Throughout history the meaning of photography has greatly changed; from barely being considered an art form, with some people arguing the simplicity of it compared to painting, to now being one of the most popular mediums. Contemporary photography is said to of began around the 1950’s and is a more daring type of photography because; it has brighter colors, plays with story lines, is more planned and challenges typical stereotypes of photography being only in the moment. One of the most influential contemporary photographers during the 1960s-1980s was Guy Bourdin. He was not one who portrayed his work in galleries but actually preferred the pages of magazines and advertisements. Bourdin is a French photographer who is most known for his work shot for Vogue, Chanel and Charles Jourdan shoes. Guy Bourdin photographs are a combination of commercial and fine art which play with the ideas of fashion, sex and death. Guy was one of the first artist to push the limits set on fashion photography. Along with revolutionizing fashion photography Bourdin created narratives and story lines within the images to sell the product. Guy Bourdin pushed the limits so far on photography, by including sex and death, that there was a lot of controversy surrounding his work and his personal life. Bourdin is known of had a difficult childhood because his mother ran out on him when he was very young. His life did not become any easier later on either when his wife and girlfriend are rumored to of suffered mysterious deaths. With so much tragedy occurring in his life it is understandable to see how one may interpret his work to be relevant to his life. Guy Bourdin is one of the leading creators of contemporary photography because of his use of colors and story lines to create beautiful pieces, but I believe that his usage of death and sex motifs are a reflection of his life, and the way he perceives women.
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