Assignment 5: Virtual essay
by: Genevieve Hutchinson
Anne Geddes
VICE magazine recently decided to parody Anne
Geddes the famous baby photographer and enlisted the help of photographer Lee
Goldup to photograph adults instead of babies in Geddes’ iconic style. The
editorial by photographer Lee Goldup for VICE Magazine pays tribute to Anne
Geddes a famed photographer. The publication reasons that as the best selling
photographer in the world, the New Zealand-based Australian native is the best
photographer in the world. Although that is probably a flawed belief, it does
show why they have chosen to mimic her work over anyone else’s. Another reason
is spoofing her whimsical infant photography.
Art directed by Jamie Lee Curtis Taete, the
editorial by Lee Goldup for VICE Magazine uses grownup models, instead of
babies. Nevertheless, these adults photographs have been photo shopped into
impossible scenes, they been propped in a coffee cup and cradled in giant
hands. Adorably unbelievable, this is what it would be like if Geddes shot
grownups. Anne Geddes images wouldn’t look as creepy of course!
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Anne Geddes was born on September 13th 1956. She is an Australian-born photographer, clothing designer and businesswoman who now lives and works in New Zealand. She is known for her stylized depictions of babies and motherhood. Most of her images show babies or young children dressed as fairies and fairy-tale creatures, flowers, or small animals. She describes herself as "a baby freak."
Anne Geddes' books have been published in 83 countries. Sources say she has sold more than 18 million books and 13 million calendars. In 1997, Cedco Publishing sold more than 1.8 million calendars and date books bearing Anne Geddes' famous photographed babies. Her debut book, Down in the Garden, was in the New York Times Bestseller List. Anne Geddes’books have been translated into 23 different languages.
Geddes became a photographer at age 25. She was known to have always had an interest in babies in general, but the schools she attended didn’t offer photography classes. She chose babies as her subject because of her love of them. "I had seen the way children and babies were generally being photographed. It just didn't seem realistic to me that people took their children along to photographic studios all dressed in their Sunday best, photographs that didn't really show the personality of the child."
Geddes believes that "emotional content is an image's most important element". People seem to be drawn to her work because of its simplicity and personality. She prefers to have black-and-white photography instead of color photography. She prefers to use the black-and-white scheme because she feels that colour distracts from the image and the natural beauty of life.
Anne Geddes does not audition babies for use as models because they are "too unpredictable". She is known to keep in touch with multiple birth and twin clubs, and has thousands of photographs on file that parents have sent her. Geddes makes it a habit to travel to the United States every year in search of black infants to photograph, as New Zealand has a very small black population.
Anne Geddes sittings to photo graph babies usually takes place in the morning when the babies are well-rested, and lasts about half an hour, otherwise the babies get too bored or fussy. "You have to be really fast," Geddes says about getting good shots. She keeps the babies' parents nearby for extra assistance with expressions. She sets up her studio in advance—props, lighting, cameras and equipment—so that all the baby or babies have to do is sit. Many of her props are custom made, such as over-sized shoes and flowerpots.
With the help of some shameless models, Goldup shot a series of ridiculous photographs of not-so-cute grownups as sleeping snails, a blooming flower, and more. The resulting photographs are both hilarious and disturbing.
Mixing stereotypical photography styles with subjects that don’t belong can often result in amazingly ridiculous photographs.
Lee Goldup is a professional freelance photographer based in London, but works all over the UK. Lee Goldup does work within the music industry, portraits, weddings, PR & Marketing, Events, advertisement, commercial etc.
