Photographer Research - Vasil Germanov

Vasil Germanov 

Vasil Germanov is a Bulgarian, fashion and beauty photographer, who shoots mainly portraits of women. However, it is his work for a Bulgarian magazine called Twelve(12) that caught my interest. The series of images are titled "Victim of Beauty". These photos are portraits of women, who have been styled and made-up, but have injuries on their faces and upper body. For instance, one has a black eye, another has half of her face looking like it was burned by acid, others have a cut on their nose and lip, and the most extreme photos that caught the most attention were the ones where the woman has her throat slit, and another where her mouth is cut from either side into an elongated smile. Obviously, this is special effects makeup. However, the series of images created controversy as a lot of viewers thought that it was romanticizing Domestic Violence. Even though the series has never been given context, a lot of viewers related it to Domestic Violence and thought the photographer and magazine were beautifying abuse towards women by men, which could impose the wrong messages for their viewers. Despite the reaction from other people, I believe this set of images show strong and powerful women, who are able to stand up and rise above their wounds and use them as motivation to tell their story, and to help those who suffer with Domestic Violence or any type of abuse in real life. I also think this is a thought-provoking and extreme way of raising awareness for any abuse sufferers as it makes people realize how violent and life-threatening abuse can be for many victims. 

This is one of the most extreme photographs out of the series, as the model in this image has her throat cut. Her neck looks bruised, bloody and severely painful. However, her face is untouched and beautiful, and she's looking directly in to the camera. This positioning from the model shows that she is confident, brave and unaffected by her injuries. As the background is black in all the images, it highlights the face as it is the only part in a brighter colour. This also means that the injuries are emphasized as well. 

This is the image where the model looks like she has had half her face burned with acid. Her skin on the left side of her face is flaky, shriveled and discoloured. Whereas the other side of her face is flawless due to makeup. Like the other images, this model is also looking directly into the camera, unfazed by her injuries and looking as powerful as ever. These images empower women, instead of showing them as weak and helpless victims, by showing that women can still stand strong despite what happens to them. 

In this image, the model has a black eye, bruised to the point that it is sealed shut. However, the rest of the model's face is untouched and flawless, and is paired with red lipstick to match her red top. I think the fashion side of Germanov shows through more from this photo than the others as this model has a 50s style about her, with the big curl on one side and red lip. Like the others, this model is standing tall and brave despite not being able to open her right eye. 

This image also caused a lot of controversy like the first one, as in this photo the models mouth has been cut to create a wide, elongated smile across her face. The cuts join with the parting of the model's lips, making it look like a bloody and bruised smile. I think this image shows the most empowerment and bravery as the woman is looking directly into the camera, but looking up and staring into the lens, making her eyes wider and ultimately, making her look more powerful.

This shot was taken from my part 1 shoot for Domestic Violence, as I wanted to test out the makeup and facepaint before I produced the images for my exam. For the most part of this shoot, I asked my model to look powerless, helpless and weak. However, in a couple of images, and especially in the exam shoot, I asked my model to look powerful and careless. This was because of the influence from these images created by Vasil Germanov, as none of the women look affected by their injuries. In this shot of mine, My model has a black eye, bruised lip, and a bruised hand mark around her neck as though she has been strangled, which is pretty horrific. However, because her head is tilted back and she is looking directly into the camera, she looks brave despite the bruises. 

This image is from my exam shoot, and I decided to create bruises across the face, around the neck and collarbones, and on my model's back. This was one of the last shots I took, and so there are a lot of bruises and injuries, particularly a massive one across the model's back. However, like the shot above, my model is looking directly into the camera and is unfazed by her injuries. Her nose is even pouring of blood (which is fake), and she still looks brave and powerful, looking over her shoulder to show all of her injuries. 

In summary, despite not knowing as much about Vasil Germanov as I would have liked, I have enjoyed researching into this series 'Victim of Beauty' and reading articles about the controversial messages that it has produced. Germanov's work shows powerful, beautiful women who have been abused and victimized, but they're still carrying on and facing their injuries. These images will inspire a lot of women who have been or are being abused by somebody, to stand up and fight back. These images defy the stereotypical 'weak' and 'helpless' woman, by showing that these women are strong, despite what they have been through, and I believe that is a brilliant message to offer the public.