Tighe Photography

James Tighe

Nick Knight – Diesel Tribute (Critiquing Images exercise 2)

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Over the holidays, on my break from uni I was asked to chose a photographer who’s well known and is established in his/her profession (field)…

Diesel Tribute, photographed by Nick Knight

Diesel Tribute, photographed by Nick Knight

This innovating, perspicacious image and that of the whole collective body is the industry shattering work of a man who is at the top of the Fashion industry (“A fashion god”, says Nicola Formichetti). The visual interpretations of the Diesel #TRIBUTE Campaign is ‘elevated to the same magnitude as the project itself” (Beauty-and-Fashion-Dubai), and is the creative work of genius Fashion photographer Nick Knight. The image above, enticed into a collective whole of both colourful and cohesive pieces, is no exception to being brilliantly thought out. Produced during the summer of 2013 for the #TRIBUTE’s November release, Nick creates this image with both flare and originality. In my eyes the image embodies the symbolisms and beliefs of its brand, “Only the Brave”.  Nick says to Another Magazine that, “What is really key is the person and what you are trying to convey about that person or get from them.” And the brands alternative flare is captured quite stunningly.

Using nothing but his iPhone and several in-phone photo manipulation apps, Nick has juxtaposed this new digital style to the Diesel brands very own hand-made methods. Taking a few steps back to take a leap forward, this piece of art brings together two different styles, combines them, and then totally obliterates the way we used to digest the visuals and it’s become “a real shift in creating advertisement” – Nicola Formichetti, 2013. The squared format, signature of apps likes Glitchè, Instagram and MegaPhoto, creates a well-balanced, compacted image, whilst still having room to ‘breathe’. Compositionally I find this interpretation as a way of binding the subject to her background, clearly her confidence in the way she composes herself, personifies the brands beliefs. Drawing further from her connection to piece the notion of her ‘fallen angel’ or eagle ascension, further connotes Diesel as courageous and daring, showing the world their unrivaled creativity.

The image and its collective set take Nick on to a new level of creativity while allowing his evolution and style as an image-maker show through. Rather, he has produced an intuitive body of work broadcasting his colourful artistry and technique, painting both colour and light seen throughout his career as a Fashion photographer. As with previous bodies of work Nick brings with him a wide range of intuitive Fine Art and productions skills allowing him to visually feed a unique story to an audience, however still previous bodies only share this creative touch as only a selective few share a cohesive story that’s as powerful as the Diesel campaign with others acting as singular stand points. Yet at the end of all this he has reinvented himself as a trend setter and creative genius, by contradicting traditional methods of advertisement and fashion photography by following the revolution of the digital era.

I find this new body of work intriguing and inventive; it disrupts the accepted methods of advertisement, skipping at least six months of preparation and narrowing it to at a least a couple of days, even hours. Since the rise in social media and the power of the Internet, I think its only fitting that the fashion industry should aim to take advantage of it, and reinvent them to suit the wider audience. “Since we are not using magazines for this campaign, I wanted to tailor the images specific for each social media channel. I want to speak the language of digital community. I also feel that digital communication is becoming more and more important in our everyday life.” – Formichetti, Telegraph, 2013. This goes to say that the images Nick has so cleverly produced are aimed to connect with us as they relate to our own personal pleasures. The whole campaign brings together 35 years of fashion and gives it a whole new refreshed look of how great fashion is and how it links the images to the viewer giving them a personal attachment to it and the brand, Diesel. I think that these collective images produced by Nick as a result of the #TRIBUTE campaign, speak loud and clear of how bold and robust the new style will inspire more change in the fashion industry. It just goes to show that perhaps works of art can be created by any means and they are freeform and open to anyone’s interpretation and skill.

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