I made some Photos in the last days – please tell me if you like them:

Claudia Schiffer has been attacked for offending black people after posing on a magazine cover made up as a black woman. The 39-year-old German supermodel wore black foundation and an afro-style wig in the photograph taken by fashion designer and photographer Karl Lagerfeld.

Lagerfeld had Schiffer made up as a black women in one of six photographs he took while putting together an advertising campaign for the vintage champagne Dom Perignon. The photos were published by German fashion magazine Stern Fotografie when it celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Accusations against Schiffer and Lagerfeld followed from Shevelle Rhule, the fashion editor of a London black lifestyle magazine, Pride. Ms Rhule said:

“It shows poor taste and it's offensive. There are not enough women of colour featured in mainstream magazines. This just suggests you can counteract the problem by using white models. I don't believe they deliberately set out to offend. They obviously see it as being arty and feel that they are pushing boundaries. But clearly no thought has been given to the history behind what they have done and the comparisons it draws with minstrel shows.”

To which I would reply: 'Shevelle, lighten up'. Her comment is the kind that perpetuates raw nerves about race and creates a path of spikey eggshells for people, black and white, to walk on. Society doesn't need race relations zealots, quangocrats or Pride fashion editors lecturing designers (or filmmakers or writers or rap singers…) on what they can or can't do. It's small-minded. Already an online magazine has responded to the photos with conformist knee-jerk political correctness by saying one of the other photos, of Schiffer as an Asian, is “just wrong”, scolding that Lagerfeld should have used more than one model in the interests of racial diversity.

Fashion, like fiction and film and other creative industries, should be free to play with any images it chooses. Did Ms Rhule also take offence at white French actor Gerard Depardieu recently playing mixed-race Alexander Dumas (using black make-up)? Or Eddie Murphy impersonating a white (jewish) person? Or black British actor Adrian Lester who played the white Danish prince, Hamlet? Or the black actor, David Oyelowo, who played white English king Henry VI?

Would she criticise images of Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones dressed up as women? How about pantomime dames, women actors dressed as men, Eddie Izzard in frock and lipstick, comedians pretending to be children…?

As soon as you get into determining whether blacks can play whites and women can play men but not the other way round, you're proscribing the creative process and engaging in censorship. Clamping down on the arts in that way (even commercial arts like advertising) is as restricting as squashing free speech.

As for Rhule's comment that Lagerfeld and Schiffer were suggesting the photograph of a 'black' Schiffer would substitute for using black models in mainstream magazines – that's just plain foolish. Rhule then seems to have chucked minstrels into the discussion just for shock value.

In fact the photo was one of a series of six in which Lagerfeld was playing with Schiffer's image. Another showed her as a secretary, a third as an Asian woman. In a fourth she was dressed and made up as eighteenth century French queen, Marie Antoinette and in a fifth she was androgynous. The fashion shoot theme was fantasy and imagination. Lagerfeld wanted to play with Schiffer's face and Shiffer's image. He didn't want to use other models. He wasn't trying to portraying racial diversity – he was portraying imaginary Claudia Schiffers. And has every right to.

A spokesman for Lagerfeld responded to Rhule's criticism, saying she was taking them out of context: “The images were designed to reflect different men's fantasies. The pictures were not intended to offend, they were done very creatively and are some of Karl Lagerfeld's favourite images of Claudia. People should not jump to conclusions.”

Yet there are many people with vested interests in Britain and other liberal democracies who make a good living from jumping to conclusions and playing the race card in cases which can only trivialise genuine instances of racism. Political correctness about race and ethnicity has battened onto society like a barnacle on a boat. It would be a democratic step forward if those who have a professional interest in taking offence at 'racism' and other -isms would pick their battles more wisely.

It would also be good if the race relations industry ditched the term “people of colour”. What is it supposed to indicate?! What colour? Black? Dark brown? Sienna? All those and more? Does it imply that white people – with their variously pink, peachy, creamy, olive-toned, ugly red, bluey-white, brown or orangey skin – have no colour? Why aren't whites called “people of non-colour” then? Or “people of no-colour”?

Black and white are just words. They're quick and easy terms to use for those who want or need to indicate skin colour and they're neutral. People (like Ms Rhule perhaps) who want to take offence at one (and not the other) always will. But they're misguided. Countering racism is always worth doing. But cranking up and maintaining raw nerves unnecessarily does no-one any good. It just increases division between black and white and injects a zealous, scolding tone into debate which would benefit from more freedom, less 'sensitivity' and – in a case like the Schiffer/Lagerfeld photos – a bit of playfulness.

Keeping in touch with the next generation of photographers is essential for anyone working in the genre so earlier this year I took a train ride to meet a group of students studying the BTEC National Award Photography at City College Brighton and Hove.

The course is run by Julia Horbaschk, who is herself a photographer, and she had asked if I could set the students a simple assignment along the lines of our themed weekly readers' galleries. For many of the students this is their first experience of photography and the study of the way images are used within society.

To keep it simple and to ensure all the students had access to the subject I selected transport as the theme. The students then had a few weeks to come up with some ideas and shots and at that point I went to meet them.

It was fascinating to see the range of interpretations, from those who concentrated on traditional forms of transport to those who saw it more as a way to transport the mind.

I asked Julia for her thoughts on the project and process, she said:

“I feel the students have coped very well, coming up with a large range of ideas related to the subject of transport. We started the projects with several brainstorming sessions about transport in order to avoid the stereotypical interpretations such as cars, trains and planes.
 
“This included thinking of where transport is used, how and when. We also explored a variety of techniques and angles that allow us to show transport in a different dimension, including sensory responses and abstract imagery.
 
“Looking at all the images together I feel this has paid off because each student has produced an individual outcome.
 
“The grading criteria by BTEC can be challenging and the students had to respond to many tasks including finding visual as well as non visual references. Unit 4, Visual Communications also aims to 'develop the students' own visual language by working with a range of methods, materials and media' as well as to 'develop the breadth and depth of their visual communication knowledge, skills and understanding'.
 
“Furthermore the criteria ask the student to: 'communicate and present ideas and outcomes to different audiences'. By inviting Phil we had the chance of extending the audience to a larger scale, which will greatly add to the students' achievement, in grades as well as professionally.
 
“Phil's visit has also made the students aware of the changing world of photography outside the college and having some of their images published will hopefully give them greater confidence in their progress in the field. As their tutor I am proud that they have embraced the challenge”

A number of those involved have sent me one of their pictures from the series and I present them here with comments from each student and a few additional notes from me. I'm thankful for their support and willingness to get involved, and I hope to stay in touch with their progress.

Now the photos, in alphabetical order:

Connor Barnes

Connor: “In this picture I tried to emphasise the fundamental elements regarding the freedom of the skater.”

Phil: “Connor's well-framed shot of the skater brings the feeling of freedom that some forms of transport can offer. He has obviously thought hard about the subject and worked through a number of ideas to get the final picture you see here. There were others in his set that worked equally well.”

Kayleigh Blaker

Kayleigh: “I came up with this image whilst I was on a day trip in London on a hospital visit. I was walking down near Hyde Park and came across an army of horses and riders transporting guns. I thought it was an unusual form of transport and pretty unique.”

Phil: “Kayleigh's decision to photograph a less obvious mode of transport is an interesting one. She explained that she wanted to move away from cars or trains and instead find an new angle, and the gun carriages being pulled by horses are certainly that.”

Melissa Collins

Melissa: “For my transport images I was trying to create something that was very different and more unusual, so I experimented with a torch to do light drawings, adding detail and suggesting movement within the car.”

Phil: “Melissa wanted to add some fun to her pictures and she has done this well by painting with light. The idea was inspired having seen the streams of traffic recorded in long exposure pictures and here we get a different take on transport and the contradiction between the light and the static car. Photography should be fun, and this picture encapsulates that well.”

Taylor Davies

Taylor: “In my Transport project, I decided to do disability transport; walking frames, walking sticks, wheelchairs. I was trying to show how slow people walk, (with disability transport) and also how hard it is for them to move around. For example people that need wheelchairs, have to use ramps to get around but ramps aren't everywhere and this is not fair. Because my mum is disabled, this is what interested me. I guess I wanted to try and make everyone aware of how lucky some of us are.”

Phil: “Taylor concentrated on a slower form of transport but by using a slow shutter speed and flash Taylor has added the feeling of both movement and tension in the frame. Using photography to record aspects of our own lives and the issues we face can often produce powerful pictures and Taylor has done well.”

Lukas Dlhopolcek

Lukas: “I tried to use a zooming and panning technique to preserve the movement. I chose Trafalgar Square in London because there is a lot of traffic and it has an interesting iconic background. I tried to include this background so the viewer can see that it was taken in London.”

Phil: “Lukas has married his photographic technique to the subject well and created a vibrant picture that propels the viewer into the scene and conveys the feeling of motion around a busy London landmark.”

Adam Dowty

Phil: “Adam also used the blur technique to capture the mood and I have to say I like this. The two uprights of the street furniture hold each side of the frame together and the tones of the moving vehicle and the brickwork add a slightly sombre mood. There's an unsettling feeling within the frame though I can't put my finger on what it is exactly.”

Grace Flynn

Grace: “I decided to base all of my ideas around flight. I chose to do this because I preferred to interpret the subject matter of transport in a more fictional, rather than literal way. When I was given this brief almost all of the ideas that came to me were related to flying and it was a good opportunity to experiment with movement in order to create the illusion of flight. It is also a form of transport that is often associated with superheroes, fairies and fictional things.”

Phil: “This is a novel approach and very well executed. The notion of travel and transport is there in this dreamlike photo. It's also a shot that would be used in the right context.”

Becci Godsall

Becci: “The project title of transport felt quite unusual to me as I haven't really explored this type of photography before. I found it challenging but enjoyable and I think I added my own individual style to the photographs.”

Phil: “Becci was looking to capture the movement of transport – the feeling of being transported and this picture does that well. She was aware of the issues facing the lack of light on the underground and this frame is a good balance between blur and keeping enough detail to see what is going on. It's also good to see she was able to adapt her own type of photography to fulfil this brief.”

Katie Harding

Katie: “With this project I was inspired by the government's road safety campaigns and I wanted my images to be a comment on the effects of dangerous driving.”

Phil: “Katie took the government's road safety films as a starting point and then very effectively created a number of pictures that would work as posters in that sort of campaign. One shot of a rabbit that had been run over was a little too direct for such a campaign, but the child's toy and the flowers are very effective, being well-balanced shots.”

Joseph Murphy

Joseph: “I was attempting to portray the more natural side of transport, and how many of of our inventions such as aeroplanes have been inspired by the natural world.”

Phil: “This is a clever idea and as a graphic image and possible advertisement poster fits the theme well. The twist is the feeling of flying away from it all, and yet the fact that these paper birds are going nowhere works well.”

Chloe Ryan

Chloe: “This photograph was taken whilst on an adventure with my best friend after she'd splashed about in the mud bare foot by the local harbour. As she sat down to put her shoes back on I snapped away at her feet. It sparked the inspiration for my transport project, I then went on to photograph feet in different elements, such as mud, sand, grass and water to show a journey.”

Phil: “This frame struck me straight away. It's simple and yet a very powerful picture drawing out all sorts of stories or ideas. Seen small she could be standing on railway lines, but whatever it is, it signifies the start of a journey, or maybe the end. This feels like the opening frame of a film, a road movie perhaps. The picture transports the mind to new places and compels the viewer to invent a story.”

Louis Smith

Louis: “Sunny days should be spent enjoying them, like this.”

Phil: “Louis's caption says it all really, a well-framed shot, strong angles and a relaxed feel abounds.”

Sam Webb

Sam: “I was trying to capture the mood of this scene. The area was misty and had a very calm feeling and seemed as though it was a scene from a film the way the lights lit the mist.”

Phil: “The wide shot of the railway car park with a streak of light as the train passes on a misty night is lovely. It's well-framed, with lots of space to allow the subject to breathe and the mist adds drama and closes the space down well. This too could be a scene from a film or poster with plenty of room for text to be added.”

You can see the students' photos in a gallery on Flickr with comments from Julia.

Best of luck to all the students and thanks for sharing your time with me.

• Bookmark with:
• del.icio.us |
• Digg |
• Newsvine |
• NowPublic |
• Reddit
• – What's this?

Yeah JB, I don’t understand the idiots who come to this site and feel a need to post and don’t read all the posts that have pointed out that it was photoshopped. Quit harping on Miley. Ask yourself if it was your 17 year old daughter that someone photoshopped, regardless of how she dresses, and how you’d feel. And even if the picture wasn’t faked, if someone doesn’t want to wear underwear, it’s their business. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on his site, but I remember that the guy had people that he just hated. I could understand why he didn’t like the beauty queen(though why he chooses to make it personal, I don’t know). But he had a real hatred for that girl that dates Zach Effron, I’m not sure why, maybe cause he thinks he’s cute and is jealous. But I also rmember he had this hatred for Miley and was always writing things about her. Now this,beyond a possible criminal charge, she probably can make a good case for slander as he doesn’t do things to report them, but has the intent to do certain celebrities harm.

from: Techblog