We present George Harvey's study into light and tone through the prism of EVE LOM Brightening Cream
"As a photographer I think about light on a day to day basis," says photographer and videographer George Harvey, "whether its exposing my subject on set or walking along the street and seeing a nice reflection". His collaboration with AnOther to examine EVE LOM Brightening Cream is the perfect study into light and tone. Harvey's work is particularly renowned for its monochromatic approach (he was also the man behind the Digital Limited Edition's advert); he explains, "I have always loved black and white imagery. I love the way everything just seems so much clearer and I'm mostly interested in shape and line, so black and white allows me to focus on that without any other distractions and I love light to be simple, clean... plus, I am completely obsessed with the concept of speed and time. This is filmed at 50 frames per second which I hope helps to give it a more sensual feel."
Incorporating a grid inspired by cosmetic palettes of skin tone, the film is a beautiful exploration of the impact of both the brightening cream and light itself. Accompanied by an original score created by sound artist Brendan Crehan, who fashioned a soundscape of abstract tonality to convey a sense of growth throughout the short, the result is surprisingly emotive for a 45-second piece. By time-stretching a section of recording percussion and overlaying the sound of an exhaling breath (accompanied by synths, delays and reverb), there is something distinctly human and yet otherworldly about the resulting video. As Samuel Johnson famously decreed, "He that will enjoy the brightness of sunshine, must quit the coolness of the shade” – and few things make the light (and EVE LOM Brightening Cream) look more appealing than George Harvey's work.
