thinking this is staged. Well, it isn’t – staged that is. Moreover, Ballen finishes off the lecture quite matter-of-factly: “He committed suicide.”

Fret not, for there is light at the end of the dark abyss. “Many people say these photographs are dark, and in essence, I suppose they are. But perhaps one has to understand the dark, before one can understand the light.”

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[*] Fittingly enough, the Boarding House is located 2-3 kilometres away from the Shadow Chamber building. These buildings are separated by a series of rough and broken terrain; yet again, another fitting description, as the words “road to hell” immediately came into my mind.

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All source photographs, unless otherwise specified, were taken from Roger Ballen’s official site: www.rogerballen.com. flattened to fit paper assumes no financial gain from these photographic sources, and has restricted these photographs for illustrative and exemplary purposes only. Visit the OCAD Professional Gallery for more information on Boarding House.

Alex Soloviev, 2009

Alex, myself, and Mariuxi's fingers at Ynot Lounge, Summer '08. Candid taken by Alex himself.

Alex and I were the only photo-based artists to exhibit in Diction; the other three artists – Danielle Williams, Jol Thomson, and Mariuxi Zambrano – presented their projects in video form. Mahan’s initial vision for Diction aimed to showcase only video works, but according to Mahan himself, he wanted to find a way to integrate my work and Alex’s work into the show somehow. During the group critique (which was held a few weeks after the show was to debut), I was immediately struck by Alex’s masterful sense of composition. His photographic style – clean, well balanced, extremely well-controlled, looked strangely and strikingly at odds with my darker, more chaotic digital manipulations. This is inherently what attracted me to his work in the first place; his bare-bones approach to photography is not marred by any add-ons, textures, and extreme colour variations. His photographs are sharp and crisp, void of any major post-processing save for a curves level adjustment here and there.

Like any photo enthusiast, it was a natural reaction on my part to wonder what dSLR Alex shot with. Imagine my surprise when he confessed that he shot with only a Sony DSC-600. A point and shoot?! To the seasoned pro, this may seem a bit blasphemous, but I did not see it this way. In fact, I think his work appealed to me all the more when his photo-taking process was revealed to me.

More than a year has passed since my first encounter with Alex, and I am proud to announce that he has managed to (finally) acquire a proper dSLR (a Canon Xsi) for his shooting needs. It is a well-justified purchase on his part, not only because of his talent, but because his trusty DSC-600 was well on its way to permanent retirement. Fancier equipment aside, his talent truly lies in his ability to spot, compose, and shoot: he can spot the interesting in the mundane, he can set up the shot for a truly dynamic photograph, and he can shoot true to what he sees before him.

(c) Alex Soloviev, 2008: Algonquin Park

(c) Alex Soloviev 2009: Wintercity

His initial interest in photography stemmed from a practical need to document over a creative urge to capture subjects in an aesthetically pleasing manner. As an architecture major in Ryerson University, having a camera on hand to document buildings of interest proved to be extremely handy. His frequent walking excursions in and around the greater Toronto area eventually led to his creative interest in the medium. Within a fairly short period of time, his photographic style evolved quickly and progressively from something that looks like a point-and-shoot shot to something that looks more thought-out.

Sony DSC-600; (c) Alex Soloviev 2007: from the Empire State building at night, New York City

Sony DSC-600; (c) Alex Soloviev 2007: Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia

Sony DSC-600; (c) Alex Soloviev 2007: Al Capone's Cell, Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia

Sony DSC-600; (c) Alex Soloviev 2008: Toronto Islands

His dynamic sense of composition can be attributed to some of the classical training he received when he was preparing his portfolio for his post-secondary education, but his architecture background is definitely apparent in the way he composes his shots. Usual subject matters aside – landscapes, buildings, architectural elements – Alex also frequents the electronic music scene. A significant chunk of his earlier photographs with the DSC-600 depict mind-blowing laser and light effects glowing above a massive audience. The people are silhouetted against a backdrop of fog and coloured lights. These are far from your typical club shots; they are beautifully and elegantly captured, and believe it or not, the digital noise generated from his point and shoot add to the playfulness and the vibrancy of these shots.

Sony DSC-600; (c) Alex Soloviev, 2007: Guvernment, 11th Anniversary - Ferry Corsten at the Kool Haus

Sony DSC-600; (c) Alex Soloviev, 2008: Contact at the Guvernment (w/ Blake Jarrell, Markus Schulz, Menno de Jong, Rank 1)

Sony DSC-600; (c) Alex Soloviev, 2008: candid of Mahan Javadi at the UofT undergraduate thesis exhibition

(c) Alex Soloviev, 2009: The Prodigy

In terms of post-processing, Alex has a way of filtering out the stronger photographs from the multitude of shots he generates from his long walks or his nights out at a club. He used to do much of his editing on Photoshop, and has only recently moved over to Lightroom to manage his RAW files a lot more efficiently. Each of his photographs are treated differently, depending on the general mood and theme of the shot. He may choose to de-saturate the colours on one, do a black and white conversion on the next, and increase the saturation level on another. He rarely shoots to crop, or at least, he tries not to. Alex is also very particular of the scenes he chooses to capture on camera. He tends to exclude human figures from his landscapes unless he feels that they add something to the shot. While most of the photographs he takes are borne out of some form of spontaneity, the excursions he takes are meticulously planned.

(c) Alex Soloviev, 2009: a serendipitous sighting from the Brooklyn Bridge, New York

(c) Alex Soloviev, 2009: New York in HDR

(c) Alex Soloviev, 2009: from the Roy Thompson Hall set

Alex draws inspiration from the photographers he follows in his Flickr page. He also frequents a few photo-blogs, three of which he watches notoriously. Here’s the plus – they are all locals!

Alex is currently working on completing his undergraduate degree in Architecture at Ryerson University. In the meantime, he plans to continue his series on Toronto streets, which he plans to achieve through his noted walking excursions, weather permitting. Future projects will also include taking photographs from aboveground garages, as well as a body of work on ‘concrete’ Toronto, and possibly something surrounding the sights along the Humber River. When asked if he has considered photography as a career, he claims that for now, it will remain a serious hobby, though if opportunity comes knocking, he will certainly embrace it. As for what I think, there is not a doubt in my mind that Alex Soloviev will make some sort of commercial success in the future. There are no words to describe just how much I love and admire his work. It also helps that he’s extremely likeable and easygoing as well.

You can view more of Alex Soloviev’s photography at his personal Flickr stream. Note the progression from his earlier photographs to his more recent ones; the difference, though hardly noticeable at first glance, is astounding. Alex is living proof that practice makes perfect. The proof is in his photographs.

(c) Alex Soloviev, 2009: from the Roy Thompson Hall set

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All photographs are courtesy of Alex Soloviev‘s Facebook and Flickr streams. These photographs are the creative and intellectual property of the photographer, all rights reserved.

A big, fat thank you goes out to Alex, for not only taking the time to meet with me on his spare time, but for also putting up with my girlish squeals of admiration during the interview. You rock Alex. :-)