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Assisting Avedon

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I was an assistant to the world-famous photographer Richard Avedon during his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell! Now is the time to reveal all, while I'm still alive and kicking. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done!

What I need to make this project a reality is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or even a documentary for the historical record.

Anyone interested?

Assistant Magazine

Assistant Magazine

 

 

The first issue of Assistant Magazine is out, and is it ever glorious!

This quarterly journal deals with the past, present, and especially with the future of the role of assistants in fashion, fashion photography, style, the visual arts and more as a stepping stone to their own careers.

Seven pages of the beautifully-produced magazine are devoted to me and my time assisting photographer Richard Avedon in the 1950s and early 1960s, his most creative period. In this I left as advice:

"Be invisible. Do your job, but don't be the center of attention.

You are there to work, not to distract."

Assistant is published in France for worldwide distribution, and is completely in English. The quality of reproduction, the paper stock, and of the layouts approaches art-book levels. 

I urge anyone interested in this field to give it a try. http://www.assistantmagazine.com/.

 

 

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I was an assistant to the world-famous photographer Richard Avedon during his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell!  Now is the time to reveal all, while I'm still alive and kicking. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done.

What I need to make this project a reality is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or even a documentary for the record.

Anyone interested? Leave a message and I'll get back.

Avedon's Famous "Beauty Light"

Painting With Light

Richard Avedon called it his "Beauty Light," but its versatility went way beyond making gorgeous women look even more ravishing. It could even make subjects look mad or evil, or just plain foolish.

The essence of the "Beauty Light" was that this lamp did not remain in a fixed position but was continuously manipulated to bring out the desired features in the subject, paying close attention to facial bone structures, shadows, dimensionality, separation from background, and other factors. It was nearly always the only light source for the photograph, although it could sometimes be used with an illuminated background. In a sense, it was really "painting with light."

Originally, the "Beauty Light" was a 1,500-watt Saltzman flood with a spun-glass diffuser on a lightweight aluminum stand that could be lifted and held in an elevated position by a (strong) assistant as both Avedon and the subject shifted about. It was always kept very close to the subject, just outside the camera's field of view. Doing so allowed a high ratio of light fall-off, yielding enhanced depth.

As you might imagine, its use required skill on the part of the assistant along with artistic sensibility and an understanding of Avedon's vision. Until the Spring of 1962 this was done by the very talented Frank Finocchio, from whom I learned the techniques and later transferred it to strobe light.

Using a Rolleiflex camera loaded with Plus-X black-and-white film, the exposure with the Saltzman flood was 1/60 second at f/8. The images were then slightly overdeveloped in Panthermic 777 for elevated contrast with clean, radiant skin highlights. Some earlier examples of this from the 1950s can be seen in Avedon's 1959 book Observations. These include a section entitled "A Gathering of Swans" (1953-59) on pages 27-35, a portrait of Mae West (1954) on page 88, one of Katharine Hepburn (1955) on page 106, and of Brigitte Bardot (1959) on page 107.

In time, this single-source lighting plan was also used on some portraits, especially those of celebrities. Controlling this light became a bit of an art as the assistant manipulating it had to anticipate what both Avedon and the subject would do next. And, of course, the distance from the sitter to the lamp had to remain constant in order to maintain consistent exposure, especially with color films.

This single-light-source technique was most effective in black-and-white photography, less so in color.

By the late 1950s Avedon had pretty much switched to Ascor strobe lighting for most studio work, although the Saltzman flood remained in use for beauty photography as well as for some celebrity portraits. Gradually, the new Balcar strobe with its umbrella reflector was found to be just as effective in achieving the same result — and was a lot lighter in weight.

One drawback was that it had four modeling lights spaced around the flash tube, which resulted in four hot spots. Although these did not register on film, the assistant had to bear in mind that the real but invisible hot spot (which did register on film) was right in the middle of the four visible ones, and aim accordingly. Another slight problem was that the joint between the supporting pole and the flash head sometimes came loose from the weight of the umbrella, so that it was best to keep one hand on it while the other grasped the pole.

As the light output from the strobe was much more than that from the tungsten Saltzman lamp, a finer-grain film such as Panatomic-X (ISO 25) could be used. It also allowed for a smaller f-stop with its greater depth of field.

The same technique was used with the 8x10 Sinar camera loaded with Tri-X Estar film developed in HC-110 for fashion photography. For this we used the larger Ascor 800 strobe in a standard reflector with spun-glass diffusion. This permitted the use of an aperture as small as f/64 so that both the model and the hand-held lamp could move around the set at will while always remaining in focus.

The concept of a hand-held, moving strobe light later evolved into Lighting on The Run. Avedon used this technique for outdoor fashion photography at night in early 1965. For it he loaded a Rolleiflex camera with Plus-X film and set the exposure to a full second at f/22. Streetlights became long blurs while the dancing, running model was stopped in mid-action against a dark background. I hand-held the smallish Honeywell 650 strobe, always keeping it in the best position relative to the model's movements. Later, I wrote an article about this for the November 1964 issue of Photographic Product News magazine, illustrated with Avedon's photo.

A similar technique was used during the Fall 1962 Paris Collections, where he imitated the famous "paparazzi" photos of Fellini's La Dolce Vita movie, using Susy Parker and Mike Nichols as subjects. Although these were meant to look like press photos, lighting still had to be carefully done to make the garment look terrific.

NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I was an assistant to the world-famous photographer Richard Avedon during his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell! Now is the time to reveal all, while I'm still alive and kicking. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done.

What I need to make this project a reality is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or even a documentary for the historical record.

Anyone interested? Leave a message and I'll get back to you.

On Being an Assistant Photographer

 

What's Expected of You

Here I'd like to discuss just what it takes to become an assistant to a talented photographer such as Avedon. Especially as a learning experience, and as an apprenticeship before heading out on your own.

The first, and most important point, is to choose your mentor carefully. It should be someone whose work you really admire, and from whom you can learn. To assist the wrong photographer will just be time wasted. Preferably someone located in a major city that is home to various media (magazines, ad agencies, etc.) — Americans should think New York or Los Angeles, Europeans London, Paris, Milan, or Berlin. Places that are hotbeds of creative activity.

The first lesson, therefore, is: Determine who you want to work for and pursue them. Relentlessly.

A second consideration is to make a list of ways in which you can make yourself most useful to the photographer. Some obvious choices are:

• Hardworking.
• Dependable.
• Willing to take direction.
• A strong body that can lift stuff.
• A good, safe driver with a clean record.
• Handiness with tools, paintbrushes, etc.
• Ability to do minor repairs.

Some valuable traits are:

• A well-rounded education, especially with some knowledge of the arts and philosophy.
• Ability to anticipate needs and act without having to be told what to do.
• Ability to live within your means, without becoming a burden. Face it, you're not going to make much until you acquire real skills.
• A good appearance. You are representing the boss. Look it.
• Good language skills, especially English. A smattering of foreign tongues wouldn't hurt, either.
• A good conversationalist.
• Computer savvy.
• Curiosity about the world around you.
• Lastly, a burning passion for photography; a real fire in the belly.

Notice that I said nothing about being a talented photographer. You're there to learn and assist the photographer, not to take the pictures. In the past, darkroom experience would have been a valuable asset; today it would most certainly help to at least be familiar with Adobe Photoshop.

And if you get the job, don't blow it!

The worst case of missed opportunity I ever heard of actually happened in Avedon's studio back in 1965. An international service club had a program of finding trainee jobs for talented but impoverished youth. Avedon agreed to take on a young guy from an underprivileged background and train him in studio ways, paying him a modest wage. He showed up the first day full of enthusiasm and really tried hard to please. We were quite happy with him. The next day, however, he never came to work. Concerned that something might have happened to him, we called his mother. She answered that he just didn't feel like working today, so that was the end of his brief employment.

Another one occurred in 1960 when a trainee decided that a weekend social engagement was more important than assisting on a sudden, unexpected weekend photo assignment. He was told not to return. As long as you are a junior assistant you are expected to be available at any time.

Some other things that could nip a career in the bud are:

• Displays of personal drama. Be cool.
• Taking attention away from the boss by showing too much personality, dressing too sharply, or otherwise being too noticeable. Be invisible at times.
• Contradicting the boss in front of clients. They won't have much confidence in him if even his assistants think he's wrong.
• Allowing your cell phone to ring during jobs. Turn it off.
• Asking stars and VIPs for autographs.
• Being a pest.
• Ordering the most expensive food and drink when dining out with the boss and/or clients.
• Taking your own photos while the boss is taking his.

IS THIS ASKING TOO MUCH? If you think so, you may be better off pursuing a different career.

ANOTHER APPROACH, and for some a better one, is to set yourself up as a FREE-LANCE ASSISTANT, working by the day or job. This allows you to learn from different photographers with varying techniques and to get a better oversight of the entire business. The downside is that work only comes when the photographers' own staffs cannot handle the load, and that there will be dry periods of no income during which you can work on developing your own portfolio. It helps to have worked for a well-known photographer who will recommend your services to others.

 

RIGHT NOW I'm looking to tell my whole story, the whole unvarnished truth about Photography's Golden Age, as the basis for a book, e-book, or documentary. Interested? Leave a comment below and I'll get back to you.

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The Resurgence of Film Photography

The current (April 2013) issue of Shutterbug Magazine features a lengthy and quite thorough article subtitled "Silver Halide...Still Gleaming?" about discoveries at Photokina 2012 in Cologne, Germany, featuring a real resurgence of interest in "real" photography — the kind with film, darkrooms, and chemicals as opposed to digital. Not only are there new film cameras, there are also new B&W films to put in them! And enlargers for making the prints, as below:

Probably no 20th-century photographer was more renowned for his Black & White images than Richard Avedon (1923-2004), who I assisted from 1952-1956 and 1959-1965. Although he certainly did work in color for fashion and advertising jobs, it was his stunning Black & White photography that made him world famous. 

 

NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. Now, at the end of 2015, the time is ripe for me to reveal all that happened during Avedon's most creative period. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done. 

What I need to realize this is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or even a documentary.

Anyone interested? Leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

RETURN to Life's Little Adventures blog

Exploring Bletchley Park — An Easy Daytrip From London

This is a sample partial entry from my current app London Travel: a Guide to Great Day Trips. The complete app for the iPad and iPhone may be downloaded at Apple's iTunes app store. This app takes you to many unusual places with daytrip range of London, along with the popular favorites. It is also available for ANDROID devices under the name London's Backyard.

Enigma: Something That is Not Easily Explained or Understood

Many of the deepest secrets of World War II are revealed at this rather nondescript estate north of London, where British and American cryptographers decoded the most sensitive Nazi and Japanese communications and played a critical role in the ultimate Allied victories. 

Military history buffs will love this place, as will anyone fascinated by computers. Not only was Bletchley Park a top-secret intelligence center, but it was also home to the world's first digital computer, which has recently been replicated. 

This is also the best place to learn about the fabled ENIGMA machine and its big brother, the LORENZ — Hitler's secret weapons that could have won him mastery over Europe had not the specialists at Bletchley done their jobs so well.

Bletchley is part of the modern "New Town" of Milton Keynes, created in 1967 at a point midway between London, Birmingham, Cambridge, and Oxford. Unlike other destinations on this app, it is not configured as a suggested tour since everything is in one place.

Trains depart London's Euston Station (EUS) frequently for the 40-minute ride to Bletchley (BLY), with returns until late evening. Avoid the slower ones requiring a change at Milton Keynes. Bletchley Station is very close to the estate.

By Car, take the A5 north to the A4146 exit marked Bletchley/Fenny Stratford. At the next big roundabout make a left onto a dual highway. When you pass under a railway bridge, follow signs to the Railway Station, making a right onto Sherwood Drive. Bletchley Park is on the left shortly. It is about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of London. Onsite parking is £3.

Touch photo in upper left. It will then fill the screen and morph into a DIAGRAM MAP. Touch that to remain on screen, THEN slide a finger from right to left to see more photos. Touch in upper left to return to text.

The National Museum of Computing, also on the same grounds and same admission ticket, is open only on Thursdays, Saturdays, and bank holidays, from 1-4; and also on guided tours on Tuesday and Sunday afternoons. Some parts are open daily.

Visitors should wear sensible clothes and footwear as some outdoor walking is involved. There are no restrictions on photography or videoing.

A full range of meals, snacks, and drinks are served at The Café in Hut 4, a restored WWII codebreaking location. There are also a few pubs nearby on Buckingham Road.

TOUR:

Begin at the Block-B Exhibition Centre, housed in an original wartime building. This is where you can get a good introduction to the process of communications interception, decryption, translation, interpretation, and analysis — the very heart of intelligence gathering that was so vital to winning the war.

Surely, the most famous item here is the Nazi Enigma machine, an electro-mechanical device that uses a series of rotating wheels to scramble plaintext messages into incoherent ciphertext. There were billions and billions of possible combinations, so the system was considered to be absolutely secure to all except another Enigma machine with exactly the same settings.

There was a weak point point, however. Any letter of the alphabet could represent any other letter, EXCEPT itself. That clue, and work done by Polish mathematicians before the war, enabled the Bletchley codebreakers to crack the Enigma code early on, giving the Allies a big advantage that probably shortened the war by two years and saved countless lives.

Much of the Enigma codecracking was done on the Bombe machine, developed here by mathematicians Alan Turing (considered to be the "father" of digital computing) and Gordon Welchman. Some 200 of these were built, and all destroyed after the war for security reasons. One has recently been rebuilt at Bletchley.

There are displays of similar machines dating from the 1920s to the 1970s, from Britain, U.S.A., Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland.

To see the rest of the trip, with photos and maps, take a download of the entire London Travel app into your iPad or iPhone on Apple's iTunes app store. Here's all the places it takes you to:

Visiting London? Check out my new app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch: London Travel: a Guide to Great Day Trips. It's full of current, up-to-date information, special maps, day trips, walking tours, offbeat destinations, and much, much more.

CLICK HERE

Interested in photography? Visit my free blog "Assisting Avedon," which is all about the famous photographer Richard Avedon.

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MORE HERE

The Eye Has to Travel

Pizzazz! Divine! The 2012 movie "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel," which just came out on DVD a few days ago, has really taken me back into the milieu inhabited by Richard Avedon during the years that I assisted him, 1952-1965. To watch this documentary, made from period clips, is to understand a great deal more about the world he moved in. There are interviews with him, and clips from the 1957 feature film "Funny Face," loosely based on his life — in which the imaginary role of Avedon was played by Fred Astaire and that of Diana Vreeland by Kay Thompson.

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Resource Magazine

Resource, a quarterly magazine for professionals in photography and video, has featured a full-page interview with me about my experiences assisting Richard Avedon in its current (Winter 2013) issue.

The magazine is available in both print and digital forms via its website, www.resourcemagonline.com.

These images are from the print edition. The digital edition contains far more text and photos. Both editions summarize Avedon's long career, from 1952 until 2004, as seen by eleven of his top assistants.

The large photo under my name above was taken by me in October 1959 at the CBS TV studios in New York, showing (left-right) his manager Frank Finnochio, model Susy Parker, and Avedon himself, who was directing the show. The small picture shows me on a camera crane.

Again, that website is www.resourcemagonline.com. Check it out!

And read their Feb. 18 blog entry about me at www.resourcemagonline.com/2013/02/assisting-avedon-app/

I'd like to thank the staff at Resource Magazine for putting all this together, in particular Ediror-in-Chief Aurdlie Jezequel and author Charlie Fish, who wrote it. The other Avedon assistants featured (and their years with Avedon) are Alen MacWeeney (1961-62), Nicholas Vreeland (1969 and 1971-74), Jeff Niki (1972-77), Maynard Switzer (1972-73), Douglas Mott (1992-94), Jonathan Mannion (1993-94), James Macari (1997-98), Sebastian Kim (1996-2000), Daymion Mardel (1999-2004), and Dirk Kikstra (1999-2004).

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