Erwin Blumenfeld.

The work of Erwin Blumenfeld (1897 – 1969) could be placed into a category of fantasy/dream. Blumenfeld’s most famous work dates from 1930 onwards. Blumenfeld is renowned for taking more Vogue covers than any of his predecessors as well as his artistic nude portraits. He did a lot of his personal work in black and white, whereas commercial shots for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar were done in colour. 

Blumenfeld’s fantastic use of chiaroscuro creates a dramatic contrast between dark and light and is eye-catching. Many of his photos have links to surrealism which isn’t surprising considering how popular surrealism was at the time. Blumenfeld varied his work by utilising outdoor space as well taking shots inside a studio. The lack of eye contact and hidden faces in his photos suggest that he wants the focus to be on the clothes/accessories and not on the models. The first four images seem very fashion focused and I assume Blumenfeld was concentrating on advertising the clothes worn.  

The last two images are much racier than some of his other work, especially racy when you consider the era in which they were taken.

From analysing Blumenfeld’s work, I can the effect that increased contrast has on an image. This is something that I definitely want to try with my own photos. 

My attempt: