This was a very interesting and absorbing programme where Rankin took several icon photographs from the past and attempted to recreate them. Unfortunately I missed the beginning of the programme but the 45 minutes or so that I did see left me inspired to try something similar myself.
Clarence Bull a photographer in the 20s and 30's used soft lighting and a soft focus lens to get the soft maybe dream like quality to his photographs. He was well know for photographing Greta Garbo who eventually refused to allow anyone else to photograph her. Rankin recreated one of her photographs hoping to recapture the rapour between film star and photographer, unfortunately I missed this one.
In the 1940's Jane Russell (The Outlaw) was photographed by George Hurrell in what was considered to be a risqué pose as she had her shoulder bare and a leg on display! However leaving this aside the photograph was considered technically to be a bold move as it had never been done before and he created the 'Hollywood' glamour photo. Unlike previous photographers he used dramatic lighting and a hard lens to create a bold sexy look. Jane Russell spoke to Rankin about the photograph which was taken when she was just 19 years old. She explained how the curve of her top came to be, George had made a bra but when she put it on it didn't give the smooth curve he wanted so she layered her bra with tissue to make the smooth line.
Rankin went on to recreate this icon photograph using his wife as the model he used the same 10 8 camera but admitted that he had problems recreating the lighting, he later said he had learnt something about lighting whilst producing this photograph. This photograph when it was eventually released went on to make Jane Russell a movie star and pin up.
The 1950's and Marlon Brando the bad boy of Hollywood was photographed many times but maybe one of the most famous ones was a publicity photograph for the 1953 film 'The Wild One'. This time it was taken on location rather than in a studio which was a departure from previous photography, in this particular photograph he is wearing cap and a jacket and is photographed learning over his motorbike. This rebel is still hero worshipped in Hollywood today.
Marilyn Monroe one of the worlds most photographed stars, she liked to control her shoots and would put a cross through any photographs she didn't like on the contact sheet. A few photographers were able to get underneath the 'image' and it was possible to capture the real person, one of these photographers was Bob Stearn. In 1962 he took one of the last photographs taken of her before her untimely death at the age of 36. This was a very high key photo with a white background and sheer fabric.
By the time the 1970's arrived photography was changing again and the likes of Terry O'Neill were becoming well know, they used a more reportage style which showed the person behind the image.
Faye Dunaway one an Oscar for the film 'Network' he set up a shoot with her for the next morning beside the pool, she was still in her dress from the night before and she was photographed with her Oscar on a table with her breakfast tray and the papers scattered all around her. Terry O'Neill was on hand when Rankin recreated this one but he had real problems recreating the soft early morning light and ended up waiting for the sun to go behind clouds to help.
The final photographers work he looked at is Annie Leibovitz who is the new Hollywood photographer. she photographs for Vanity Fare and is probably best know for her naked photograph of a heavily pregnant Demi Moore, something which has gone on to be popular with pregnant ladies and is known as the bump photo.
It is said that a good portrait hopes to capture the essence of the person in an image that endures.
I now plan to do my own series of photographs I have in mind Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Heburn, and have started my search for models.
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