helmutnewton

Honouring Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton one of the greatest ( 31 of October 1920 to 23 of January 2004) pre-dating the day’s of headshots.  Known for his fashion, erotically provocative silver prints and unique celebrity portraits.

He was born in Berlin and was named Helmut Neustadter ( Neustädter ).  Newton, studied at the American School in Berlin.  He was enthusiastic about photography from the age of 12 when he purchased his first camera and worked for a German Photographer Yva (de) from 1936.

His Father lost control of their family factory, where they manufactured buttons and buckles due to the oppression on Jews by the Nuremberg laws.  He would be interned in a concentration camp on Kristallnacht, his family managed to escape Nazi Germany to China.  During brief safety of China, Helmut worked as a Straits Times portrait photographer.

As the conflict progressed internationally becoming the Second World War, Signapore was no longer safe, sending him to Australia on board the Queen Mary, arriving to Sydney in 1942.  After the war in 1945, he changed his name to Newton and set up a fashionable studio in Melbourne.

In the 50’s he was commissioned by Vogue to supplement for the division in Australia.  In the 60’s he continued his work as a fashion photographer in Paris for the french Vogue magazine.  He would also photograph for Playboy, Natasha Kinski and Kristine DeBell.  He would be known for testing the boundaries of fashion and art.  “The women in his shoots were often times androgynous and his shots often toed the line of pornography, but never crossed it.”

His Celebrity Portraits ( Actor Headshots ) were provocative, he would be able to push the envelope with his often famous clientele. ( http://app.emaze.com/@ACRZQWL/helmut-newton#6 ).

Wished I had a chance to have met Newton who died in 2004 from complications of a car accident.  He grandfather the era of provocative advertisements and nudes.

References;

http://app.emaze.com/@ACRZQWL/helmut-newton#2

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Newton