Chic Clicks: Creativity and Commerce in Contemporary Fashion Photography

Nan Goldin shoots campaigns for Prada, David LaChapelle does Camel cigarette ads, and Jurgen Teller got his start photographing models in i-d, w, and The Face. The debate between aesthetic images and commercial pressure has perhaps never been so relevant and complex as it is today, with the increasing commercialization of the art world, the not insignificant exploratory aspects of fashion photography, and our constantly expanding realm of visual references. To study these tensions and overlaps, Chic Clicks invited some 40 photographers to present both their free work and their published editorials from fashion magazines and advertising campaigns. Photographers well-known for their commercial work offer personal and exploratory prints; those who gained prominence in the fine arts display work they were subsequently hired to do for fashion companies and magazines. Accompanying essays approach fashion photography from various perspectives, from that of cutting-edge fashion magazines to the field of contemporary art photography.