As a prominent artistic school, Glamourous Photography has been altered dramatically through the past years; knowledge of what happened to it earlier can give us the clue of what awaits glamour images in the future. After countless changes and transformations, numerous revolutions and much controversy, glamour photography became what we can see today.
I will gladly take you on a short mind trip from the very dawn of Glamour Pictures to their modern state – afterwards we will dabble in foreseeing their probable future.
Childhood. Nobody really knows from where to begin the history of glamour images genre. Some derive it from so-called “French postcards” which were quite popular in the streets of Paris in the early 1900’s, some address to Victorian pioneers of this art. A few people consider that beauty photography can be traced as far back as Baroque and Renaissance art. To put it simply, the question of origin of glamour photography is far from being answered. My personal point of view is that both modern and classic arts were equally involved in the process – 1920′s and 30′s were the real boiling point of world culture, and this genre is likely to have been born in exactly this period of time. It is from the first half of twentieth century that we can finally gasp distinguishable and credible information about glamour photography.
Zenith of Glory and Later. Those were difficult but glorious years. Betty Grable conquered the hearts of the audience before the war started, and remained one of the prominent figures in glamour pictures ever since; thank to Marylin Monroe glamour photography gained open support and recognition, as this world-famous actress appeared on Playboy’s front in 1953. Glamour pictures became more and more popular, as Pamela Green and others helped this young but prospective genre to become widely recognized.
Nowadays – Digital Fever. As time passed, beauty photography became colorful, frivolous, scandalous and much more ingenious. New names started conquering the stage, glamour magazines and beauty photography admirers – those were Dita von Teese, Heidie Van Horne, Lucy Pinder, Bernie Dexter and many others. At the same time, film surrendered positions to digital photography. The tidal wave of progress improved glamour images’ technical quality and drastically simplified the very process of photo production. Any amateur with a DSLR became a potential glamour photographer. Combined with World Wide Web, a real army of both gifted artists and usual dabblers emerged in the online world.
Are you Afraid of 3D? Now we are at the beginning of something completely different – 3D-rendered glamour images have become another fancy, competing with traditional photography. Though nobody doubts it is art, 3D appears to rival not only the photography techniques but artists and models themselves. I really doubt that 3D-rendered beauty can better the genuinely beautiful model and a talented artist cannot be matched by a PC. If this is a struggle of old and modern, my side is with the former.
I feel optimistic about the future – oils, film and digital have found their admirers and seem immortal. 3D art undoubtedly deserves for its own niche and admirers. Technology rarely matters – inspiration and devotion are the most important pillars of any art. Remembering this simple truth is a mark of a truly passionate artist.
How to do Beauty Photography
Tags: glamour, images, Photography, photos