To close on my journey exploring Rankin’s marvels of work, I would say that I have learned a lot from this experience; Rankin has not only made a massive contribution to the fashion industry and photography, but also to the many that have seen, studied or appreciated his work. As an observer of his work, Rankin’s portraits aren’t just photos, they are Art, and Art certainly has a firm place in social commentary. What his portraits convey is the very core of a person. He is able as a photographer to connect on a human level and bring out the best of the character before his lens. Like his admiration of Damien Hirst, he too provokes a reaction from his subjects, regardless of whether he is shooting a celebrity or just you or I.
His work has ranged from capturing the Queen’s smile to Oxfam’s ‘We are Congo’ ( a series of beautiful portraits from the Mugunga camp, East Congo where he met 17,000 refugees). He pushed the boundaries of what true ‘beauty’ was in his project Surface Attraction , carried out in partnership with GF Smith. Additionally, his contribution to the project for Sightsavers resulted in a series of sensational photographs raising awareness for the blind. Whilst they may not have been able to appreciate the impact of his work visually I am sure they must have felt it.
What I took from this study is the knowledge that to capture a great portrait is to capture the subject, not just what they look like but who they are beneath the aesthetic front. What has inspired me about Rankin is his commitment to his work, his consistent passion (that comes through in each of his photos), and his quest for the bigger picture but above all, that he is inspired by diversity. Unlike the regular run-of-the-mill fashion photographer, he captures the very essence of a person, and that’s what taught me that a portrait isn’t just a picture - it’s a story. For me, he ranks pretty high up in my list of photographers!
"If it didn't make a difference, I wouldn't be doing what I do" Rankin
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