"Looking at the camera, your eyes... are very good."
"One more set."
Jiang Ya, the photographer sent by Alex, has a low-key demeanor but is exceptionally meticulous when taking photos. Jiang Ya is not an exclusive photographer for Alex magazine; he usually provides photos for several top magazines such as Alex, Show, and Ukiyo-e, and has photographed more than a dozen A-list celebrities.
The cover of Alex magazine two years ago was photographed by Jiang Ya, featuring nearly ten A-list actresses showcasing their brilliance in front of the camera. Despite the large number of people, Jiang Ya's composition did not appear cluttered at all; instead, it perfectly showcased the sharp and unique aspects of the actresses.
Alex magazine thus ushered in the era of large group photos on its New Year's cover, which was then imitated by other magazines. Every year at the beginning of the year, the competition among celebrities in terms of positioning, expressiveness, and styling becomes a hot topic online. Magazines like Alex have used this to further enhance their influence, and celebrities can also gain more attention from it.
In a sense, the cover shoot for this issue of Alex magazine by "Yi" is a kind of exploration of the idol industry by the fashion industry. Alex magazine has shot covers for idol groups before, but that dates back to more than ten years ago when idol dramas were all the rage. At that time, idol groups were still products of traditional entertainment companies, with hit dramas and representative songs. Each member of the group had a distinct image. In contrast, idols who debuted in recent years through talent shows rely more on fan traffic and frequently appear in variety shows or TV dramas, but they do not have any noteworthy works.
"Wings" falls somewhere in between, possessing both the popularity of top idols and highly catchy songs, making it a perfect entry point for fashion magazines.
Idols have always been a key focus for fashion magazines like Alex, because fashion magazines not only need to retain their existing readership but also attract the attention of the new generation.
In order to make this issue's cover a high-quality masterpiece, Alex magazine specially invited Jiang Ya to create this cover for "Wing".
Jiang Ya immediately refused over the phone: "No interest."
It's not that he can't take photos, it's just that Jiang Ya is really afraid of working with some unprofessional celebrities. With Jiang Ya's current status and reputation, not many celebrities can make things difficult for him. However, when he first started as a photographer, he really suffered a lot. Established celebrities are all smooth-talking, and even those who are known for their bad temper can still do their jobs perfectly. The most terrifying ones are those who suddenly become famous; they can be described as showing their true colors.
Not only were they uncooperative during filming, but they also brought up a whole host of problems on the fly, to the point that Jiang Ya is now afraid to work with some young stars.
The reason he was unwilling to shoot this cover for "Wings" was because a photographer friend of his had just taken a set of photos for an idol star. His friend wasn't very famous in the industry and usually photographed mostly minor celebrities. Besides providing photos for fashion magazines, he also took on some freelance work, such as shooting portraits.
As a result, Jiang Ya heard his friend complain that the idol he photographed was not only uncooperative, but also had terrible taste. He had no opinion on his own when it came to clothing, wearing whatever was trendy and always mixing and matching. His friend endured it and finished taking a set of photos, thinking that was the end of it. However, the subsequent retouching of the photos went on and on, about ten times. In the end, the photos were so unrealistic that they looked like mannequins. The idol even complained that the retouching wasn't refined enough.
"Then why would I photograph people? Why don't I photograph Barbie dolls?" his friend asked, posing a profound question.
Jiang Ya still remembers the look of despair on his friend's face.
Jiang Ya has no shortage of cover shoots. In addition to "Alex", he has also collaborated with "Ukiyo-e" and "Showroom" magazines. It's just that "Alex" gives him more authority and the collaboration between them is more pleasant.
Shortly after Jiang Ya declined, Chen Wei, the editor-in-chief of Alex magazine, personally extended an invitation to him. Jiang Ya and Chen Wei had known each other since their early days. At that time, Jiang Ya was a fledgling photographer, and Chen Wei was a recent college graduate and intern editor. The two had a relationship of mutual appreciation and support, and generally speaking, Jiang Ya would not refuse if Chen Wei asked him to.
“‘Wings’ have potential,” Chen Wei and Jiang Ya explained. “They are not the kind of dull and boring idols you imagine. Give them a try, and you might be surprised by the results.”
"Is that what you think?"
"I have no reason to lie to you, although I also have business considerations."
Alex magazine appears to be incredibly successful, controlling core resources in the fashion industry. Chen Wei is widely recognized as a fashion icon, single-handedly maintaining the operation of this large fashion machine. However, times have changed. Print media is severely impacted by online media, and fashion magazines like Alex are facing a crisis of significantly declining sales. Although Alex has launched an electronic edition, it is still an appendage of print media and has far less impact than self-media and short videos.
In addition, fashion magazines like Alex originally existed as a matchmaker between luxury brands and celebrities. Brands would promote the magazines and celebrities would appear on their covers. This model was very fixed, and brands would often refer to the opinions of fashion magazines when choosing spokespeople and partners. However, now, the entanglement between brands and celebrity agencies has become deeper and deeper, and the role played by fashion magazines has been weakened.
At this point, even a senior editor like Chen Wei had to bow to the pressure of online traffic.
A set of photos taken by T Fashion last year for "Yi" still makes the entire fashion industry envious. In that set of photos, T Fashion used the weapon of male beauty to the extreme. Every picture makes people have a strong desire to buy. That issue of the magazine has been reprinted many times. According to industry estimates, T Fashion sold more than 700,000 copies of that issue alone.
Fashion magazines are usually not cheap, with prices ranging from 20 to 30 yuan. Although the continuation of magazines like "Alex" relies heavily on advertising, their sales volume is also significant, since advertisers determine the amount of advertising they will place based on the magazine's subscription volume.
While T Fashion's advertising channels are not as extensive as Alex's, last year's issue not only brought the magazine a large sum of money but also demonstrated the strong purchasing power of young people to advertisers, leading to a gradual increase in advertising spending.
...
Jiang Ya then accepted the cover shoot for this issue of "Alex".
After only a brief encounter with "Wing", Jiang Ya was certain that Chen Wei was not lying to him.
He could tell at a glance that the members of "Wings" hadn't had any surgery on their faces; they all looked natural. If someone had surgery, the camera angles would be more critical. After all, if a face has been repaired and patched up, the flaws would become more and more obvious. If the surgery wasn't perfect, the face would look very puffy.
All four of them look great on camera.
They weren't the kind of faces Jiang Ya remembered that were particularly refined, but their features combined to create a striking combination. And... Jiang Ya rarely noticed a sense of composure in these young idols. The young people in front of him were very calm, neither panicked nor anxious, showing no signs of the arrogance one might expect from someone about to film "Alex."
For celebrities, appearing on the cover of Alex magazine has always been a symbol of status.
"Hello, Teacher Jiang."
After the "Wings" group greeted Jiang Ya, they handed him the album "Mist." Jiang Ya asked his assistant to put it away, but the assistant happily put his own copy into his bag, doing so very carefully.
Jiang Ya looked at his assistant and asked curiously, "You like their albums?"
“I already have one in my collection, but this is the first time I’ve gotten a signed copy.” The assistant whispered to Jiang Ya, “Teacher Jiang, the song you’ve been playing a lot in the studio lately is sung by them.”
Which song?
"The theme song of 'I, Nameless,' the one where the bird leaps down."
Jiang Ya immediately realized what was going on. He often played music while editing videos in the studio, and recently he had been listening to "Fly" the most. However, he didn't pay attention to who the original singer of the song was. He just thought that the song was very nice and touching, and that listening to the song would make him more efficient at editing videos.
Jiang Ya knew that although his assistant was a bit young, he wasn't the kind of loud and boisterous fan. The celebrities he admired usually had some talent. Since his assistant thought "Wing" was good, his skills shouldn't be too bad either.
It wasn't until filming actually began that Jiang Ya realized the biggest characteristic of "Wings"—authenticity.
And sincerity.
"Wing" is shooting for the June issue of Alex magazine, with the theme of early summer beaches. The shooting location is in City C, which is more than 500 kilometers away from City A, where there is a large expanse of clear blue beach.
City A is located in the south, while City C is in the north. Although it is the end of April, the temperature in City C is only around 10 degrees Celsius. This year, cold waves broke out in various places during the Spring Festival, and the temperature has not risen in late spring, and it is several degrees lower than in previous years.
However, due to the needs of the filming scene, all members of "Wings" had to wear beach shorts and floral shirts and run around barefoot on the beach.
Jiang Ya doesn't like celebrities posing in a certain way. The word "posing" itself carries a sense of deliberateness. For example, last year there was a period when the queen style was popular. Cold and sweet female stars would have a powerful aura when they walked the red carpet. But not everyone can pull off that style. Being too deliberate often feels like trying too hard.
Jiang Ya likes to capture the most natural state of celebrities, especially in these real-life shooting scenes.
After the "Wings" group changed their clothes, a sea breeze blew, and Jiang Ya could clearly see Ji Yan in the middle shiver. But he didn't complain at all and ran on the beach against the wind.
There were no disagreements among the members of this group—Jiang Ya quickly came to the conclusion.
His instructions for filming "Wings" were to let them have fun and show their truest selves. As soon as he said this, Jiang Ya witnessed Fang Yu kicking sand at the others.
This seemed to be the switch that turned on the action. Next, Fang Yu was surrounded and attacked by the rest of the "Wing" group. He hurriedly grabbed his swimming ring and went into the water, stirring up a large amount of seawater.
In Jiang Ya's photos, everyone has the brightest smile on their face.
Because the scene to be filmed was on the beach, "Wings" didn't wear makeup and showed their most authentic selves. They played with ducks floating on the water, screamed while holding surfboards, or made peace signs on sailboats, not caring at all even though their bodies and hair were completely wet.
Jiang Ya captured many adorable moments, such as Xie Mingxuan, wearing floral pants but with a cold expression, being forced to make a peace sign by his teammates, and Lu Wei lying down in front of the sand pile to measure the height of the sandcastle with her hands and eyes in order to build the best sandcastle.
Jiang Ya also lay down to take this set of photos—the camera focused clearly on Lu Wei's face at this moment. The young man's hair on his forehead was wet with seawater, but his gaze was extremely focused, and his eyes were full of clarity.
When the castle was successfully built, he revealed a row of neat teeth, his eyes narrowed into slits, but the infectiousness of his smile was hard to describe in words.
For Jiang Ya, this was also a joyful filming experience. Working with these young idols made him feel younger himself.
"Wings" didn't forget that this was a photoshoot, but they stayed true to themselves throughout the process. Even though early summer hadn't arrived yet, the joy that the early summer beach brought was already fully conveyed.
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