This is a very large print: 11" x 14". It, along with a large box of photos, was a gift from a friend at Christmas.
I have no information about the woman in this photo or who took it. It's obviously a glamour shot, most likely taken in the '40s. Was this a wife's pinup to send to her husband?
Unlike the glamour shots of today, which often look just a little too tacky, this is done in the style of George Hurell. Done in the style, but in no way captures the magic that he did. Take a look at Hurell's work, especially similar ones, and you'll find that this one is a bit confusing. The photo was taken as a horizontal, but turned horizontal it just looks weird. Well, it looks weird either way. At least with the vertical she's making eye contact. Look at the shots Hurell took of Bette Davis and Veronica Lake. They make sense as horizontal images.
Now look at this one horizontal.
I think her chin should have been lifted up more allowing a better gaze into the lens. But then I'm just being picky. I imagine the woman, and any recipient, must have been thrilled. It is a lovely shot, but it could have been so much more.
And if I'm going to be even more picky, I think the photographer should have touched up the shot by taking out whatever the heck that is on her sleeve. It's really annoying.
This is what I came up with for Sepia Saturday after being gone for so long. Just as the Sepia Saturday selection is a little "off" so is this one.
I have missed participating and I'm happy to see it is still up and running. I appreciate the work put in to keep it going.
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Interesting observations about vertical vs horizontal. I’ve been MIA too but am determined to be a more consistent Sepia Saturdayer.
ReplyDeleteI too hope to be back on a regular basis with all of you.
DeleteShe does look as if she's floating around the space station. And at first I thought the design in the corner was the cryptic intertwined initials of the photographer. It's odd how the orientation of the face, especially the eyes, can be so confusing when turned to an unfamiliar direction. Makes me turn my head like a dog trying to figure out where the squeaky toy went.
ReplyDeleteAnd now scratch behind your ear for that wayward flea. Yes, that's the expression.
DeleteOK, you're a photographer, a publisher of photos, and are allowed to be picky. But the monogram on her sleeve, if that's what you're talking about, is not disturbing at least to me. It certainly looks better turned on its side though!
ReplyDeletePut your thumb up between your screen and your eye and block out the monogram. I think you'll notice that the actual focus of the image, the face, pops more. It can be a bane to my existence to always see errors immediately, but it's what I get paid for, I'm trained for. Always mentally figuring how to make things work better.
DeleteAt first glance in the vertical photo I thought it looked as if she was holding the pillow against her head. Your photographers deductions made better sense of all the photos you presented. I too, have been an absent from Sepia Saturday for sometime, and am glad to be able to return in this New Year.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to Hurrell! Glamor indeed!
ReplyDeleteI feel his work is the standard for Hollywood glamour. Always so stunning. Such incredible use of light.
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