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"Old Hollywood" Glamour Nude Examples
I have had a model contacting me wanting some "old Hollywood" glamour nude photos taken. She wrote "think royalty meets sex with an old Hollywood feel". Of course I asked her for some examples and will discuss concepts with her, but internet searches on the topic haven't yielded very many good results yet. Do any of you have any suggestions on web sites to look at, or specific people to study to get some ideas? Feb 11 13 01:07 pm Link I don't think this this is exactly what you are looking for, but I love classic glamour and get inspiration from Hurrell https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/18862720 Feb 11 13 01:19 pm Link when I shoot another in that style, I'l try to go with a silver B.D. for a little harder light and more spectrality Feb 11 13 01:23 pm Link Blue Ash Film Group wrote: Something like this maybe??? 18+ https://photos.modelmayhem.com/photos/1 … a003c4.jpg Feb 11 13 01:30 pm Link Google "Peter Gowland" he was the "king" of Hollywood bathing suit/nude photography. Feb 11 13 01:38 pm Link Swank Photography wrote: nice Bettie Page feel to it. Feb 11 13 01:38 pm Link David Reams Photography wrote: Have to agree. Here's a link to Gowland's own site with all kinds of interesting information: Feb 11 13 02:05 pm Link Motordrive Photography wrote: Old Hollywood means Hurrell to me too. Feb 11 13 02:10 pm Link Feb 11 13 02:10 pm Link Maybe.. https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/30956979 18+ https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/28555949 18+ https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/16552032 18+ https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/25594847 18+ https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/25085122 18+ https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/17342628 18+ .. and others?.. Feb 11 13 02:51 pm Link Earth Bound Art wrote: Lovely shots!.. Feb 11 13 02:51 pm Link Not nude, but definitely in the style:  You might want to browse http://thepinupfiles.com/ I think you'll find some there. Feb 11 13 03:08 pm Link Earth Bound Art wrote: Nice! Fits the thread topic! Feb 11 13 03:19 pm Link Hollywood nudes always makes me think of Marilyn and the red velvet pics. http://weheartvintage.co/2012/07/27/mar … t-session/ Feb 11 13 03:22 pm Link Bunny Yeager used ceiling bounce for Bettie Page. Feb 11 13 03:23 pm Link Nude old Hollywood doesn't really have much to pick from, since the studios didn't want to taint their prime stars. Instead, you might do some searching on Ziegfeld Girls, who were sometimes photographed without their costumes. https://www.google.com/search?q=ziegfel … 50&bih=879 Feb 11 13 03:27 pm Link toesup wrote: Thank you! Feb 11 13 04:57 pm Link Nor-Cal Photography wrote: Worthless opinion, never! Thanks Feb 11 13 05:00 pm Link I'm a big fan of Old Hollywood style and pinup. I don't think Hurrell did many nudes, but here's some relevant examples of his work. http://www.shesmetoo.com/one-of-my-thre … e-hurrell/ I my mind, shooting an 'Old Hollywood style glamour nude' would include a combination of very focused lighting, nice shadow effects, and period makeup, along with Vargas type pinup poses . . . and of course a nude subject.  Feb 11 13 05:24 pm Link There were no soft boxes then, since the lights were all stupid hot. Sometimes they would shoot through a silkscreen though. Typically you would see screens, bounces, and a TON of barn doors/scrims/gobos/cookies/etc. Basically, it was the same lighting they used for films, but with Vaseline smeared all over the lens. Gowland was a good recommendation ... I think he shot the image of Rita Heyworth that ended up getting painting on all those bombers. Also, google Kim Novak for a slightly modernized version. You could be at that a while. We'll wait Since this was done mostly with video lights, I'd recommend watching some old movies. Orson Welles was a big influence on how I used to light. Feb 11 13 05:31 pm Link The Old Hollywood glamour style was the style employed by photographers who worked for the major US movie studios from roughly the 1920’s through the 1940’s. (Pick your dates.) George Hurrell is the best known of these photographers. Bruno Bernard (Bernard of Hollywood) was also well-known for this style, and there were others. Because of the era and the clients, to my knowledge there are no examples of Old Hollywood glamour nudes from these photographers. While he was an icon ca. the 1950's and 1960's, Gowland was more of a cheesecake glamour-style photographer. The main elements of the style are lighting, poses and wardrobe. For your purposes, lighting and posing are the keys. The lighting was high contrast, generally provided by thousands of watts of hot lights – mostly spotlights, although focusing floodlights (which don’t have a Fresnel lens but can still be focused to emulate a spotlight) such as some of the Mole-Richardson 2k lights. Broncolor and other strobe manufacturers used to make spotlight heads as part of their pack-and-head systems. I don't now of any manufacturer who makes them now. However, if you use Photogenic or PCB strobes, you can use these to temporarily convert your strobes to spotlights: http://www.tallyns.com/tpp/amazing/item … =turbospot Books of Hurrell’s photos will give you a feel for the genre. These are the best sources I’ve found on using Old Hollywood-style lighting. http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Style-L … B001VXQ8HE http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Portrai … d+lighting Here’s an Old Hollywood-style photo from my other MM portfolio. It was made using about 4,000 watts of hot lights – a Mole-Richardson 2k focusing flood and three spotlights. A 2x3-foot wooden cookie (cuculoris, cucaloris, cucoloris – I don’t think anyone knows which is the correct spelling these days) was used over the 2k.  Feb 11 13 05:47 pm Link Model should supply examples since whatever you find may not be what she has in mind Feb 11 13 05:53 pm Link Hurrell Hands down, the master. IF you wish to go early early, Google Alfred Cheney Johnston Feb 11 13 05:54 pm Link Thank you for all the great replies so far. Hurrell was also the first person I thought of, and reading this thread has reminded me that I own a Gowland book that is stored away somewhere. I also appreciate the technique advice some have offered. Feb 11 13 09:25 pm Link Here's some very interesting photos of Hurrell in his studio, shooting Jane Russell. Check out the lighting setup. http://www.picturechina.com.cn/bbs/wate … QwMi5qcGc= Feb 11 13 09:45 pm Link Those Baby Solarpots are awfully close. She would be melting if they are fitted with 1000-watt bulbs. Feb 11 13 10:46 pm Link Maybe Ruth Bernard. She did nudes during that era but no Hollywood people that I know of. Karsh is another name from that era - I know of no nudes he shot. Willam Mortensen (sp) did fairly elaborate Hollywood type sets. (saw them years ago.) Did a lot of photoshopping before there were even computers. Known for "Monsters and Madonnas" book. I think he did nudes. Feb 12 13 01:26 am Link Ruth Berhnard (no relation to Bruno Bernard - different spellings) was a very accomplished photographer of that era. While you may want to look at Bernhard's work, I wouldn't classify it as Old Hollywood-style. Imo, Yousuf Karsh was the finest portrait photographer ever. He shot every US president from Hoover to Clinton and, if I'm not mistaken, did the official portaits of every president from Hoover to the first President Bush. President Clinton wanted to be photographed by Karsh, who was in failing health by Clinton's presidency. Karsh was summoned from Canada (his studio was in Ottawa for most if not all of his career, although he traveled the world photographing the rich, influential and famous) to photograph Clinton in New York. If my memory is correct, the shoot took place in Gramercy Park. The photos of Clinton were the last ones that Karsh took. Karsh photographed heads of state, military leaders, famous authors and musicians, playwrights and composers, captains of industry and actors and actresses by the dozens. Time studying Karsh's work would be well-spent, but I wouldn't classify Karsh's style as Old Hollywood either. Karsh's style was his own. Low-key lighting, for the most part, with rich tones in black-and-white until late in his career (when color film became available). Not only was he very skilled technically, but he had tremendous ability to make photos that provided insight into his subjects. As far as I'm concerned, Karsh was one of the four best photographers of all time - along with Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon and Alfred Eisenstaedt. Mortensen was an educator and prolific photographer and author of numerous books on photography, several of which I've owned at one time or another. I'm sure I haven't seen all of his work, and I don't recall his Hollywood-style photos. Feb 12 13 03:06 am Link Great link Guss ! Feb 12 13 03:52 am Link I should try looking under images for famous Golden Age actresses and then duplicate the lighting style & soft focus for your Nude shots Feb 12 13 03:54 am Link Thanks! There is a lot of good information to look at here. Feb 12 13 04:11 pm Link I think this a friend captured may be what you're looking for: https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/31499049 18+ This one is more implied from my other port: https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/27735797 Feb 13 13 09:02 am Link Since old Hollywood/hurrell is a specialty of mine, have a look in my port and on my website if ya like Feb 13 13 09:09 am Link dp bug Feb 13 13 09:10 am Link River Art wrote: The top photo is very close to what I've had in mind. The contrast is lower than most Old Hollywood shots - but it just about has to be. I seriously doubt the lighting ratios used by Hurrell, Bernard, et. al., on 8x10 b&w film would fit within the range of today's CCD's. Plus very high contrast ratios generally don't look good in color photos of people. Feb 13 13 09:55 am Link Barely StL wrote: it's ALL about lighting, pose, makeup and what the model wears. That will make or break a shot in this genre. Feb 13 13 09:59 am Link I'd look at Hurrell, Bull and the rest of the classics, then re-imagine that sort of looks without clothes. What I think of as Hollywood glamor was usually done under close supervision by the studios and nudes were mostly off limits. I've seen a few of Harlow, but can't think of any others offhand. As a technical tip, those photographers were typically using relatively hard, high-contrast lighting with low-contrast, flair-prone lenses - pretty much the opposite of what most of us use today. A beauty dish is a good place to start. Feb 13 13 10:18 am Link Another thought: Do an image search for Ziegfeld Follies or Ziegfeld girl. These are a little earlier than the prime Hollywood era and maybe predate the style, but Flo Ziegfeld didn't have any problem with his girls posing nude. Feb 13 13 10:24 am Link Wow a lot of good references and good advice here! I'm enjoying this thread and the insights... Here is my amateurish attempt at a vintage nude(18+) https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/11591650 Feb 13 13 11:38 am Link The Hollywood glamour / stars photographers has lenses especially made up which were very slightly' out of' in regards to focus giving that soft effect. Feb 13 13 01:02 pm Link |
