Herb Ritts: L.A. Style
by Dan Wagner
Photographers schooled in the works of George Hurrell, Richard Avedon, Hiro, Bruce Webber, Albert Watson, and Robert Mapplethorpe will savor Herb Ritts’, L.A. Style. The book melds fashion photography with fine art. Each photo is perfectly composed, masterfully printed, and without any discernible fault – so much so, that even the fussiest photographer would be hard pressed to find anything to improve upon. Leafing through the book, one is struck by Ritts’ love of the human form, flowing fabrics, and graphic design.
With the exception of some commercial work toward the back of the book, all the photos are black and white. Photographers will appreciate the range of high contrast, low contrast, warm, and cool-tone photographs. The use of the word “plates” in the table of contents portends the quality of the printing, which presents each photo at its best. Fashion photos, nudes, studio portraits, location shots, and iconic images of celebrities such as David Bowie, Richard Gere, Prince, Cindy Crawford, Madonna, and others abound.
Many of the photographs in the book were shot with one of Ritts’ favorite cameras – a Pentax 67 with a 105mm f/2.8 lens. The large 120 format 6 x 7 cm images allowed Ritts to capture fine details, while the large viewfinder made it easier for him to concentrate on his subjects and compositions. Photographers who’ve shot with medium format single lens reflex cameras such as the Pentax 67, know how satisfying the sound and feel of the mirror slap after each exposure is. So from a photographer’s perspective, the challenge of holding the camera steady, making each exposure count, and the process-to-printing regimen all combine to form a very rewarding experience. Luckily for us all, we can even watch videos of Herb Ritts at work.
From HerbRitts.com:
“Herb Ritts L.A. Style 2012 The J. Paul Getty Museum by Paul Martineau with an essay by James Crump Traces the life and career of the icon photographer through a compelling selection of renewed as well as previously unpublished photographs and two insightful essays. Herb Ritts (1952-2002) was a Los Angeles-based photographer who established an international reputation for distinctive images of fashion models, nudes, and celebrities. During the 1980s and 1990s Ritts was sought out by leading fashion designers such as Armani, Gianfranco Ferré, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Valentino, and Versace as well as magazine editors from GQ, Interview, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair, among others, to lend glamour to their products and layouts.
Largely self-taught, Ritts developed his own style, one that often made use of the California light and landscape and helped to separate his work from his New York-based peers. From the late 1970s until his untimely death from AIDS in 2002, Ritts’ ability to create photographs that successfully bridged the gap between art and commerce was not only a testament to the power of his imagination and technical skill, but also marked the synergistic union between art, popular culture, and business that followed in the wake of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s.”
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I hope this book review will inspire you to learn more about Herb Ritts’ photography. Thanks for visiting The Cranky Camera!