A Young Person Recommends... Pages From The Glossies

Pages From The Glossies by Helmut Newton

A Young Person Recommends... Pages From The Glossies

On Photographers
I first came across Pages From The Glossies after discovering an image of the Chateau Marmont shot by Helmut Newton provoked in me a desire to see more. I was curious to uncover more about the man behind so many striking images, almost obsessively researching his life and work. Ever since that first image, I've become hooked and Newton has become a significant figure in influencing how I think and feel about photography.
 
Pages From The Glossies is a collection of Newton's controversial, almost cinematic photographs, taken from original magazine pages over a period of four decades. Newton produced work for publications such as Nova, Vogue, and Playboy, among others, as well as producing numerous books made up of images with lusty narratives and powerful compositions. Known for his hyper-sexualised and liberating portrayals of strong, dangerous women, mixing fashion and fetish beautifully, Newton, 'The King Of Kink', forced photography in new directions. The relationship between photography and women is something that has been celebrated, challenged, and criticised for years, and Newton plays with its complexities perfectly.

Made up of Newton's colour and black and white images, it's hard to highlight a favourite within this book. What's distinctive in particular is the way the printed page is presented. Not only are the photographs significant within this book, but the layout, use of images, and typography are also crucial and give a sense of how Newton's work and photography matured. Pages From The Glosses raises questions about print and photography as Newton stresses that being published "was much more important than the money people would pay for my pictures". It's interesting to look back at the past alliance of print and photography and to see how that alliance is evolving in an ever-changing modern world. The book also includes several informative and personal quotes and anecdotes from the man himself allowing the reader to get a real sense of Newton's voice and character.

For me, Newton's glamorous, seductive and dominating images are something that I'm drawn to and something that I hope to emulate in my work as a photographer in the future. I regularly look to his erotic work for inspiration and motivation. 

Helmut Newton's work is seminal and I would recommend this book, as well as his others, to anyone with an interest in photography, particularly fashion and the erotic. 

– Lo Harley