Jeff Tse

Why I chose Jeff:

When choosing my five favourite photographers from my photographer research, I realised that a lot of the photographers were very similar in the style of photography in which they had took. Therefore, I tried to look at photographers in their unique form and study five photographers which were my favourite but which also stood out to me. Jeff Tse stood out to me for a number of different reasons in that no portfolio of his work is the same or similar to any others in which I have looked at. Jeff uses a range of different approaches to beauty, and incorporates fashion into it with his diverse accessories and bold statements. Another reason Jeff stood out to me was due to his range of different props he uses, for example, in some of his work we can see the models grasping flowers and thus a very feminine photograph comes out. However, in another aspect of his work, he uses much more unusual items to portray a novelty approach to his work. In these images, he uses different fruits sliced open being caressed by the model. Jeff uses a range of different formal elements in his work including colour, form and he often plays around with light. His work to me is timelessly beautiful, and his work is influenced from a range of different cultural backgrounds across the world.

Bio:

Jeff learned photography not as an apprentice or from formal training but rather the journey of self exploration.  In a fraction of the time compared to his colleagues, he became a successful sports photographer following the likes of Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France in Europe. However, he strove for more perfection in what he was creating.  To this end, his creative process parallels sculpture more than two dimensional imagery.  Jeff's work appears in Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Allure, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Elle, and Cosmopolitan.  His advertising clients include Pantene, Neutrogena, Dior, Covergirl, and Vichy Cosmetics among others. 

I chose to analyse this image as Jeff Tse uses a range of different techniques in this shoot, where he elegantly exhibits beauty among a stunning model. Jeff Tse has used the editing technique of black and white, to truly exaggerate the formal element of form, and the different lighting techniques, which are used. The image has been taken in portrait, which allows the viewer to see the hair in all of its glory, in which it takes up nearly half of the frame. The model is making a direct mode of address with the viewer as she is looking directly at the camera lens, however the photographer has chosen to locate the camera so that them models face is tilted slightly and elongated. Her facial features are highlighted through the different shadows used with the light.  I love this image through the sheer elegance in which it has been explored, with the glamorous hair and the defined makeup, it shouts beauty from the first glance.  

One of my favourite aspects of this image by Jeff Tse is the contemporary effect it has too it. This is done through the lighting, the makeup used and also the position of the model in the frame. The lighting in this image is high, as the face is lit up bright and there is a source of light in the top right of the frame. The shadows used are on the left side of her face, and it is nearly all in darkness, showing the lighting is on the right of the frame and is shining down from her. This means that what is in the light stands out more and draws the attention from the audience to it. The skin is flawless, with a light complexion and a soft colour on the lips. Therefore, it can be said that this image is fairly natural in comparison to others of Jeff Tse's work. One of the reasons for this is that other than around the eyes, the model is not shown to be wearing a lot of makeup and the lighting makes her appear fairly pale. The photographer has also chosen to use a sparkly eye shadow, which can consist of small pieces of gems which are metallic and reflect the light. This is a clever technique as it makes the eyes stand out more as they are bright and something unusual you wouldn't expect to find on the face. 

This image by Jeff Tse stands out to me through the bright use of colour. with the hot pink background and yellow eye shadow. The lighting in this image also has quite hard lighting, where there are a range of different shadows which create darkness in this image. On the left part of the image, where the models hairs is shown we can see the darkness of the left half of the screen in darkness. This draws more attention to the face which is much brighter and the use of lighting creates a contrast between the bright eyes and pale lips, against the dark shadows which follow the line of the cheekbone. Overall, this image stands out to me as its shadows are used creatively to highlight different parts and features of the face alongside the bright front. This draws attention to the bright colours on the eyelids, and over exaggerated eyelashes. The eyelashes are the same colour as the background, which highlight the bright colours and makes the eyes stand out to the audience as it is the first thing to look at. 

This image by Jeff Tse is one from an album where he studies male beauty. This image in particular stood out to me through the composition and the posture of the male. He is looking away from the camera with his eyes open and therefore he is creating an indirect relationship with the audience. This can connote that he is hiding something, and the dark tones of the image create a mysterious feel. The lighting is fairly low, with a much darker and less contrast as we see much of the face covered in light with highlights exaggerated through shadows. I also like the pose in which the model is pulling as he is pushing back his hair, and it is different to other images I have looked at, however it represents beauty in an extremely unique way. The male in the image is evidently topless, and I feel that this works better as it allows us to see the skin tones and the different aspects of the male body. 

Influences

Summary