Art and fashion-lovers join forces at Ringling College reception

Looking at it, you wouldn’t immediately realize what it is.

A stylish young man smiles as his Stacy Adams Genuine Leather-covered foot looks as if it’s about to stomp the photographer taking the photo.

It’s a work of art, but it’s more than that — it’s fashion, and it makes a statement that could be used for both artistic and advertising purposes.  

This photograph, which features model Steven Whitfield and was taken by student artist Becca Buchanan, is part of the exhibit PH_ashion 121, a compilation of 20 works by the students in Tom Winchester’s PH 121 class in the fall of 2016.

Local fashionistas and photography fans alike gathered Aug. 4 at Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery to take one last look at the best photos that came out of the class, which were on display as part of the closing night reception.

In the class, Winchester’s 15 Photography and Digital Imaging major students studied fashion photography and portraiture in order to learn how to catch the attention of a photo editor — most importantly, they learned how to produce photos worthy of being selected for the media.

Every class consisted of a photo shoot in which the students planned a shot and worked with their own model, makeup artist, hair stylist and often wardrobe stylist to make it happen.

This was Winchester’s first time teaching the course — and teaching period — and his objective was to prepare the young photographers so they can navigate the commercial photography world upon graduation.

“Show up with a camera and you’ll get a portfolio,” Winchester says of his motto for the class.

He says the class was unique in that it gave the students the chance to not only learn more about photography but how to collaborate on shoots and it ended up becoming an incubator/great networking tool because many of the students and models and stylists have since continued to work together to build each other’s portfolios with new work.

Guests at the closing reception munched on appetizers, sipped LaCroix, got their photo taken at the step and repeat, listened to the electric jams thumping from the DJ table and strolled through the gallery to see the best works of these up-and-coming fashion photographers.