James Laver was an author and art historian with an unusual interest in fashion for his time. First published in 1937, he created what’s known as Laver’s Law, which was an attempt to identify the pattern of fashion cycles. This is what he came up with:

Indecent: 10 years before its time
Shameless: 5 years before its time
Outré (Daring): 1 year before its time
Smart: Current Fashion
Dowdy: 1 year after its time
Hideous: 10 years after its time
Ridiculous: 20 years after its time
Amusing: 30 years after its time
Quaint: 50 years after its time
Charming: 70 years after its time
Romantic: 100 years after its time
Beautiful: 150 years after its time

I don’t know about … Read more...

Photo by Dan O’Day
www.danodayphotography.com.au
www.www.danodayphotoblog.com

This picture is just so rich and lush. It’s like swimming in a pool of dark chocolate. Who said toning doesn’t matter? Dan O’Day makes a powerful choice here by pushing this down to the limits of visibility. What really makes it work isn’t the toning, though. It’s that it is smartly paired with the expressions and mood of the couple. Also, the tight framing within the heads creates a beautiful negative space, letting us linger. This is what art is about – making small decisions that crystallize the photographer’s vision. The timing, framing, and mood resonate perfectly. This may not be a picture about a bigger story, but it is universal. By showing … Read more...

This is poached from another blog of mine, but something that just popped into my head today:

There is a picture in our minds of this thing – a thing that happens or will happen. We see it with absolute clarity. It is definitive. It is the shot we’ve been waiting for, and it will be perfect. Except that it won’t. Because the perfect shot won’t be one we visualize ahead of time. It’s the one we will find. It is better than what we can visualize, because what we are able to construct in our minds is no match for the unfettered chaos that the world hands to us. It is better than what we can visualize, because it … Read more...

I recently saw a site that said “Vintage Lifestyle Wedding Photography.” Not a fan. No offense. The pictures were nice enough – it’s not the style I object to, but that’s just not a brand. It’s too generic. I know how the process works. You start out with some crazy idea trying to be the most you, you can be. So you come up with something, and you’re afraid it sounds really stupid. Maybe it does. Or maybe it’s kind of cool. Or maybe it’s a little of both. But at least it has character. Still you’re just not sure about it, so, you refine it, again and again. You get worried people won’t like this or they won’t like … Read more...

Photo by Erin Chrisman of Ben Chrisman Photography
www.benchrisman.com
www.benchrismanblog.com

Sometimes a picture really says it all. The mood, the layers, the feel – you just need to look at it, and it’s all there. That’s exactly what Erin Chrisman has accomplished here. A dreamy, deeply-felt image that is beautifully realized, it captures the mystery and wonder of romance.… Read more...