Another photographer whose work could fall
into the category of social realism is Norman Parkinson (1913 – 1990). It is
thought that his career began in 1931 when he became an apprentice to a company
of court photographers. A few years later, he set up his own studio and was
hired by notable fashion magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. His work
with Vogue is still widely recognised today.
Parkinson transformed the fashion photography industry by
taking the majority of his most celebrated work outdoors. Most photographers
before Parkinson usually used an indoor studio which as you can imagine, was
more restricted.
Parkinson had a gift for capturing the true ambience of a
particular place. For example, the first shot (featuring his third wife) was
taken at Hyde Park Corner and the image has a sense of authentic Englishness
with the grey skies and the umbrella reflecting unreliable British weather.
Outlines can be seen of a building in the background which reflects the great
architecture that London is home to. The passing traffic in the image also
imitates the busyness and traffic in the city. London is known as one of the
fashion capitals and his wife is seen here wearing a Hardy Amies ensemble.
The fifth image features a New York City background.
The couple in the photo are seen running, this along with the passing traffic
again creates a busyness and chaos that the city is famous for. The
juxtaposition of the couple compared to the skyscrapers makes the buildings
look huge, this creates a sense of awe. It positions the audience to feel like
they can go to the city and have plenty to explore. The colours of the
buildings are also less saturated which makes them appear distant, this
reinforces the grand scale of the city. The overall mood of the image evokes a
youthful energy and a sense of opportunity. A professional-looking couple are
pictured, showing us that Parkinson was open-minded to changes in society that
saw more women working alongside men. Both the London and New York City shots
were taken using a soft-focus lens, common in fashion photography. They may be
common because they create a softer outline, resulting in a more romantic and
desirable image.
Not only did Parkinson revolutionise the taking of fashion
photography outside but he also began to experiment with colour photography. Colour
photography was still rare at the time because it was much more expensive compared
to monochrome and many found it difficult to master indoor lighting in colour
images. However, Parkinson did experiment with colour photography and the
results were favourable.
The second shot was taken for British Vogue in India,
1956. With it being a fashion shot, the styling is of course elegant, chic and
representative of trends at the time. However, the styling is almost
overshadowed by the beauty of the photograph. Parkinson had a talent for taking
images that appeared to look like paintings and this particular shot evokes a
dream-like and romantic quality. Again, it is clear to see the use of a
soft-focus lens. Although, he ventured into taking photos in colour, he often
stuck to a maximum of three or four colours. This may have been intentional or
it may have been because colour photography was not very advanced then.
A feature of Parkinson’s work that really appeals to me is
the movement and shapes created in his work. Both the third and sixth images show models creating interesting shapes that really dominate the
photo. Even when models are stationary, like in the fourth image, the
clothes they wear create shape and add movement and texture. The texture in the
images makes them appear more three dimensional. By creating lots of space
behind the subject, Parkinson again adds a three dimensional value. This can be
seen in all of the selected images.
In comparison to his predecessors (Beaton, Horst P Horst,
George Hoyningen – Huene, Edward Jean Steichen) who liked to capture an elite
group of people most likely belonging in the upper class, Parkinson wanted to
capture women doing everyday tasks such as driving, shopping, attending to
children and other such activities. Parkinson reportedly said of the women he
photographed ‘I wanted them out in the
fields jumping over the haycocks - I did not think they needed their knees
bolted together.’
From analysing Parkinson’s work, I can see the wonderful
effect that comes from utilising a soft-focus lens. This is a technique I am
keen to try.
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