Book | Hollywood In Kodachrome

By day I work in a camera/photo shop here in New Orleans, so as you can imagine I have quite a love for photography. I'm not quite old enough to have had the full experience of film photography, but that doesn't mean I do not have respect and adoration for the art form. At the top of my list of favorite film mediums is Kodak Kodachrome. I help customers all the time with their old Kodachrome slides and they always produce the most gorgeous photos. Colors and sharpness so crisp the images jump off the print.

So when I came across the book 'Hollywood In Kodachrome' by David Wills while on my usual weekly mission at Barnes and Noble, I just had to have it! They must have just gotten these books in because it was wrapped in plastic and looked so perfect! Beautiful coffee table books full of Old Hollywood pictures will always be my drug of choice... 

The book opens with gorgeous photos and a foreword written by the lovely Rhonda Fleming. She talks about how she was discovered by talent agent Henry Willson and about her dislike of her Hollywood nickname, "The Queen of Technicolor." She also admits to not being a trained actress and that her main influences in Hollywood came from top model of the day Anita Colby. Honestly, I didn't know much of her before reading this, but I did appreciate her explanation of how the photography side of the studio system worked.

After we here from Rhonda there is a very informative introduction by David Wills where he discusses the beginnings and uses of color film in Hollywood during the early 1900's. One fact I didn't know before this book was that Kodachrome was the first sustainable color film to be made. Of course that came with a long list of cons, but it did produce some of the most vibrant photos ever produced. The lighting had to be bright, and make up had to be caked on, but the end result was phenomenal.

After the text, comes the real gems of this publication, over 250 gorgeously illustrated Kodachrome photos from 1940-1949. Everyone from Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake to Lucille Ball and Betty Grable. My biggest surprise came toward the end of the book... apparently Marilyn Monroe's infamous nude 'Red Velvet' session by Tom Kelley was shot with Kodachrome! The color and vibrancy of these photos has always stood out to me and after seeing them in this book it all makes perfect sense.

I will forever have an admiration of the Old Hollywood style of photography. Whether it is the dramatic George Hurrell black and whites or the vibrant Kodachrome shots of the 1940's... the photos present the stars of that time as glamorous gods and goddesses. Even if only for a second, these photos share a little bit of that glamour with us mortals down here in the real world.

You can buy 'Hollywood In Kodachrome' at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. All of the photos used in this post were captured by me from my copy of the book.

Book | George Hurrell's Hollywood

One of my favorite things to do on a weekly basis is go to my local Barnes and Noble store to see what kind of trouble I can get myself into. I do this so often, that I have developed a certain route I take throughout the store. I am sure I know the store as well as the people who actually work there... well at least the most important parts.

Two weeks ago, while on my routine browsing adventure, I can came across a book I hadn't seen there before. It's always exciting to come across something new because it seems they rarely get anything new, as far as Classic Hollywood is concerned. As I walked up to my third stop in the store, I had already hit up the Bargain and Biography sections, a big beautiful coffee table book with George Hurrell's name on it caught my eye. There is nothing I enjoy more than a big coffee table book, especially when it is full of gorgeous George Hurrell photos!

'George Hurrell's Hollywood' was released on November 12, 2013

The book's title was 'George Hurrell's Hollywood'. I honestly didn't even look through it, I grabbed it and went on my way to the DVD section. I didn't want to spoil the fun of looking through it by peeking at the inside. At $60, this was going to be quite a purchase, so I checked the online price and found it for almost $20 less. Reluctantly I put it back and ordered it online because with the cheaper price and free shipping, I couldn't justify spending that much more just to be able to walk out with it.

Four days later my book came in and I was more excited than a little kid at Christmas time! I spent a good hour looking at the photos and admiring this wonderfully put together book. I haven't had time to read any of the text yet, but even if that part is lacking (which I'm sure it isn't), the gorgeous photos are well worth the money. 

Behind the scenes of Hurrell's work with Jane Russell

The book spans his entire career from his beginnings as a society photographer to his greatest works as Hollywood's premiere portrait photographer. All of his famous works and collaborations are on display in this marvelous book. His works with Jean Harlow, Norma Shearer, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, just to name a few, are gorgeously illustrated. I would suggest this book to anyone who is a fan of George Hurrell's work. Below are a few links to my previous posts about Hurrell and you can flip through the book online over at Amazon here.

- Photography | George Hurrell

- Photography | George Hurrell's Style

Profiles In History: Milton Greene Auction

I know I haven't been around here much this year, but I am so glad to see you guys are still coming around! I hope to be able to make more time to do work on this blog because it is one of my favorite things to do! See y'all around!

On July 27th, 2013, Profiles In History will be holding an auction of items from the estate of photographer Milton H. Greene. We are talking about original negatives from some of his best work with the who's who of Hollywood. Most exciting for me are the offerings from his 50+ sittings with my idol Marilyn Monroe. There are some photos we have all seen over and over, but some of the photos being auctioned are very rare and haven't been seen before. From browsing through the catalog, most of the lots are expected to draw between $3,000 and $5,000. You can browse the catalog online or purchase a copy of it for $50. Follow the link below to find out more and below that are some of my favorite ladies seen in the catalog...

Profiles In History: Property from the estate of Milton H Greene

View PDF of auction online

Marilyn Monroe

Kim Novak

Jayne Mansfield

Audrey Hepburn

1956 | A New Marilyn

I've always loved the photos taken of Marilyn Monroe during her session with famed photographer Cecil Beaton. This was a turning point in Marilyn's real-life and career and he captures her beauty effortlessly. I especially love the photos taken by Beaton's assistant of him photographing Marilyn.

There came a time in Marilyn Monroe's career when she grew tired of being a pin-up queen. She grew tired of being viewed as a body with a voice and getting little respect as an actor or a person. She refused to take roles that were more of the same, which resulted in her being suspended from 20th Century Fox. Marilyn was ready to become a serious actress, so she headed to New York where she joined The Actor's Studio and created Marilyn Monroe Productions with friend/photographer Milton Greene. Next on the agenda? Be photographed as a lady with class who demanded respect. Who better to take those photos than high society photographer Cecil Beaton?

On February 22, 1956, Monroe arrived at Beaton's suite at Ambassador Hotel in New York City. She arrived with two gowns and left her sexpot attitude behind in order to develop another side of Marilyn Monroe. A more mature, sophisticated side that wanted to be taken seriously. As usual, Marilyn did her own make-up (a fact many find hard to believe). Cecil had redecorated the suite in a 'Japanese Nouveau' style and brought a few props for Marilyn to use while being photographed. The results were beautiful and unlike any other images of Marilyn anyone had seen before. 

Cecil Beaton would later describe his subject... "The initial shyness over, excitement has now gotten the better of her. She romps, she squeals with delight, she leaps onto the sofa. She puts a flower stem in her mouth, puffing on a daisy as though it were a cigarette. It is an artless, impromptu, high-spirited, infectiously gay performance. It may end in tears."

As you can see, the photographs are nothing less than amazing!

Photography | George Hurrell's Style

In my regular life, I work at a photo store where I do sales and photography. I am still relatively new to shooting in the studio, so I am always fascinated by the way lighting can dramatically change the look of a picture. You have different lighting for children, different lighting for head shots, different lighting for different colored backgrounds... there is so much simple lighting can do to make a picture pop!

Jane: "I feel like a guinea pig."

George: "You won't when we've finished with you."

I know I have already done a post about George Hurrell, but I wanted to do another one to share these behind the scenes photos of Hurrell's 1942 photo shoot with Jane Russell at the Beverly Hills Studio. Jane Russell (21 at the time) was a relative unknown in Hollywood. Her big break in the 1943 film The Outlaw (which we all know what this film did for her career) hadn't come out yet. Hurrell was paid $4000 by Howard Hughes to take pictures of his newest protege.

Photography | George Hurrell

I love everything about Classic Hollywood, but one of the things I enjoy most is the portrait photography. From the dramatic lighting, to the exaggerated posing, to the perfectly designed faces... it is hard to pin point what makes these photos so fun to look at. Whenever I look at these type of photos, it makes me feel like I am in another time. Of all these photos, the photography of George Hurrell is some of my favorite. The way he used lighting to compose these gorgeous shots impresses me everytime I look at them.

HURRELL WITH DOROTHY JORDAN, CIRCA 1932