Emergency *ooof*: Armitage Stress Test

The Army is in Heavenitage! First a fan event that some of us had been lucky enough to attend, but transmitted simultaneously for everyone else to see via live stream. New posters and stills from THDOS, and to top it all off, a fashion editorial starring no other than l’Armitage himself in a glossy mag. We have been waiting for these images for a long time. The Esquire shoot was mentioned some time in early summer, if I remember correctly, and speculation was rife what kind of spread was going to come from it. Seven pages with six full-page images. Nice one. An emergency *ooof* cannot be avoided. But Guylty faces a dilemma. Which image to choose *ooof*? Which one is the dishiest? The hottest? The most popular? The one *I* really wanted to do was the one and only landscape format image. However, since we have not got the images in true digital format (yet) and are working off the images kindly scanned from the print edition by Fenwickio, I will postpone my analysis of that visually most interesting picture until later. Instead I have settled on this little gem:

Richard Armitage gracefully reclining for photographic purposes
Shot by Blair Getz Mezibov for Esquire UK, Dec 2013 edition
Image via fenwickio/tumblr

Mr Armitage – in view of the elegant, man-of-the-world styling I find it hard to use the familiar first name of the sitter – is sitting. Mind you, not that elegantly. He is reclining on a Chesterfield, as classy a piece of furniture as evidently is the man who is sitting on it, dressed in a black suit, narrow Sixties tie tucked under the closed button, crisp white shirt underneath. His suitcase is ready in front of him – we can just about see the edges of his luggage peeping up at the bottom of the image. He seems to be waiting for someone, playing with his fingers, gazing off-camera to his right, observing what is going on, but not taking part in it. The background of the image consists of a panelled wall and a window with characteristic individual panes – old-worldly, elegant, classy. This could easily be a hotel lobby. The suitcase also supports that interpretation, as does the waiting pose.

There are many reasons why this is an *ooof*-worthy image. Of course I am playing to that part of my readership who professes an unnatural affinity towards the Armitage proboscis, especially when shown in profile (cf. all comments on the French DOS poster, released on Wednesday). Then there is the obvious hand porn. But for me, the clincher was actually the technicalities of the shot. Never mind the “open invitation” of the Crotchitage, or the suave, assured look of the sitter – photo-nerd Guylty is fascinated by the light in the image and how it has been used to illuminate the shot. You see, it appears as if the shot has been lit by available light only. Photographers love natural light. It is the hottest light there is, and when nicely diffused, it leaves only soft shadows and lights evenly and softly. However, photographer Blair Getz Mezibov, breaks a rule in this shot. Generally, photographers avoid shooting against the light – lighting the subject from behind means that you are obscuring his face with shadow. Mezibov manages to turn the disadvantage – light shining directly against his camera – into his advantage. He does so by a) asking his subject to look to the side so that the camera catches the part of his face that is now illuminated by the light and b) by using a reflector to pop some light back onto the left side of Armitage’s face which should be obscured by shadow. (I don’t think there is a flash being used – the light on the sitter’s face is too low-key for that, and very soft and subdued. It would light up the suit much more than what we see in the image, and there would be stronger highlights on the leather sofa.) At the same time he lights all other parts of the room that are visible in the picture and creates a bright background that literally lightens up the mood of the photo and the room by counterbalancing the dark wood tones with blown-out white light through the panes.

The image is a typical example of a fashion photography – and more specifically a fashion editorial. Fashion photography, as the name suggests, is commercial (i.e. paid) photography that aims to represent fashion goods for advertising purposes. However, this shot does not represent advertising photography, but editorial photography. With its obvious focus on the clothes, fashion photography initially had a tendency to picture the items without much distraction – worn by a model, but often set in artificial settings, i.e. in front of a plain backdrop or very neutral settings. Eventually, fashion photography started to picture the depicted objects within more opulent and evocative settings, selling not only the item on display, but also the image, mood or dreams associated with the items. Fashion photography thus moved into the realm of editorial photography, especially when more than one isolated image was being produced but a whole series of photos that depicted a line or collection of clothing: The clothes were put into a context, illustrating the use and proposed feel of the items. In short: editorial photography tells a story. Advertising imagery, on the other hand, most often does without an added context. It focuses primarily on the product that it is aiming to advertise. Effects and distractions such as an opulent background are not conducive to that.

And neither is the use of celebrities as models, imho. Effectively, the use of actors and singers as models even blurs the line between editorial portraits and fashion photography. By putting a well-known face into a shot, the viewer is purposely distracted from the clothes he or she is modelling. We get two messages here. 1. This is Mr Armitage looking good in fancy suits. And 2. These are fancy suits, that make you look good. In that sense this particular editorial spread leaves me confused. Is this primarily a fashion spread with a bit of Armitage on the side, or is this an editorial story on Armitage with a bit of fashion on the side?

The underlying purpose of using celebrities in fashion editorials is, of course, to make the reader literally and figuratively buy into the clothes. By associating a well-known actor with the shown clothes, both his image and his handsomeness gets transferred to the label/brand/style of clothes he is wearing. The message is “If you buy these clothes, you too could be as successful, handsome and admired as Richard Armitage”. However, the danger of it is that the reader is only interested in the model, not the clothes – quite probably that is the case with us, the fans. Thus, the effect is lessened. Rather than look at the clothes, we look at the body that fills them. He could be wearing shiny tracksuit bottoms and a string vest, combined with white tennis socks in Birkenstock sandals, and I wouldn’t really care although I am pleased that he doesn’t *ahem*. A compliment to Armitage, surely, but not the effect desired by the editors and marketers. I see the fashion images as a photo story, an elaborate set-up in which the subject is acting his part. The location and set-up are there to enhance the subject’s appeal, to interpret him. The clothes are secondary to me – they only serve to embellish his handsomeness, but they do not evoke any desire in me to buy them. Ok, that’s because I am a woman and my bum looks big in formal menswear. But I do not feel tempted to buy them for my cutely-bottomed SO either… But considering the pose and setting that was chosen for this image, it almost appears as if the photographer was not really focusing on the clothes either – we actually do not get much of a view of the clothes at all. The suit is half obscured by shadow and half by the sitting pose. Thus, this example of fashion photography concentrates much more on the image that is being sold than the actual items of clothing depicted in it. An interesting trend that can be seen in many fashion photographs nowadays – and that is also noticeable in the blurred lines between commercial and art photography. Many well-known fashion photographers are now also seen as art photographers. The line has been blurred – advertising as art, and art in the service of advertising. The model? Merely a pawn in the game. A muse to some, a clothes horse to others. I prefer the former.

But if this is a story, then what is happening here? Here is my *cheeky* interpretation…

“Right, the promo season is beginning.”  He was looking through his wardrobe, glancing at his dark suits. The old trusty Ford number had stood him in good stead. The fashionistas among his fans had approved. “But can I really wear my go-to red-carpet outfit a third season?” No, he really had to get some new gear, he was becoming too recognisable at this stage. It would all be easier if shopping for clothes wasn’t such a chore. He sighed. A waste of time really. Plus, more often than not he didn’t really trust his own fashion sense. If only Thorin had worn a tuxedo when dining in Rivendell – he would’ve bought the gear after shooting and be done with it. Ah well, Thorin’s girth wouldn’t have been right for him, anyway. But it was just so handy bagging the clothes that he was wearing for work… Gary the windbag hadn’t really had any occasion to sport a tux, either. Beige slacks – good grief, no. His wardrobe could do without them. Maybe the next project… Hm… Eureka! His agent would fix it.

Several phonecalls and weeks later, he found himself on a fashion shoot. His agent was worth his weight in gold – formal menswear. Just what he wanted. And some classy brands, too. Gucci, Gieves & Hawkes, Armani… They all looked the same to him, but he could tell by the stylist’s oooing and aaahing which suits had looked particularly good on him. “One more clothes change, Richard”, the photographer informed him. Good, the last one. Then the choice. He ambled back into the hotel suite that had been turned into an impromptu changing room. This was a slightly more informal number – nifty thin tie, not a bow tie. He donned the jacket and pushed his arms back, testing the fit of the jacket. Not too tight on the shoulders. Yep, nice. He glanced at himself in the mirror. Classy, edgy, slightly retro with the narrow tie. He nodded self-appraisingly at his reflection. “Not bad, Armitage. You could do a season on Mad Men in that!”

He turned and walked across the room. “Nice swish to the material. Frou-frou. Very fancy.” The suit actually felt as if it had been made especially for him, perfect trouser length, his hands fitted nicely in the pockets, the jacket closed tightly over his belly. “But the trouser seat  is where the cookie crumbles”, he thought to himself. “Richard, are you ready to come out and shoot the last set-up?” The assistant was knocking at the door. “Just one moment, with you in a minute, sorry”, he mumbled. He had to make a decision. He walked back to the mirror, turning his back to the glass, pulling up the coat tails and looking over his shoulder. “Nice arsitage, Armitage”, he grinned, “but is it comfy? Only one way to find out.”  He walked back to the large Chesterfield in his suite. “This is it.” He lowered himself into the sofa. “Comfy stretch across the bum.” He sat down and wiggled into the seat. “No wedgie. – Waistband comfortable.” Another knock on the door.  “Ya!” he called back impatiently. He wasn’t ready yet. One more thing. Was there enough space for the important bits? He shuffled his bum back on the couch and sat up straight. “And now for the stress test”, he grinned at himself, opening his legs widely. Could the seams take this, would the material hold? The fabric tightened around his thighs in a most pleasing way. He stroked up his right leg with the palm of his hand. “Yup, that’ll do.” He glanced at the door as the assistant knocked again.  “Richard?! The photographer is waiting!!” He smiled to himself. “Better go, old boy, otherwise this bargain may be not be struck. – I am coming!” he called out.

All text © Guylty at me + richard armitage, 2013. Please credit when using excerpts and links. Images and video copyrights accrue to their owners.

~ by Guylty on November 8, 2013.