When I think of Old Hollywood glamour photography, the ONLY name that appears in my mind is George Hurrell. Having a background in painting, he transitioned into photography as a means to make an income and unexpectedly changed the meaning of the "head shot" in the process.
Looking at Hurrell's photos is like looking at a scene from a movie, the natural habitat of the subjects in the shot. There's a certain drama that he is able to elicit, specifically by his astonishing use of light and shadow. His technique commands the subject to the forefront of the viewer's eyes. I find it breathtaking that he is able to translate the vision in his mind onto the printing paper, a feat not for the faint.
Hurrell's story is simply one of being discovered at the height of the burgeoning Hollywood arc and then being discarded once the climate of elegance had changed. He later worked in fashion photography, but his work doing celebrity promotional photography is something that will never be forgotten.
Looking at Hurrell's photos is like looking at a scene from a movie, the natural habitat of the subjects in the shot. There's a certain drama that he is able to elicit, specifically by his astonishing use of light and shadow. His technique commands the subject to the forefront of the viewer's eyes. I find it breathtaking that he is able to translate the vision in his mind onto the printing paper, a feat not for the faint.
Hurrell's story is simply one of being discovered at the height of the burgeoning Hollywood arc and then being discarded once the climate of elegance had changed. He later worked in fashion photography, but his work doing celebrity promotional photography is something that will never be forgotten.
[*All images borrowed from the internet.]