Copyright 1950 by The American Photographic Publishing Co.
This book is LOADED with great information. What I found most exciting in it had to do with my latest investigation into the size of women in ads. Hanson emphasized a need for a fuller, rounder figure in a nude or pinup and a thinner, more angular figure in a really odd pose for fashion photography. He's straightforward in his explanation: in fashion, the clothes are the most important thing. Anything alluring about the model detracts from the clothes. She needs to be beautiful, yes, but it's a heavily made-up beauty emphasizing distance and unattainableness.
The pin-up or nude, on the other hand, MUST emphasize the things about a female body not generally evident in males: skin tone, softness, and roundness. Can't do that with a rail-thin model. CAN do that with a woman-shaped model.
It's a great book and made me glad I hit the nostalgia section of the used book store last night. The information on posing alone is worth the price I paid for the volume.
This book is LOADED with great information. What I found most exciting in it had to do with my latest investigation into the size of women in ads. Hanson emphasized a need for a fuller, rounder figure in a nude or pinup and a thinner, more angular figure in a really odd pose for fashion photography. He's straightforward in his explanation: in fashion, the clothes are the most important thing. Anything alluring about the model detracts from the clothes. She needs to be beautiful, yes, but it's a heavily made-up beauty emphasizing distance and unattainableness.
The pin-up or nude, on the other hand, MUST emphasize the things about a female body not generally evident in males: skin tone, softness, and roundness. Can't do that with a rail-thin model. CAN do that with a woman-shaped model.
It's a great book and made me glad I hit the nostalgia section of the used book store last night. The information on posing alone is worth the price I paid for the volume.
