Friday fan letter #3: Guy Bourdin

Preamble ... since this is my photo blog I'm writing these fan letters to some of my photographic influences (yes Robert Smithson was a big influence on my early photographs), and since I'm a chicken, I've been sticking to dead ones.  It might be weird to write a mostly unintelligent letter to David LaChapelle (and honestly I like his work, but not a big influence on mine) and actually have him read it.  I bet he has a google alert set up for his name.

I'm not sure when or how I stumbled on Guy Bourdin's work, but it was in the last couple of years.  Any who here goes number three.

Mr. Bourdin:

I wanted to write you a little note, letting you know that recently no other photographer has inspired my work as much as your fashion photographs.  I've masqueraded as a photographer for 15 years then three years ago started making a living with a camera, and when ever I get in a funk lately I check you out on Google for a little inspiration.  I love that your work is about the girls, and the garments, not about big productions.  Yeah it's a little kinky, and I'm a dude so I dig that, but it's a fun kink, like Helmut Newton an appreciation for what was in from of the lens, not a objectified object.  Yeah a feminist might kick me in the balls for that, oh well.

 Another thing that draws me to your work is probably a product of the time you worked.  I like photographs that are photographs, what I mean by that is when I look at contemporary fashion images they aren't photographs any more.  With all the retouching and photoshoping I think fashion photography has become fashion photo based illustration.  I'm over perfect plastic looking skin, porcelain white eyes, not a hair out of place, perfect symmetry, and liquified bodies.

Thanks for making great photographs for a long time so I have a bunch to look at, I hope you enjoyed it.

Sincerely 

David Cutts