FASHION WEEK THROUGH A LENS: A PHOTOGRAPHER'S TAKE

So I spent the last week in a tent. No, there were no campfires or marshmallows. There were however, hoardes of gorgeous women and free drinks – such is Bryant Park during the Olympus Fashion Week. My name is Jaxon, a photographer at Fashion Week 2005. I'm South African (originally from Taiwan) and I've never seen anything like this before.

For the first show of the week -- Kenneth Cole -- I found myself standing on the media raiser (aka the pit) at the end of the runway. As the lights dimmed and the music began to cue, I breathed deeply, anticipating the start of this great and distinguished event when a cry of, “uncross your legs!” burst forth from one of the photographers behind me. The outburst was followed by several concurring shouts and cries from photographers telling the people in the front row to get their damned legs and feet off the runway and out of our shots. Startled and nervous, the audience complied and the show was underway. This being my first runway assignment, I was shocked by the aggressive nature of the photographers but by the end of the show, I’d learned that it was a necessity.

Over a thousand shots were fired off by the photographers within the first few minutes of the show, and the satisfying (from a photog point of view because that click-click means it's going well) snaps of shutters continued for the rest of the show.

by Jaxon Hsu