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Peer review task

We were asked to reflect on one of our peers’ work and how they incorporated better lives themes. I have chosen to reflect on Desi Bogdanova blogs. I will be mainly looking at the third blog post as it striked me the most. In the first blog post Desi is referring back to one of the lectures about empathy, and how social responsibility plays a part when confronting issues. It really creates a link with the final look she created and the idea behind it. References of relevant artists are mentioned which show a clear understanding of who is involved with these themes and how they are further evolving.

I choose to mainly reflect on the third blog post as it refers to an issue that is relevant to all of us at the moment (COVID19). I thought that the way this theme was approached was really fun and a clever way to explore the theme and portray a narrative using the items around the home. The look “quarantine queen” was quite prop-based which made it a lot more engaging to a viewer and the choice of minimal makeup suited this look well and let the props speak for themselves.

I thought the elements such as the tissue paper and face mask made you look at the photo more just because of how they were placed which reflected on the themes of fashion mistake and social responsibility effectively. 

From a fashion photographers point of view, the images formed when capturing this look are captivating, it grabs your attention instantly. I also think that the angles and crops chosen for the photos work really well and overall form a series of strong images which could be seen in an editorial. I particularly found it interesting to read her take on the pandemic and how the panic of the public was unnecessary leaving others in worse conditions. Looking at Desis blogs I can definitely see how she has taken what she has learned from the Better Lives lectures and applied it to create her final look. I particularly like the choice of the topic being about global pandemic as it is something that all of us are dealing with at the moment. I think it was approached in a well thought out way as it focused on a serious issue however portraying this in a more free and creative way.

It would have been quite interesting to see how this idea and look could have been taken further and if this issue could be portrayed in another creative way. I hope that Desi is committed to exploring the themes of better lives in her further works.