Chris Moore - Catwalking.

I went to Northumbria University last week (November 23rd) to see the photography exhibition by Chris Moore.
This was the brochure that went with the exhibition:

"Chris Moore is, quite simply, the top catwalk photographer in the world. For almost half a century he has captured he quirks, the beauty, the elegance, the creativity and the insanity of the fashion industry. He has seen it all: From the rarified ateliers of sixties Paris Couture to the breathtaking spectaculars at Alexander McQueen. During his illustrious career, Chris Moore's lens has been poised to capture every significant fashion moment. His pictures appear everywhere, from American Vogue to The Sunday Times. Not bad for a Butcher's son from Byker.

Born 1934, Chris Moore started out in the early fifties at Vogue's in-house studion in London's Shoe Lane working as an assistant to photograph royalty: Cecil Beaton, henry Clarke, and Clifford Coffin. A decade later he was doing then what he still, at seventy six years old, does now: Travelling to London, Paris, New York and Milan, taking iconic international catwalk images. Today he reckons he has produced, in total, over a million. From this phenomenal photographic catalogue, Chris Moore has made a selection of seventy-eight. School of Design, Northumbria University is priviledged to present them."

My initial reaction to this exhibition was how beautifully he had managed to capture the atmosphere of a catwalk show. He has somehow incorporated that feeling of excitement and energy in most of his photographs with such clarity and beauty that it is extremely impressive.
I was firstly captivated by an image of Erin O'Connor modelling for Alexander McQueen. She is statuesque, dressed in a long white lace gown which flares into a fish tale at her ankles. She appears to be almost frozen in time, the shot taken in profile emphasizes the shape of the dress and Erin's strong features. This one made me stop for a while.

In contrast to such a snowy white image was a photo taken from a Jean Paul Gaultier collection:

The model has almost become a part of the outfit - it is hard to clarify where she fits into the garment and it is because of this that the photograph is so striking. The only real human element to it is her eyes and they stare straight out of the photograph which makes you automatically stare back. The model also seems to lack expression and this makes her appear even less human and more a part of the whole idea.

These photographs made me feel that I could have been there participating in a catwalk show. I felt quite jealous thatChris has lived through so many different eras - all of which have had revolutions in fashion which he has managed to capture over the years. I wish I had seen the Alexander McQueen shows before he sadly died. I loved the image from this show which was inspired by circuit boards. Chris said that he managed to capture this as the flash from another photographer's camera hit the model so this is why it appears to glow so brightly. It's all about being in the right place at the right time!!

The photographs from the eighties were excellent as they were mainly presented in black and white and this meant that the shadows and silhouettes really played an important part. It also enhanced the exaggerated silhouettes of the clothes in the eighties and captured the power dressing style of that era perfectly.

Chris Moore.

Every shot was professional and yet retained an element of interest and excitement that captured the atmosphere of the catwalk. It was great to see some iconic models wearing outfits by some of the greatest fashion designers and it really demonstrated that Chris had been at the pinnacle of fashion photography for a long time. He is obviously extremely well respected in the fashion industry and he has a skill that has to be admired, I felt priviledged to witness some of his photographs first hand. Very priviledged.