Robyn Beechirst's show on fashion photography

Photographer Robyn Beeche has a style of her own — quirky and flamboyant. The internationally-acclaimed photographer who moved to London in the 1980s gave fashion photography a breath of fresh air with her artistic work.

In her upcoming exhibition — ‘Fashion Face’ —  Robyn (hailing from Sydney, Australia) puts on display the photographs she captured in London where she began her experiments, together with three make-up artists, namely Richard Sharah, Phyllis Cohen and Richard Sharples. Robyn is now also partly based in Vrindavan, Mathura.

“It was a very different era… there were no hi-tech softwares. Everything was done by the make-up artist. I approached the face as a canvas. So many hours were spent on applying make-up and doing intricate hairstyles,” says Robyn, who specialised in fashion and beauty photography working with renowned designers and artists such as Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, Mary Quant and Andrew Logan.

“Whenever you look at my photographs, you will see that there is something quirky about them,” says Robyn. “For instance, the shadow in the picture is actually all make-up. The make-up artists themselves are highly talented. Even I do some bit of the make-up for the shoots,” smiles Robyn.

Robyn had her first show in India in Vrindavan, which she has now turned into her seasonal abode. “But this is my first major show in the country,” says Robyn, who has documented several festivals and cultures of the Vraj region. In 1989, she directed the film Holi — a Festival of Colour. In October 2007, her photographs were included in the exhibition — ‘Krishna: Love and Devotion’ at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.