Helmut Newton: Polaroids
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Photography & Video
Helmut Newton: Polaroids Details
About the Author Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was one of the most influential photographers of all time. Born in Berlin, he arrived in Australia in 1940 and married June Brunell (a.k.a. Alice Springs) eight years later. He first achieved international fame in the 1970's while working principally for French Vogue, and his celebrity and influence grew over the decades. Newton preferred to shoot in streets or interiors, rather than studios. Controversial scenarios, bold lighting, and striking compositions came to form his signature look. In 1990 he was awarded the Grand Prix national de la photographie; in 1992 the German government awarded him Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz for services to German culture, and he was appointed Officier des Arts, Lettres et Sciences by S.A.S. Princess Caroline of Monaco. In 1996, he was appointed Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Minister of Culture at the time. Working and living in close companionship with his wife until his death at 83, his images remain as distinctive, seductive and orginal as ever. Read more
Reviews
I really like the mix of seeing Helmut Newtons polished super slick fashion style in this lower quality vibrant contrasty over saturated format. These Polaroids tend to look much more intense than film prints of the same photo sessions. I had owned Newton's Pola Women for almost 10 years before this came out, and this one does not replace the first book in any way. Although many of the same photos in this book were in the first book, many were not, and the first book tends to have more of them enlarged to about 8x12'', where as this book shows the photos in a smaller size. But this book has so many photos! I especially enjoy the 70s and 80s photos, when Polaroid prints were more contrasty and saturated, but some of the 90s stuff is also great. Some of newtons later shoots are a little bland or overly simple for me, like the mannequin legs upside down on the gravel beach, just doesn't do anything for me. The nudes are great, I especially remember one of a girl inside a huge fish tank with her head sticking out, the glass and water make it look like her head is severed. Also the one of the girl in the white swimsuit standing next to the white Ferrari on the beach is stunning! He knew how to get the most from his models, and I can tell that many times these Polaroids, being test shots of the sessions, would yield more spontaneous, fresh results than the final shots that ended up being used for negative prints. $37 is what I paid, well worth it for a hard cover book with about 250 pages, and hundreds of images. As far as awesome Polaroid books, at the top of my list is Carlo Mollino's Polaroids (2002 Arena Editions, now out of print and usually sells for around $400 and probably worth the price, this book is awesome), then there's Helmut Newton Polaroids (this book) and finally Newton's Pola Women, which is a more affordable and still essential compilations of Newton's Polaroid shots. So, if you are a fan of Newton, If you are a fan of Polaroids, if you are a fan of fashion photography, nude photography, or any of these things, I think you can't go wrong with this precious hardbound edition!