Considering I’m not much of a blogger I had to ask around to see which blogs are good to follow. Many of my friends gave an excuse similar to mine: not enough time. While I do come across some that I like once and awhile, I don’t have any that I follow on a regular basis. My girlfriend on the other hand, who by the way is originally from New York (which I find relevant), always makes time for one blog that she claims is a must read.
The Sartorialist is a blog created by Scott Schuman, a photographer turned blogger who is based out of Manhattan. The basic premise behind his blog is to capture a spontaneous photograph of a random person in the street who is, in his words, “well put together.” Some of his work takes place in NY, but also in many places around the world such as Madrid, Paris, and Milan. The people he uses as subjects are from all walks of life. They may be artists, designers, models, musicians, or actors. Or they may be unemployed. He simply looks to find something interesting in how a person represents themselves and how he can capture that in a heightened reality. Sometimes the people know that they are being photographed and sometimes he photographs them first before approaching them. He explains that a person is very photogenic once they have been flattered or slightly embarrassed by a request to have their picture taken. He enjoys interacting with strangers and getting their approval to be the subject of his spontaneous photo shoot. Here are some examples of his work…
I think that the purpose of this blog is mostly for people following fashion trends to find inspiration and get ideas. For that purpose, this blog is very effective. It provides content in chronological order so people involved in the fashion world have a virtual timeline of certain fashion trends and respective seasons. Scott also provides such information as if the photo was taken from the street (which it often is) or from a fashion show in which case the designer is also mentioned. I think the layout and design of the blog are brilliant and I did enjoy scrolling through some of the pictures. I can’t say that I plan to follow the blog but it may be useful to those who want to keep up with trends or get some new ideas every once in a while.
The Official Blog of WRTG 3007, Summer 2012 
This seems a lot like Bill Cunningham. He’s a photographer, and has had a column in the NYT for many, many years, cataloging street fashion. All of his columns have themes. When he goes out to shoot pictures he just keeps putting role after role of film into his camera, taking shots of fashion he admires. Then later he goes back through and finds things that all go together or seem to be popular. It’s fascinating to look at his pictures because not only are the subjects interesting, but the way he photographs is, as well as the way he collects and organizes them are fascinating too.
Bill Cunningham is a good suggestion!
Yes, the photography here is fun and interesting–it’s always curious to see who Schuman is drawn to, and I like that he talks about his process and approach.
I really liked your idea about creating a ‘heightened reality’. It is such an interesting phrase and really made me stop and think about what that meant. Photography allows for this sense of beautification that other mediums cannot capture. All his subjects are glorified yet are real people. I would say the majority of people photographed are on the ‘glamorous’ side of life, but his images are indeed striking. I like this post a lot and found this blog interesting. I went through it to get an idea of what his subjects are like and they are quite diverse. I really liked how he included some vintage photographs because I think it makes his blog come full circle. Fashion is cyclical and by comparing the now to the then he shows this perfectly.
I love the Sartorialist! I’ve been following it for years and I still check it out every now and then. I think it’s really interesting to not just see the fashion, but to see how fashion is different in other parts of the world. Also it’s really interesting because it gives a window into a different world kind of, one where everyone is well dressed. It was interesting reading your post about it because I have followed this blog for years, but you gave me a different perspective on it. Since you just looked into it because your girlfriend liked it and wrote about it after seeing it for the first time, you see it in a very different way than me. You see it with fresh eyes, so to speak.
I have never visited this blog before! I checked it out and it seems really cool. I love looking at pictures of people. It is crazy how many people there are in the world and how many different cultures there are in the world…AND how many different fashion styles there are….there are so many opportunities for great pictures! I love people (SOCY did that to me) and I enjoy fashion so this blog is fun for me to read. I like the idea that the photographer chooses strangers on the street, who put themselves together that day. It some ways it almost makes the subject of the photos the real artist and the photographer just the one who documents their art. The subjects dressed themselves and styled themselves and clearly stood out in public so I think it would be cool to give them some kind of artistic credit.