Norman Parkinson.

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. 

My attempt