Rankin Photography

Rankin is a British portrait and fashion photographer, he started his career with the magazine 'Dazed and Confused' which he founded with Jefferson Hack. Rankin then went on to lauch his own quarterly fashion magazine in December 2000 called 'RANK'. As well as this he publishes 'Another Magazine' and more recently 'HUNGER'. In his various work he has photographed many famous people including Britney Spears, Kate Moss, Vivienne Westwood, Lily Allen, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Tony Blair, Queen Elizabeth II, and many more.

I really like this photo as it's a clear fashion shot which is the kind of photography I am interested in looking at for my magazine. The positioning of this photo works really well with the model posing straight at the camera in a way that makes her body look slightly obscure but still has that sex appeal that you would expect to be there. This links in with Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze as this is clearly going to be pleasing for the male audience member. Especially with the aspect of her hair blowing around slightly giving this slight wild side to the model making it seem more intriguing for a male. Another aspect that is clearly to get the audience interested is the star vehicle as it is Mary-Kate Olsen that is photographed here so as she is widely known if this was put on the front cover of a magazine then it is likely to sell. 

I like this photo for the same reason as above because it is a clear fashion shot with this one being more apparent as it is showing what the model is wearing more than the first one as well as her pose is showing her off more therefore trying to get the audience to look at it. The positioning of this photo again works well with background getting lighter the closer it is to her making it frame the model nicely. As well as her pose standing clear against the background and the model's long hair creating a contrast against the sharp shapes of her clothing and pose. As the wild hair adds colour and an almost exciting part to the image making it stand out. This photo again links in with Mulvey's theory of the male gaze as the model is clearly posing in a way to please the male audience because she is pushing her body out further and making this the main attraction. Again star vehicle is used here with the model being Lindsey Lohan who is again very well known meaning she can sell a magazine easily. 

From looking at both of these images you can tell that Rankin focuses on fashion shots that are very different from each yet still very effective but he likes the model to remain a sex appeal for the audience member and this is a clear running theme throughout his work.