Helmut Newton was an Australian-German fashion photographer working through the mid to late 20th century, who helped to reshape fashion photography, and redefine the way women were portrayed in fashion. Newton had a huge influence on the increase in provocative and daring fashion photography, paving the way for the more modern and well recognised themes found in the fashion industry. Newton was one of the first photographers to suggest that fashion photography did not have to be bland and boring, and instead he was able to bring more life to his work, allowing for the human condition to be more intimately expressed through photography, bringing a layer of context to work which had once only included visual, repetitive ideas.
Newton brought a more daring approach to fashion photography, creating more tableaux images in his work in order to portray a sense of realism and movement in his work, and to allow the viewer to relate more to the model in the image, while also admiring the concept and style shown within the image itself.
In his work, Newton shows his subjects in more provocative stances and poses, bringing the theme of desire to his work and presenting female sexuality in a more free and alive manner. Newton was one of the first photographers to convey female sexuality and desirability in the fashion industry, and often worked with his models in real settings in order to create a sense of reality and reliability with the image. Newton believed that “A woman does not live in front of a white paper” when referencing the bland and boring nature of studio photography, and implied the importance of more journalistic photography, where the image can seem more real and human. Newton expressed that “My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain”, therefore showing that his imagery is made to entertain and draw the attention of the viewer to the physical appearance of the model in the image, and therefore model is presented as being closer and more relatable to the viewer, rather than distant.
The above image, taken by Newton, was produced in order to focus on the model as a person, rather than just a body presenting fashion. The above image was made with the idea that the model herself would be the focus of the image, and this particular image presents the model in a more sexualised way, breaking the past stereotype of the age where fashion photography used women as models for the clothing they were wearing, creating a distance between subject and viewer, and depersonalising the model herself. In this image, the slightly more sexualised pose of the model draws attention to the model herself, and the presentation of her with a cigarette makes the model more relatable to the viewer. Having the background of the image as a real life street rather than a blank studio background is one of the most noticeable differences, in comparison to fashion photography of the past. The use of a real background allows for the model to be placed in a relatable environment, and reduces the detachment between the image and the viewer.
Fashion photography by Edward Steichen Fashion photography by Helmut Newton
The 2 images above can be compared to see the difference in the way the women in the photographs are presented and treated. To the left, photographer Edward Steichen takes a traditional approach towards photographing the women, with their clothing as the central focus point, the women are simply present as a pretty face, and are positioned as being submissive and meek within the image, with their personalities and appearances presenting as unimportant and mild. This approach to photographing women in photography was replaced by photographers such as Newton, who’s work, (as seen on the right) took a much more bold and brash approach towards photographing women, with the models presenting their personality and sexuality through the image, and at the same time rebelling against the stereotypes of women being mild-mannered and submissive.
Overall, Helmet Newton was extremely influential in the movement of fashion photography from presenting women as depersonalized, meek models, towards presenting woman as assertive, self-confident individuals with independent personalities and dominant features. This move paved the way for allowing women to have their sexuality more freely expressed through photography, and paved the way for modern fashion photography in which women are often presented as individuals and are presented as lively, present and striking.