“I am not an artist, I am a photographer.”
These famous words ring true for many photographers today, but Newton was the first—or at lest, one of the first—to proclaim this, back in a time of analogue photography.
Helmut Newton. Legacy is a new photo book from Taschen, which looks at the photographer’s legacy in fashion photography.
The book features essays from industry experts alongside over 500 photos taken by Newton, who had a dark, dramatic style of photography. Much of the photos int he book are black and white, grainy and taken without any special effects—analogue shots without any Photoshop.
Newton was born in Berlin in 1920. He fled Germany as a youngster, wound up in Australia, where he met his wife June Newton (an actress turned photographer who worked under the pseudonym, Alice Springs).
Together, they moved to Paris, where Newton established himself as a fashion photographer. He started shooting for London-based publications, even though his taste was too wild for British Vogue, and was accepted while shooting for risqué French publications in the 70s and 1980s, including French Vogue and Elle.
Newton’s career spanned over five decades and this new photo book traces his journey, from his humble beginnings in the 1960s, to his glossy, glamorous oeuvre in the 1970s and beyond.
It showcases some of his more rare photos, as well as behind the scenes highlights from his illustrious career. He famously shot stars like Catherine Deneuve and Sigourney Weaver, models like Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer, and actors like Sofía Loren and Isabella Rossellini.
Newton was an expert at creating tension in photographs, be it between characters, or between a person and their environment. In his fashion photography, he always allowed the clothing to fit into the narrative of each photograph, without it coming off as too commercial. His photos never felt like advertisements.
He was also an expert at nudes, especially in how he used shadows and light. He often showed women in often an elegant light.
A coinciding exhibition, called Helmut Newton: Legacy, is on view at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin, which showcases photo prints from this book. The exhibition, which opened on Newton’s birthday—October 31—runs until May 2.
