Life's Little Adventures

The Avedon Years, Part XLIV

Think Pink — The

Making of Funny Face

Some movies were never destined for greatness, yet remain highly enjoyable and can be watched over and over again, only getting better with age. Such is the case with Funny Face, a 1957 flick inspired by Richard Avedon’s photographic career. Although only 32 at the time, Dick was already famous as the star photographer for Harper’s Bazaar magazine. So it was only natural that Hollywood director Stanley Donen based his fashion-fantasy musical on Avedon, even though the resemblance was more in spirit than in fact.

 

Avedon was hired by Paramount as a consultant on the film, and also had quite a bit to say about which stars would appear in it. He once commented on Fred Astaire playing the role of fashion photographer “Dick Avery” by saying “It’s all very strange. I’d learned how to be me by pretending to be him and then I had to teach him to pretend to be me.” Astaire was Avedon’s childhood idol, so it was no surprise that the dancer was chosen for the part despite being some thirty years older than his co-star Audrey Hepburn in the romantic comedy.

Funny Face began in 1927 as a Broadway Musical starring Fred and Adele Astaire, with music by George and Ira Gershwin. Although the 1957 movie had a completely different story line, both the spirit, the title, and four of the songs are taken directly from the Broadway show.

CLICK on photos to see them supersized

In a previous entry I described our 1955 trip to San Francisco to do a cosmetic ad for Helena Rubinstein featuring supermodel Suzy Parker with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. A second, and more important, part of that trip was a meeting between Avedon and movie director Stanley Donen (born 1924) about a proposed romantic musical comedy inspired by the former’s life in fashion photography. As a result of this meeting I drove Dick and his wife Evie along with Donen and his wife, actress Marion Marshall, to the Hearst Castle at San Simeon for further discussions. 

Since Dick was associated with the Hearst Corporation as a result of his work for Harper’s Bazaar, he had wangled an invitation to use the castle for the meeting. William Randolph Hearst was already dead and the family seldom used the place, which they later gave to the State of California as a tourist attraction. The photo above was taken by Stanley Donen in the castle, showing Avedon (standing), me (seated, puffing on pipe), and Mrs. Donen. During the first hours there, Dick shot some historic pictures of the estate to present to the Hearst family. 

As an accomplished film director, Stanley Donen was most intrigued by this estate being the “real” home of Citizen Kane, a classic 1941 movie by Orson Welles that had been removed from circulation years earlier for legal and financial reasons, as it was thought to portray Hearst in a scandalous light. None of us had ever seen it, and Donen — especially — thought that, perversely, a print just might be hidden away in the estate’s theater. We searched the projection room, but no such luck.

After discussions had reached an agreement, I drove our whole gang south to Los Angeles, dropping them off in Bel Air. From there I drove to Beverly Hills, where I stayed for two days before flying back to New York with the precious film from the San Francisco sitting.

Despite the disparity in ages, Avedon insisted on having his idol Fred Astaire play opposite his muse, Audrey Hepburn. This actually worked out very well and he fit the part better than any other male dancer including the obvious first choice, Gene Kelly. The screenplay was written by Avedon’s friend, playwright Leonard Gershe (1922-2002).  

The story, such as it is, opens with a scene in the New York offices of "Quality," a fictitious slick fashion magazine obviously based on Harper's Bazaar. The head fashion editor, "Maggie Prescott" (photo, left), played wonderfully by Kay Thompson, is a dead ringer for Bazaar's very own Diana Vreeland. After dictating that all the world's women wear pink, she confides that she herself "wouldn't be caught dead in it." Her next inspiration was to depict intellectual women wearing smart designs by leading designers. 

 

For this the whole gang, "Maggie," her fawning assistants, photographer "Dick Avery," and the model "Marion," played by real model Dovima, race down to Greenwich Village and invade a dusty bookstore specializing in odd works by obscure philosophers. The store clerk, "Jo Stockton," played by Audrey Hepburn, appears in the corner of one of the pictures. Back at the office, "Avery" suggests that "Jo" has real charm and would make a great model, despite her "funny face." Later, "Avery" does a song-and-dance in the darkroom with her (photo, left), convincing her that she should go to Paris with them.

So it's off to Paris with "Jo," whose real motivation in going is to meet with her idol, "Professor Emile Flostre" and discuss his theories of "Empathicalism." Arriving at Orly Airport (photo, right), they each take off on their own to see the town before settling down to modeling and photography. This results in wonderful scenes, great music, and some stunning split-screen cinematography. 

 

Then it's down to work photographing the creations of couturier "Paul Duval," a character based on real-life Hubert de Givency — who actually designed all of Audrey Hepburn's Paris costumes (photo, left). But "Jo" was more interested in meeting "Professor Flostre," leading her to overlook some of her responsibilities, such as being there when needed. This leads "Dick" and "Maggie" to pose as beatniks and tear around the Latin Quarter in a strange little car (photo, right) in search of "Flostre" and "Jo." Turns out that "Flostre" is interested in more than philosophy, and "Jo" realizes what a mess she's gotten herself into. After a song-and-dance routine (photo, below), "Maggie" and "Dick" rescue her, "Dick" and "Jo" fall in love, and everything heads to a romantic, happy ending.

Of course, all of this is silly fluff — but that's exactly what makes it so much fun!   

 

Being a major production from Paramount, Funny Face was shot entirely in their proprietary VistaVision process. This high-resolution widescreen system used conventional 35mm motion picture film stock, running horizontally rather than vertically, with an 8-sprocket image measuring a wide 18.3mm x 36mm. It was developed by Paramount in 1954 to compete with  CinemaScope, which used an anamorphic lens to compress widescreen images onto a conventional 4-sprocket 35mm frame running vertically, with an image size of 18.6mm x 21.95mm. VistaVision was quite superior in picture quality but expensive to produce as it used twice as much film stock. It also required a lot of light to maintain depth-of-field, as the larger image size needed longer focal-length lenses and consequently smaller f/stops to keep both foreground and background in common focus. Another drawback was the reluctance on the part of theater owners to purchase the special projectors needed. Paramount overcame this by making compressed release prints that ran on conventional projectors equipped with anamorphic lenses. 

Doing this resulted in loss of image quality, but it was still a bit better than rival systems. The last motion picture shot entirely in VistaVision was in 1961, after which Paramount switched to the anamorphic Panavision. VistaVision was still used for some special effects scenes until being replaced by digital imagery in the early 21st century. 

Strangely, Funny Face was really an MGM movie produced and distributed by rival Paramount. MGM owned the rights to the story, and nearly all of the major creative staff including director Stanley Donen were under contract to them. Fred Astaire was freelancing at the time and owed Paramount a film. Hepburn was Paramount's most valuable star, so in no way would they release her to MGM. Consequently the whole project had to move over to Paramount, as Avedon was insistent on having both Astaire and Hepburn in "his" film.

Filming began in April 1956 and concluded that July.  Prior to that time Dick made a trip to Hollywood in his role as consultant, and again when filming began. He also traveled to Paris in late April to oversee the location shooting there. The photo on the right shows him with Fred Astaire in the Tuileries with a strange French view camera, not the Deardorff he always used at the time. The TLR camera dangling from Astaire's neck isn't a Rolleiflex, either. Sadly, I was not present on any of these shooting days or on the later ones during June and July in Hollywood. The editing was done that Fall, with Avedon present in Los Angeles on October 19-20, November 10-11, and November 14-17; but by that time I had already been drafted into the U.S. Army. Dick wrote to me during basic training offering to arrange a private showing in New York before the premiere if I could get off, although I had to decline rather than go AWOL.

Funny Face was released on VHS Video tape in 1995, and again in 2001. That same year it was also released on DVD, and an improved 50th Anniversary DVD in 2007. In 2009 a 2-disc DVD set including many extras was released as part of the Paramount Centennial Collection.

 

NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I was assistant to Richard Avedon during his most creative period, and do I have the stories to tell! Now, at the end of 2015, 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. I am not interested in self-publishing.

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

 

RETURN to the Avedon Years Index

RETURN to current main page.

 

The Avedon Years, Part XLIII

When Photography Became Art 

 

 Richard Avedon (1923-2004) was the first photographer to be widely recognized as a true artist in the sense that painters and sculptors are. Works by other photographers have of course been exhibited in major art museums for decades, but only as an adjunct to the museums' serious collections.

Oddly, back in the early 1960s I discussed this with him, and he opined that photographers were artisans and not really to be considered in the same league as, say, Picasso. This belief began to change in 1962 when he mounted his first museum exhibition, at the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building in Washington D.C. His second book, Nothing Personal, in 1964 was a turning point although it was savaged by critics who scoffed at the idea of fashion photographers having anything serious to say. 

Still, Avedon's reputation as a major creative force in American art rested almost solely on his portraiture. He himself believed that to be his legacy, and his fashion work as a diversion that earned him money. Which brings us to the current exhibition at the International Center of Photography in New York City, billed as Avedon Fashion 1944-2000. Running from May 15 through September 6, 2009, it removes any doubt that fashion pictures can be just as worthy of being called "art" as portraits, reportage, landscapes, or what have you. 

In my opinion, Avedon's fashion photography — especially the earlier work up until the mid-1960s — outshines even the best of his portraits and will be remembered long after the subjects of his politically-charged portraits have fallen into the dustbin of history.

 

Perhaps the most iconic of his fashion images are those of Dovima and the Elephants (above), a series with different gowns shot at the Cirque d'Hiver (Winter Circus) in Paris in August 1955 for the Harper's Bazaar Fall Collections issue. The fashions were by Dior. Although I was his second assistant at that time, I was unhappily not present on this job — only the number one guy (Frank Finocchio) got the coveted annual Paris assignment. It was shot using natural overhead skylight with an 8x10 Deardorff camera. Dovima was one of Avedon's favorite models and was great fun to be around. Her real name was Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, which she shortened to Dovima. Born in 1927 and raised in Queens, New York, she had an accent that many a comedian would have died for.

 

Another one of his favorite models was Susy Parker, whose face graced his photos for quite a few years. This shot was taken in the old Harper's Bazaar studio on Rue Jean-Goujon in Paris, which was replaced in 1965 with a new one that I helped design. In this, the old studio, the cramped darkroom of the world's master printer, André Gremola, was just behind the background wall. This shot was also done with an 8x10 Deardorff camera.

By the early 1960s Avedon was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the fashion world. Not fashion photography per se, but the people who inhabit the strange world of haute-couture. Along with his co-conspirator Marvin Israel (1924-1984), who at the time was the Art Director of Harper's Bazaar, he made his bold statement while photographing the 1962 Fall Collections in Paris. I was the prime assistant on all of these shoots and still have vivid memories of it — especially the celebratory late-night dinner after it was all over, with Dick and his wife Evie, Mike, Susy, Marvin, and myself. 

Instead of the usual romantic studio or location shots, the pair presented fashions in the context of a gossip column inspired by the steamy affairs between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during shooting of the movie Cleopatra. Here are some of the results: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He never got away with that again. And Marvin was replaced as Bazaar's Art Director soon afterwards. The memory of this just won't go away, in fact I was interviewed about it by the BBC in London in August 2008 — and again in February 2009 for a leading American arts magazine.

Most of the time, however, his fashion photography was just plain elegant, as in the image on the left of model Carmen skipping along the streets of Paris, obviously inspired by the work of the 1930's photographer Martin Munkácsi.

This is only a tiny hint at what visitors to the museum will find; after all, it covers some 56 years of fashion photography, with over 200 photographs on display. Check it out here.

 And while you're at it, find out about the many books and videos devoted to his art.

 

RETURN TO Avedon Years Index.

RETURN to Photography Index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.

 

The Avedon Years, Part XLII

Paying for Portraits?

To the very best of my knowledge, no one ever paid the renowned photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004) to take their portrait. He would never have accepted any arrangement in which the sitter was also the client. To have done so would have compromised his total control of the situation, which for him would have been intolerable.

During the time that I assisted him (1952-57 and 1959-65) all of the portraits that he did — and there were many — were either for his personal satisfaction or commissioned by magazines for editorial use. Many of these later found their way into leading museums and photographic books, where they delight and enlighten audiences today.

Avedon chose his subjects carefully; they did not choose him. He also began by studying all he could find about them, deciding how he would portray them, and then inviting them to appear before his lens. Very few turned down these invitations despite his growing reputation for often producing less-than-flattering images. To have been photographed by Avedon was to have "arrived." 

In some ways, Avedon was more a psychologist than a photographer, and that is exactly why it is still so difficult to duplicate his "style." No combination of cameras, lighting, lenses, or films does the trick. He was even able to get results using coin-operated "Photomat" booths or even snapshot cameras! His true genius was an innate ability to manipulate people with a presence that was at once friendly and yet intimidating. 

Ah, that ubiquitous white background. It was, of course, there to isolate the sitter from their environment and present them in stark reality. Earlier in his career he often portrayed subjects in the context of their lives, as do most other photographers, but slowly began using the simplicity of a neutral white background and letting their own true personalities be revealed — for better or for worse, with no distracting props or settings. He had gained experience at this early on as he spent the wartime years in the Merchant Marine taking "mug shots" of sailors for ID records.

Among his many photographic books, three that are strictly of portraits rather than mixed with fashion and reportage are: Richard Avedon Portraits (2002), In The American West (2005), and Portraits of Power (2008).

 

RETURN to Avedon Years Index.

RETURN to Photography Index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.

 

The Avedon Years, Part XLI

There has never been another photographer like Richard Avedon (1923-2004), who revolutionized fashion imagery, elevated portraiture to the level of high art, and was perhaps the most successful advertising photographer of all time. To be near him was to experience sheer genius. 

Back in 1995 the Public Broadcasting System presented a 90-minute documentary on his life as part of their "American Masters" series. Although I had seen it at the time — and was impressed — it somehow got forgotten as I busied myself on a travel writing career. Then in February of this year I was interviewed for Vanity Fair Magazine about my former connections with Avedon, and the desire to once again view this marvelous show became overwhelming. Netflix didn't have it, so I ordered the DVD from Amazon.

Now, this disc has been out of print for a while, so you must really want it and be willing to pay a rather hefty price, or buy it used. It is, after all, a collector's item, but for anyone serious about photography it's worth every penny.

The show opens with scenes of his hanging an exhibition in a major art museum, during which he explains his motivations along with his demons. Avedon (photo, left) always strove to be a creator, not an observer, always completely in control of each session. In this way he differs from other famous photographers who report life or capture images. Avedon created images from his fertile imagination, then set about getting them on film much as a movie director creates a motion picture.

The video then jumps to his early work in fashion, focusing on his first Paris couture collection in 1946. World War II was over, and Paris was alive once again with its reinvigorated fashion industry. Dick and his first wife, Doe, rode in from the airport in an open-top taxi, standing up and drinking champagne along the way. And what photos he produced for Harper's Bazaar magazine! No one had ever put this much life — this much joie de vivre — into fashion before. Distinguishing his images are the stories they tell, like scenes from a novel or gossip column.

Avedon's work was influenced, first of all, by the Hungarian-born photographer Martin Munkácsi, who had also worked for the magazine in the 1930s. He regarded three people at the magazine as his true mentors: Carmel Snow, the editor; Alexey Brodovitch, the innovative art director; and Diana Vreeland (photo, left), the fashion editor who Dick thought of as his crazy aunt.

In another chapter the video explains his use of motion and storyline to present fashions. In doing this, however, he never forgot the dress. It always looked great. To inspire his models he would sometimes dance along with them (photo, right), using them more as actresses than as clotheshorses. 

By the early 1960s he had gone about as far as he could go without endlessly repeating himself. So it is not surprising that his passions then shifted to portraits and reportage. The mid-decade switch to Vogue magazine was really commercial in nature — for them he produced beautifully constructed and sophisticated fashion photos that in turn attracted the most lucrative advertising assignments.

One important aspect of the video is that it does not just focus on his fashion and portrait photography, but explores some of his advertising work as well. Particularly striking is the TV commercial he did for Coco Perfume. In this, as in his other commercial work, it's never about the product, but totally about having the product — what is being sold is a feeling, not an item. Avedon was no purist in any sense of the word. He explains why he put so much effort into his advertising work by stating that "it's fun, and the food is good," and that it supported his other, more serious, work. He also made no apologies for making money and living very, very well, as his Manhattan town house and Montauk country home suggest. 

In doing his portraiture, Avedon cast himself as a hunter who could see right through people, latching on to their hidden essence through careful observation of their faces. He would then guide (or manipulate, or trick) them into revealing their true selves. Had he not taken up photography, he might have become a great fortune teller.

In photographing other people he, in a sense, was really looking at himself, trying to find the darkness and light of his own existence. Yet he always remains the one in control — they are his pictures, not the subjects'. This becomes most clear in what he considered to be his best body of work, the long series of portraits of drifters, loners, laborers and losers taken between 1979 and 1983 and presented in museums and as a book under the title "In The American West." 

Avedon was surely the first fashion photographer to declare himself to be a serious artist, at the same level as painters and sculptors. And he did it loudly and very publicly. That this was not always well received is an understatement, but it was his self-promotion that got his work into world-class museums, created his fame, and — most important — opened the way for other photographers to also be recognized as true artists.

In the end we visit his country home near Montauk, at the eastern end of New York's Long Island. Here he grew apples and raised chickens when not busy with more photographic projects.

All in all, the video tells us a lot about Richard Avedon, and about photography as an art. For those who didn't know him it is a revelation; for those who did a marvelous remembrance of a true master. 

 

 

P.S.

Although the flick covers his entire career as a photographer from 1947 until the time of production in 1995, he continued working right up until the day of his death in 2004. I worked for him from 1952 through 1956, and again from 1959 through 1965, the last 3½ years as studio manager. Some of the highlights of those ten years that involved me and that are featured on the video are:

(click on underlined words for the full story)

• Marilyn Monroe, 1954. This was the first time he photographed her, although the more famous photos were done a few years later. What made it memorable for me, a drooling teenager at the time, was being right there next to her, having her ask me if I wanted her autograph and a message to me on the photo mount, and having a news picture of her with me appear in a cheap fan magazine soon afterwards! 
• The Astronauts, 1961. Only the photo of Alan Shepard appears in the video, but we did all three original astronauts that day at NASA Headquarters, Langley Field, Virginia. Just about everything that could go wrong did, including a power failure and having to drive back to New York through a terrible storm that night. But the pictures were great.
• The Paris Collections, 1962. This gets prominent coverage on the video because it was so shocking. Inspired by incessant press coverage of a romance between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor while making the film Cleopatra, and by the depiction of paparazzi in the film La Dolce Vita, Avedon combined the talents of Mike Nichols and Suzy Parker to treat coverage of the 1962 Fall Collections in Paris as a gag. 
• The D.A.R., 1964. One of Avedon's iconic photographs, featured in several of his books, museum exhibitions, and on the video, is this hilarious treatment of the Generals of the Daughters of the American Revolution, taken in the ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, Washington D.C. He had no love for these ladies, and we had just come from photographing the stormtroopers of the American Nazi Party in Virginia. I actually operated the camera, which was mounted on a tripod, on this frame — on his whispered instructions as he busied himself arranging the ladies in postion for a formal group portrait. Dick then took the serious pictures, but this was the one that was used.
• Former President Eisenhower, 1964. Dick and I flew out to Palm Springs, California in early 1964, staying at the Racquet Club for a few days while arrangements were made to photograph the former President at his home on a golf course. He was a very genial host, and could not have been more cooperative. In most of the frames he appears as his friendly self; in the choosen one a bit pensive.
• Santa Monica Beach, 1964. Avedon wandered around the beach alone at dusk with a 35mm Pentax SLR camera, shooting candids of touching scenes. He also grossly underexposed the film in the fading last light. When the films were developed, there were no visible images of the final frames on them, but he insisted that I try to make prints. Using every darkroom trick I knew, I eventually pulled these ghostly images, which actually are more effective than they would have been if properly exposed. I emphasized the grain by using a pin-point lamp head on the enlarger. Opposite the photo in the book Nothing Personal were these words by author James Baldwin: "The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."

Some other famous sessions on the video that were from my time with Avedon but on which I was not present are: 

• Charlie Chaplin, 1952. Saturday, September 13. Avedon received a call at home from Chaplin, who asked if he could have his picture taken right away. Naturally, Dick was thrilled and hurried off to the Madison Avenue studio for a private sitting with no assistants. The result was a stunning photo of Chaplin giving his farewell gesture to America — hours later he was safely onboard a ship bound for Britain, having escaped the clutches of the Immigration Service after being denounced by the F.B.I. as a communist sympathizer. 
• The Windsors, 1957. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of England and Wally Simpson of Baltimore, always put on a happy face for the press, and tried to do that again. But Avedon outsmarted them by inventing a story about how on the way to the studio his taxi had just run over a dog and killed it. They reacted with a look of pain and sorrow, captured for all time by Dick's quick thinking.  

 

 t's a shame that this fine video has been discontinued by the manufacturer due to limited demand. In the past this was understandable as a fairly large number of copies had to be made and kept in inventory, but this is no longer true. Amazon now has a program through their CreateSpace subsidiary of producing DVDs on demand, one at a time as they are ordered. This is similar to the way my books have been printed for the last few years, as I described in this 2006 posting.  

 

 NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I assisted Avedon through his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell! Now, at the end of 2015, 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 a documentary.

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

 

RETURN to The Avedon Years.

RETURN to Photography Index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.

CLICK HERE for all of Avedon's books and videos.

 

The Avedon Years, Part XXXV

Testing, 1-2-3

 

In Richard Avedon's studio nothing was left to chance — especially when it came to film processing. During the years that I worked for him (1952-56 and 59-65) he was extremely fussy (and rightfully so!) about the way his exposed films were developed, and I'm certain that this level of care continued all the way to the end of his career in 2004.

Entire photo sessions were never developed all at once. Instead, in the case of black & white, the first exposed roll or sheet was test-developed, often while the sitting was still going on. Then that first negative was critically examined so that corrections in timing could be made for the balance. Even then only every other roll or sheet (or less) was developed together so that if anything went wrong the job would not be lost. Our processing tanks allowed up to 18 rolls of 120, 24 rolls of 35mm, or 12 sheets of 8x10 film to be done at a time, although we would usually do less than that for safety's sake.

In the case of color film in the years before we installed the Color Automat machine, we would have a messenger standing by to take the first roll or sheet to the outside color lab for a quick test process. When returned, this would be examined on a color-corrected lightbox, and corrections as to density and color balance made by phone to the lab. After the machine was installed, this was done right in the studio, with results often available before the session was over.

Processed color film (Ektachrome) was put in individual plastic sleeves for protection, then edited and sent to the client.

Black & White negatives were laid out on a large sheet of clean paper to be numbered, which was done with a crowquill pen and india ink. Any perceived sloppiness at this stage was not tolerated. The size 120 negatives were then cut into strips of four and put in glassine envelopes marked with the job number. 8x10 negatives were put in larger glassine sleeves. They then went to the print darkroom to be contact-printed as proofs prior to editing and enlarging. 

 

CLICK HERE for more about Avedon's darkroom procedures.

 

RETURN to the Avedon Years Index.

RETURN to Photography Index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.

 

 

MY JUNK CAMERAS, PART III

Continuing this thread, it was now time to test some of those old-timers. The first chore was finding a source of odd-size film that is no longer made by Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, etc. The second was to find the cameras. My Baby Brownie Special, circa late 1930s, long ago died and went to Camera Heaven, where it now photographs angels. What I did find down in my basement was a 1950s version called the Brownie Holiday Flash, which is very similar except that it can be used with a flashbulb attachment. 

The only film available in the 127 size is made by Efke Fotokemika in Croatia. Their R-100 Black & White panchromatic emulsion, with an ISO rating of 100, seemed to fit my needs. So I ordered some online from Film for Classics of Honeoye Falls, NY, who also processes the stuff. Developing it myself would be a problem as I no longer have a darkroom, and even if I did there would still be a lack of developing reels in that size. Actually, the first time I processed this size film was in 1946, using the ancient see-saw method in a tray instead of on reels in a tank, but I'd never try that mess again.

  

Another antique I'm playing with is the Kodak Tourist Camera of 1948, a sturdy simple folder with a die-cast aluminum body, a fixed-focus 86mm f/12.5 Kodet lens that stops down to f/22, and a simple shutter with T, B, and I settings. It has sync for flash bulbs and uses size 620 film, producing an image of 6x9 cm. This size has long been obsolete, but the current size 120 can be respooled on old 620 spools — a dauting task to attempt yourself, but Film for Classics does it for you.

It must be noted that roll-film cameras from the past were designed to be used with orthochromatic films, which are insensitive to red. All black-and-white films available today are panchromatic, sensitive to all colors. Therefore, the little red window on the back of the cameras MUST be covered with black tape to prevent fogging, except briefly while advancing the frames.

Well, the first results are in. The roll of Efke 127 shot in the Brownie Holiday (top of post) came back, and here is a sample on the left. Not too bad. Next I'll try the 620 Tourist (above), loaded with respooled 120 Plux-X.

RETURN to Photography Index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.

FILM PHOTOGRAPHERS REJOICE! A lot of the old stuff is still available by CLICKING HERE.

 

Interested in photography? Check out my "Assisting Avedon" blog.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

MY JUNK CAMERAS, Part II

 

Every revolution has its counterrevolution, and the switch to digital photography is no exception. Digital's very slickness and ease of achieving technical perfection has brought about a remembrance of simpler times, when cameras used film and darkrooms reeked of hypo. Photography then required skill, and there was no Photoshop™ to cover your mistakes. Some of us old-timers, and maybe some kids too, have gone in search of those early experiences.

Where to begin?

Why, with the simplest cameras, of course. Resurrecting them. The kinds we used when we were young, and maybe never outgrew. Few if any f/ stops or shutter speeds, and probably no focusing either. Earlier on this blog I did a piece on My Junk Cameras (clicky), and that got me interested in bringing these "antiques" back to life. Glorious 127 or 620 size Black & White film will once again be put to use once I get my hands on some. But first, because I have a few spare rolls beyond their expiration date, I'll start with 35mm color film in some really junky cameras. 

I begin with the cheap plastic Ansco Pix Panorama camera, which cost only a few dollars at a drugstore ten years ago. Although I first thought it had a 20mm lens, a careful check against my 35mm SLR with both 18 and 28mm lenses suggests that the Pix uses a 24mm lens, probably f/11 with a shutter speed of 1/125 second. Originally I thought this was a truly awful camera, but the photo above, taken two days ago, reveals that "picturesque" photos can result. The scene is along a walking trail near home. Outdated 800-speed Kodak color negative film, developed by Walgreens same-day service.

Emboldened by the surprisingly fine results, I next loaded up a more advanced piece of junk, the "35mm" Quickshot with its "New Optical Glass Lens" and flash sync. These seem to sell new for about six dollars. Amazingly, the 50mm fixed-focus lens has stops from f/5.6 down to f/16! The non-adjustable shutter speed seems to be about 1/60 second. The photo on the right is not exactly the same model, but very much like it and has the same name. Typical of cheap junk cameras, the viewfinder only gives you a rough approximation of the image you'll get. 

Well, test done, and I'll throw away this camera. It leaks light, putting slight yellow streaks on every picture. Other than that little detail, it is sharp enough and the exposures, even under low shade light, are okay. Of course, I could always wrap it in black tape...but why bother?

The photo on the left was taken with it yesterday. It is also of my walking trail, an elevated portion over a marsh. See if you can see the slightly yellow light leak.

 

UPDATE: I've found a source of 127 and 620 Black & White film, which also processes it. The 127 film is made in Croatia, the 620 is respooled 120 film. They also have other oddball sizes. As soon as I get experience with this in my Baby Brownie and Kodak Tourist cameras I'll tell you about it.

A lot of other old stuff, including strange films and even Panthermic 777 Developer are available by CLICKING HERE.

The Brownie gets tested, the results are in.

RETURN to Photography Index.

 

Interested in photography? Check out my "Assisting Avedon" blog.

RETURN to Personal Tidbits Index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

The Avedon Years, Part XXXIII

 

The La Dolce Vita Influence

A recent viewing of Fellini's masterful 1960 film brought back memories of that sweet time when, as assistant to the renowned photographer Richard Avedon, I made my first trip to Europe. It was July 1962 and we were in Paris on assignment to Harper's Bazaar, covering the fall couture collections.

 By this time Avedon was widely recognized as perhaps the most innovative fashion photographer ever, even though his passion was for photography itself rather than couture. In fact, he was beginning to question the whole world of fashion, considering it to be narcissistic and meaningless. The 1960 movie dealt with those same themes, probably influencing Avedon in how he would go about photographing the fall fashions. As a paparazzi! Yes, as one of those horrible cameramen that prey on celebrities, seeking and selling scandal. That whole breed was best exemplified in the movie by the character of Paparazzo, the sidekick of the leading man. It was his name that coined the infamous word.

What prompted me to once again watch the movie was a telephone interview I had last month with the BBC in Britain. They were interested in my recollections of one of Avedon's most outrageous photos from that collection. Here's the story:

 

  

Sick of pretty, contrived fashion photography, Avedon in 1962 took a novel approach. Enlisting the aid of his friends Suzy Parker (supermodel and budding movie star) and Mike Nichols (comedian and film director), he cast the pair as hot celebrities fleeing the press and gossip mongers. A plot line was conceived, they acted it out, and Avedon caught it all on film. Rather than use his familiar 8x10 camera, he did most of it in 35mm with a telephoto lens, and sometimes with a Rolleiflex TLR. Flash, when used, was right on the camera for a look of immediacy. It was all done in Black & White, as was the movie that inspired it. Suzy wore the fashions, Mike just tagged along. The most famous shot (photo, above) from the entire collection was taken at Maxim's in Paris. It is cropped here because I do not have a copy, and the one the BBC e-mailed me was incomplete and a very poor scan.

It was around this time that he began to look more to portraiture as his true oeuvre.

 

NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I assisted Avedon during his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell! Now, at the end of 2015, 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 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.

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

 

 

RETURN to The Avedon Years Index.

RETURN to the Current Main Page.

 

Photographer's Assistants

Here's what I wrote for Photographic Product News back in 1965 about hiring photographer's assistants. This was not long before I left the Richard Avedon Studio in New York to join with a partner to form our own.

Sooner or later, as your business grows, you may well have to hire an assistant to help with the more routine chores and free yourself for the important ones. And when this happens you will very likely find yourself faced with a problem of conflicting goals if you have not chosen well. Hiring an assistant photographer is not like hiring a laborer. Commercial photography is a vastly complex field, covering as it does everything from art to merchandising, from electronics to chemistry, and the person you hire must be able to straddle all these aspects with equal ease. So you find yourself looking for someone who knows a little bit of everything and is at least temporarily more interested in your success than his own. Such a man is indeed a very rare bird.

Let's look at the qualifications. Prior experience or formal education are not necessarily good things. The last person you want is a know-it-all. While the man must have a working knowledge of photographic processes and an ability to perform technical jobs to your satisfaction, you certainly do not want someone else's working methods imposed on you. He must not be set in his ways or your efforts to teach and mold will be in vain. This would normally call for a younger man although a more mature person with experience and a fresh, open mind might prove a wiser choice, if such a man can be found.

Your man must also be fairly free of conflicting duties, which may prevent him from working overtime just when you need him the most. Generally, a single young man will be the most free in his schedule, but not necessarily. Try to ferret this information, by whatever cunning questions you can devise, during the initial interview.

How much does he know about photography? Practical experience, even as an advanced amateur, may count more here than trade school learning. An amateur is at least truly interested in the craft whereas the trade school graduate may possibly only be looking for an easy future in a soft job. Try to find out his motive for wanting to be a photographer. The truth will show up very quickly in his sample work. If his own pictures look like school assignments, beware. Less perfect but more original works indicate greater interest.

Besides photographic ability, your man must be a general jack of all trades.Can he change a plug? Make minor repairs to a strobe? Paint a background wall? Do some crude carpentry on the darkroom shelves? Can he drive a car well? You are certainly aware of the fantastic variety of professions that you as a photographer seem to be in.

Having found this genius, the chances are that he is a Prima Donna. Look out! No fiery temperments here, unless you enjoy daily conflict. Of all the qualifications, none is more important than a personality that works in harmony with yourself, your clients, and the rest of your staff. Not a dull soul, but a lively, likeable person, eager to please and equally eager to get ahead. That he should be full of energy, willing to do any task and be resonably neat about goes without question. Wit and charm are almost too much to ask for, but lucky you if you find it.

Most important, perhaps, is a strong desire to forge ahead. The ambitious ones work the hardest, even if they eventually leave to go into their own businesses.

A word of caution. Beware the photographer who didn't make it on his own and now is looking for a job. He may not be satisfied with anything you can offer him for long. Also beware the bank clerk looking for a more exciting career. This man may soon retreat to the teller's cage when he discovers just how much plain hard work there is in photography.

We have made a practice of sometimes hiring underprivileged young men and foreign apprentices as we have found that in their strong desire to learn a respectable trade they are more willing to work conscientiously than mere clock watchers. This accomplishes two aims, first we get better workers, secondly the individual gains invaluable training in a skilled job whereas otherwise he may spend the rest of his life being a drain on society. Some of our best help have been high school drop-outs who appreciated the fact that this was perhaps their only chance at a future career. Foreign apprentices are a bit difficult to find and there is always the nuisance of language and sponsorship, however they are usually well schooled in photographic techniques and require little training. They can be contacted through societies for international understanding or through foreign contacts you may have. Underprivileged young men may be found through schools and public-spirited organizations (Lions, Kiwanis, etc.). This is not to be considered a source of cheap labor and in all fairness should be paid the same wages as others of the same skill level. 

How about a girl assistant? No reason not to if heavy labor is not part of the job. And it may well make the studio a more pleasant place to work in.

What sort of a salary should you pay? This is always a delicate problem, balanced somewhere between the work demanded and the opportunity offered. Perhaps about $70 per week is right for a semi-skilled trainee. You can of course get an apprentice for much less but he will eventually feel that he is being exploited (which he is unless nothing is demanded of him), and an unhappy employee is worse than no employee. A skilled assistant can demand his own salary and get it — usually $125 to over $200 a week. You yourself are the only judge as to how high a skill level you require — do you want an errand boy or someone who knows as much as you do?

Overtime is a big factor in the studio business. You will probably be required to pay it (depending on job title and salary or perhaps give compensitory time off. If your man is really happy in his job he may be blissfully unaware of the hour and not ask for time and a half, but if he does request it, it is better to pay and keep a contended worker.

A common fringe benefit granted is freedom to use studio facilities for personal work. As long as the person can be trusted to take good care of your equipment, to use his own materials, and his work in no way interfers with your business, this may seem a good way to keep everybody happy. There is a danger here, though, that he may become more interested in his own photography to the detriment of work performed for you. If this gets out of hand he may regard the studio almost as his own and your work a nuisance that has to be put up with. I would suggest giving this privilege only after you have known the person for a long time and he is well aware of the limitations.

Lastly, how do you go about finding the person? A number of applicants will very likely contact you directly — most of these are sincerely interested in you and your work or they wouldn't have bothered. Some must be sought after — from schools, service organizations, placement agencies or even other studios. However you try, just avoid Help Wanted ads. I tried this once, giving only a phone number and a not very encouraging job description, and was literally beseiged for weeks with endless phone calls from totally unqualified applicants.

Here's hoping you find the magic man — the one who is completely satisfactory to you and happy with himself. Good hunting!

Here are some questions to ask during the interview — you may think of many more, but as a start:

1. Educational level attained, diploma and courses attended.
2. Birth date and place.
3. Languages spoken.
4. Marital status and dependents.
5. History of military service if any; dates, branch, rank, job.
6. Credit references, bank account.
7. Personal references, letters of recommendation.
8. An explanation of his motivation in seeking a job with you. Let him do all the talking on this one.
9. Brief history of amateur and/or professional background.
10. Employment history, job duties, salaries, dates, places, reason for leaving.
11. Ability to perform tasks required — practical test may be in order here.
12. Income requirements. A realistic figure now will save later misunderstanding.

 

TIMES HAVE CHANGED! Back when this was written, over 40 years ago, it was assumed that all photographic assistants were male, hence my use of "he," "him," and "man." Ladies, I apologize. Today's assistants, of whatever gender, should also be familiar with computers and especially with Photoshop. And they will have to be paid more. Lots more.

CLICK HERE for the Assisting Avedon entry.

CLICK HERE for the Our Studio index.

CLICK HERE for the Photography index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.

 

The Avedon Years, Part XIV

COVERING THE PARIS COLLECTIONS

Click here for the previous entry on this thread.

During four consecutive summers — from 1962 through 1965 — my job as studio manager of the famed fashion photographer Richard Avedon took me on delicious assignments to the City of Light. Here's the little world we lived and worked in throughout those wonderful times, and some of my fondest memories of it.

Avedon photographed the Fall Paris Couture Collections for Harper's Bazaar magazine every year from 1947 through 1965, and for Vogue magazine from 1966 until 1984. There are few photos on this posting because a) I don't have them and b) they are copyrighted anyway.

This is where it all happened. Between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine River runs the Rue Jean-Goujon, the center of our activities each July through mid-August. Number 1 was the old Harper's Bazaar studio, and number 2 the new. Number 3 was the delightful Hôtel San-Regis, and number 4 was the Hôtel Alma-Marceau where I spent my last days during that fateful summer of 1965.

It began on Bastille Day, July 14th 1962, as I arrived at Orly Airport on my very first trip to France. Click here to read about that fun-filled first week before the actual work began.

Little had changed at the old Harper's Bazaar Studio on Rue Jean-Goujon since the 1930s, or even earlier. By 1962 standards it was exceedingly primitive, with old-fashioned tungsten lights and a nightmare of a darkroom. Fortunately, we had anticipated this and shipped most everything needed by air freight a few weeks in advance, including film, chemicals, and printing paper. The rest I was able to round up from local suppliers. What we did not anticipate was the rear door to the darkroom, which led into the freight elevator. As I was making the first test run of our film processing that door was suddenly opened by the wine delivery man, who was bringing cases of vin ordinaire to keep us happy.

We were all housed at the Hôtel San-Regis, a charming Old World place where the ancient open-cage elevator descended right into the middle of the lobby. Every room was furnished with antiques, there was a good restaurant, and the service was unusually attentive. No wonder the Harper's Bazaar crowd always made it their Paris home.

The hotel always sent breakfast to our rooms, but for lunch and dinner we went to local cafés and restaurants. My favorites were on the nearby Rue Marbeuf, especially Chez André, which I believe is still there. After the 1964 move to the new studio the magazine hired a cook to make most of our meals right on the spot. This had the advantage of being a free lunch, and the disadvantage of having to face an awful lot of Lapin, or rabbit. At one point we had a wine strike, refusing to drink the swill served until they got something better. This they did.

Each year we hired young trainee-assistants from various European countries. Those who performed exceptionally well were offered jobs at Avedon's New York studio. Among those who got this offer, and then came to America, were guys from Ireland, Sweden, Germany, and Israel. Training them was part of my job, along with making sure that everything was done correctly and on time. They all spoke English, so that was not a problem.

Now, I never had the slightest interest in fashion, and still don't. But I had a burning passion for photography in all its aspects, from studio lighting to darkroom printing. Twice during those four years, however, I was recruited to fill a seat at fashion showings when one of the magazine editors couldn't make it. The first of these was at Dior on the Avenue Montaigne, practically next door to the studio. I tried valiantly to remain attentive, and was happy when it was over and we went to a great café in the same block. 

The other time was at Chanel, when I was given a surprise honor. The salon, at 31 Rue Cambon near Place Vendome, in which the showings were held, had a grand open staircase near the top of which Coco Chanel herself sat, observing the audience. She always invited someone in the crowd to sit with her, and this time it was me! I still wonder whether this was a deliberate snub at Dick, who had previously published a quite unflattering photo of her calling attention to her wartime collaboration with Nazi spies. She was never tried for this crime owing to intervention by the British Royal Family, who were fans of her couture designs.

The 1962 sessions were the most interesting and fun to work on. Some of these depicted scenes in a fictitious story of two celebrities dashing around Paris while escaping the pursuing paparazzi, photographed in a journalistic style. To play the lead parts Avedon brought along two of his friends, model (and later movie star) Suzy Parker, and stage-and-film-director Mike Nichols. Suzy wore the fashions while Mike was her adoring companion. To get a more authentic look, Avedon used a 35mm SLR camera with a long telephoto lens, along with his usual Rolleiflex TLR. I had to rent some of the lenses from a Paris camera store as he rarely worked in 35mm. For a climactic scene in Maxim's restaurant he wanted one of the "reporters" to have an old-fashioned Speed Graphic camera, which I couldn't find locally — so I called our New York supplier and had a used one shipped over the next day.

In 1964 he decided on an entirely different approach, using only an 8x10 Deardorff view camera in a rented ballroom that was later transformed into Harper's Bazaar's new Paris office and studio. We were still using the old darkrooms, which lacked an enlarger that could handle the 8x10 negatives. To solve this problem, we rented a professional color lab on the Rue des Martyrs in Montmartre — which was closed at that time for vacation. I made all of the "finish" prints there myself during the days, while the shooting was all done at night.

Photography of the Collections always had to be done at night as the fashions were one-of-a-kind creations, not yet in production, and were needed during the day for showings in the salons for the press and prospective buyers. This meant that we got very little sleep during the peak two weeks.

Towards the end of the 1964 session Marianne, the head of the Paris office, asked me to design a darkroom and production complex above their new studio. For this I engaged the help of Dick Balli, whose Balcar company manufactured and distributed the most advanced equipment available in Europe at that time.

The design I came up with is shown above in an article I wrote for Photographic Product News in 1965. CLICK HERE for more about this, scrolling down to the bottom of the page.

By the end of 1964 the new darkroom facilities were finished and equipped with as-yet-untested state-of-the-art gear. Since I was in London in January 1965 helping Avedon photograph members of a new rock group called the "Beatles", I hopped over to Paris to give the new facilities a test run. Little did I know that they were already in use by another fashion photographer who was covering the Spring Collections. When I walked into the print room he cursed me because nothing worked properly. Of course it didn't — I hadn't made the adjustments yet and he wasn't supposed to be using it.

Later that year, in July 1965, we began work on what was to be Avedon's last Collection for Harper's Bazaar; by the next year he was working for rival Vogue magazine. The new studio and darkrooms were functioning smoothly, and this time the whole business of preparing the issue for the printer was done right there in the studio instead of weeks later back in New York. This put an extra large burden on the crew, made up of one Frenchman, one Italian, and two Swedes, plus myself. Overseeing everything meant long, long hours and precious little sleep. A few days before the end I collapsed and was put under a doctor's care, then made the fateful decision to leave and start my own studio. Read all about this by CLICKING HERE and HERE.

 

NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I assisted Avedon during his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell! Now, at the end of 2015, 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 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.

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

Next on this thread: My position with Avedon opens new opportunities.

 RETURN to Avedon Years Index.

RETURN to Current Main Page.