David Royston Bailey, (born 2 January 1938) is an English fashion and portrait photographer. David Bailey was born in Leytonstone East London. In one school year, he claims he only attended 33 times. He left school on his fifteenth birthday, ('Fortunately I didn't get educated because if I'd got educated I'd be an educated fool now.' a quote from David Bailey on school) to become a copy boy at the Fleet Street offices of the Yorkshire Post. He raced through a series of dead end jobs, before his call up for National Service in 1956, serving with the Royal Air Force in Singapore in 1957. The appropriation of his trumpet forced him to consider other creative outlets, and he bought a Rolleiflex camera.
He was demobbed in August 1958, and determined to pursue a career in photography, he bought a Canon rangefinder camera. Unable to obtain a place at the London College of Printing because of his school record, he became a second assistant to David Ollins, in Charlotte Mews. He earned £3 10s (£3.50) a week, and acted as studio dogsbody. He was delighted to be called to an interview with photographer John French. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bailey
He was demobbed in August 1958, and determined to pursue a career in photography, he bought a Canon rangefinder camera. Unable to obtain a place at the London College of Printing because of his school record, he became a second assistant to David Ollins, in Charlotte Mews. He earned £3 10s (£3.50) a week, and acted as studio dogsbody. He was delighted to be called to an interview with photographer John French. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bailey
You appreciate the simplicity in his work, however it can get tedious looking at the same sort of colour schemes.
I really like the juxtaposition in the image, he's dressed formally in a suit, with his hair done and his glasses on properly, but the fact that he has an unlit cigarette, hanging loosely from his mouth contradicts his formality. This image leaves the audience wondering why Bailey did this. One interpretation of this could be how it represents negativity and positivity. This could be interpreted because of how cigarettes are associated with being harmful and the suit represents power. the cigarettes being negative and the suit being positive. Also as the image is black and white you could also suggest the white is a 'positive' colour and the black is a 'negative' colour. Overall I believe throughout this entire picture different pieces of detail contradict each other.