Vintage Pics in your vintage threads!

[swinggal]

Very cool, and might I ad it's nice to see a girl with a real 40s body, like me!

Some of you might be aware that I designed and produced a calendar called 'The Perth Girls of Swing'. I was art director for most of the shots and retouched them all to perfection. I sold the calendar all round the world. I dressed everyone in vintage outfits etc and did their hair and makeup. Many of these girls like to dress up anyway.

I took inspiration from classic poses and hollywood glamour of the era rather than total cheescake and used the lighting set ups of the time.

We still have a few left if any of want a copy. There were a limited run so we only did 200. Or I can pdf you a copy of the whole calendar.

http://home.iprimus.com.au/sdr_mccarthy/th/calendar/

 

[PADDY]

What brilliantly enterprising photography and designs...

I FIND this all very inspiring that so many of you put a lot of effort, time and skill into these photographs. The calender is a great idea for the Perth Swingdancing scene and has made me think, could there be any mileage in the Fedora Lounge having a vintage inspired calender, made up of contributions by it's international members? (just a thought), as I'd imagine that on a professional note, all the skills and experience are already on the forum to do such a thing.

Just having flicked through this thread, I just want to say that I find all you ladies very enterprising and inspiring in creating these shots. This forum just seems to go from strength to strength each time I 'pop in!' Isn't it amazing how threads like these can reach out across oceans! now that is empowering!

Looking at the Perth SwingDance website (having seen your calender), has now boosted me to go and try some local swingdance classes. I have tried Salsa and loved it, so this is taking another brave step forwards!!

 

[filmnoirphotos]

JitterBugGal,
Great gams, lots of style and most of all that all too important connection with the camera. The shots come across like your showing off for you man - mischeiveous, flirtatious; naughty and nice. That's what pin up is all about. And SwingGal is right about your having the classic 30s-40s figure. Did you do your own hair and make up? Costuming is splendid. You got my vote! Should you ever make it out to the San Francisco bay area, would enjoy the opportunity of working with you.

Say, SwingGal,
Do wish you were up this way as its not easy finding people that understand the vintage look as you obviously do. The Perth gals are fabulous, a wonderful piece of work. Is there going to be another installment?

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Thanks, all!

Root--I would love to be the movies today--period movies, that is! Perhaps someday I will have the opportunity to work on one, either in front of the camera or behind the scenes as a consultant. Regardless, I am pleased that someone as well-versed in vintage as you thinks that my photos are the tops!

Swinggal--did you notice the post in the Observation Bar (under May Vector Vixen)? Matt expressed an interest in creating a vintage style calendar for the Lounge. Several of us have volunteered as models, but I believe we are still a few months short and in need of a several more lovely vintage ladies!

Paddy—it’s a lot of fun to work at recreating vintage photographs, and I am impressed by the many pics that have been posted in this thread. There are a lot of people out there who are interested in vintage style, and the influence does seem to be appearing more and more in mainstream advertising, films, etc. However, part of what makes us (the members of the Lounge) stand out is that we love these eras so much—we understand them! So, we can walk around in decked out in vintage duds and look perfectly natural, and not like we are playing a part or trying to be trendy. It’s very refreshing to see the many other ‘retrophiles’ out there!

filmnoirphotos--I do my own hair and makeup, and all of the outfits are from my collection (well, I borrowed the Army Air Corps uniform from my hubby ) I do think I have a ‘vintage’ figure, which works to my advantage when shopping for vintage clothing, as well as in posing for pinup photos—I think it adds to the authenticity of the look! I'd love to work with you someday, as I am very interested adding some Hurrell-style glamour shots to my portfolio. I don't know of anyone in my area that works in this style, so perhaps sometime if I am ever in your area (and we do travel to California a couple of times a year) we can meet up!

 

[MissTayva]

Hey Jitterbugdoll, those photos are great! I love the outfit-- both the yellow one and the little maid one I also like the one with the sailor hat where you are sitting down. Very authentic!
The white background is great. You know, if you tweak those a bit in photoshop, you can get an actual illustration-like effect!
Who have you been shooting with?
I agree, recreating vintage photos is a lot of fun! My head is so full of ideas right now... I just need the time! My second to last shoot, with Marco Patino, was a doozy. I was literally wracking my brain trying to find a location. A few places canceled, others I had in mind wanted $100s to rent them out. I had only booked the location (a great tiki bar in El Segundo, CA) two days before the shoot. All the stress was worth it, though, because it came out exactly how I had pictured! Not to mention... shoots are a great excuse to shop for "costumes"

...now it's the paid shoots that suck! Haha...

Swinggal-- that is a GREAT calendar! I actually recall seeing it some time ago. An old friend of mine used to collect such calendars from swing clubs, etc.

To follow suit (hehe), here is one of my photos. However,I did Photoshop this one extensively.
Boy, I wish I looked like this in real life (stupid tattoos), haha...

 

[MissTayva]

Just got several sets of photographs back from my last shoot--what do you think?

I am participating in another pinup contest this month; if anyone is interested in supporting me, please feel free to stop by: http://www.javasbachelorpad.com/ (Scroll down and click on the banner for the 'Cheesecake Contest'; then go to 'Polls'; 'Cheesecake Contest #5' and then click on 'Amanda'.) You do have to register, but you can opt not to receive messages or choose to cancel your registry after the contest ends. I must mention that not all of the contestants have posted tasteful photos, and some have even included nudity. So, if you are at work or just don't want to see that sort of material, just stick with the photos in my folder (under 'Photos'; 'Cheesecake Contest', 'Amanda'). You can cast one vote, and the contest ends on June 30. It would a honor to win or even place, as this is a pretty well known contest. Thank you for your help!

I forgot to add, I snuck over and voted for you! I think your photos are the most authentic of all the gals. You know... on that subject and relating to what you said about the non-tasteful photos. I really get irked with that contest. Maybe I'm being a cheesecake nazi, but it should be just that-- vintage-style cheesecake. It's a mish-mash of everything else these days. Seriously, if I wanted to see nudity... well, I'd go elsewhere! Kudos to you and your oh-so-authentic photos!
I really do hope you win!

PS-- That's what I like about the Retro Radar contest... no nudity, no fetish models, etc.!

 

[swinggal]

Awwww, so cute!!

George Hurrell is my inspiration Jitterbugdoll!! I have several books featuring his photos and used these as reference when setting up my shots. But the book that was the most help was, 'Hollywood Portraits - Classic Shots and how to take them.'

The book features glamourous Hollywood shots from the 20s to the 50's. In actually gives you an in depth analysis of all 50 portraits and illustrates how they were set up in regard to lighting and degree of difficulty etc. Also talks about cameras, lenses, retouching, poses, props, makeup, shadowsetc. They are all black and white shots from the Kobal Collection (the worlds leading archive od cinema stills and film studio portraits) including great photographers such as E.R. Richee, George Hurrell, Clarence Bull, Irving Lippman, William Walling Jnr, Rober Coburn, Bert Six and Lazlo Willinger.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0817440208/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-4140115-8095155#readerpage

 

[MissTayva]

'Hollywood Portraits - Classic Shots and how to take them.'

The book features glamourous Hollywood shots from the 20s to the 50's. In actually gives you an in depth analysis of all 50 portraits and illustrates how they were set up in regard to lighting and degree of difficulty etc. Also talks about cameras, lenses, retouching, poses, props, makeup, shadowsetc. They are all black and white shots from the Kobal Collection (the worlds leading archive od cinema stills and film studio portraits) including great photographers such as E.R. Richee, George Hurrell, Clarence Bull, Irving Lippman, William Walling Jnr, Rober Coburn, Bert Six and Lazlo Willinger.

Great, yet another book I'm going to have to add to my collection...
*sigh*


Thanks for the link!

 

[swinggal]

You are so right about that poll. Amandas shots are the only ones that are classy and fir the era. Man, why do people associate pin-up with trashy. They all look like they came out of Wink magazine or Titter. I dont see the classic beauty of the era captured in any but Amandas. Some of them are pics that really should just be for that persons partner!

When i did the Perth calendar I said that to the girls up front, "no trashy cheesecake, we are going for vintage glamour and sophistication".
Anyway, thats just me.

 

[Wild Root]

I have to agree with you ladies. Yes, I'm a man but I have taste. I understand true vintage style and well, some have it and some don't quite seem to get it.

It takes lots of work as you all know to have the look. Today most think that Pin Up art is supposed to be slutty. BIG FAT NO! It's not about that in my book.

Any way, I hope the best girl wins for the right reason. Not because one may show more skin then the next! It's not about that.

Root.

 

[filmnoirphotos]

I agree, recreating vintage photos is a lot of fun! My head is so full of ideas right now... I just need the time! My second to last shoot, with Marco Patino, was a doozy. I was literally wracking my brain trying to find a location. A few places canceled, others I had in mind wanted $100s to rent them out. I had only booked the location (a great tiki bar in El Segundo, CA) two days before the shoot. All the stress was worth it, though, because it came out exactly how I had pictured! Not to mention... shoots are a great excuse to shop for "costumes"

Great stuff; Mis Tayva (impressive Photo Shop work - seen photos with your tattoos)

I do know what you mean about the location thing. Here in the San Francisco bay area it's pretty tough to get permission to use a store front, bar or public building for a shoot without paying some bucks or bartering. Especially in San Francisco. In fact, I was shut down once shooting just off Market Street in front of one of the old office buildings - the City fathers are definitely all about making a buck. Cops pulled up (no guns drawn), and asked to see my permit. When they found I had none one of the guys was going to write me up! There was only three of us, myself with the cameras, an assistant with a reflector and the model....... The other cop talked him out of it and told me not to use a tripod next time and I probably won't be bothered. No wonder the local film makers pride themselves on Gorilla productions. It can cost a fortune to do shoots by the book.

 

[filmnoirphotos]

The book features glamourous Hollywood shots from the 20s to the 50's. In actually gives you an in depth analysis of all 50 portraits and illustrates how they were set up in regard to lighting and degree of difficulty etc. Also talks about cameras, lenses, retouching, poses, props, makeup, shadowsetc. They are all black and white shots from the Kobal Collection (the worlds leading archive od cinema stills and film studio portraits) including great photographers such as E.R. Richee, George Hurrell, Clarence Bull, Irving Lippman, William Walling Jnr, Rober Coburn, Bert Six and Lazlo Willinger.

Hi SwingGal

I'm familiar with this book, and indeed they chose some spendid examples of classic Hollywood glamour to work with, however, I found their commentaries pretty worthless, in regards to how the shots were made. Some were entirely wrong. The lighting setups they illustrated were very misleading, particularly in regards to distance and they were not at all thorough in describing the kinds of lights used for shots. A novice photographer would come away from this book thinking he/she only needed a couple open face flood lamps or flash units to recreate the photos illustrating this book. I am sure by now you know better than that.

I would have been much more impressed with this book if Christopher Nisperos would have actually recreated a few of the shots and showed the lighting setups. Nisperos is suppose to be well known in Europe for his Hollywood glamour stuff, but I have yet to see one of his photos.

A book worth having, but definitely not a bible for the shooter.

....my two cents.

 

[filmnoirphotos]

Timeless beauty in pinup...

Have to agree with all of you that the terms 'cheesecake' and 'classic pinup' are misunderstood today. Partial or total nudity really has no place in either. The very finest examples of classic pinup only go to the point of implied nudity, or, very veiled nudity. Frankly, I feel that classic pinup is timeless because it did not contain frontal nudity. It was, and still is, all about beauty and fantasy and not explicitly sexual in nature. Sadly, the fetish movement has heavily moved into todays mainstream pinup. It is grand to see gals like you all still carrying on the classic tradition!

Keep shooting!.....but,

 

[BellyTank]

Bernard of Hollywood

I bought a book entitled 'Bernard of Hollywood's PIN-UPs' -Bernard of Hollywood's guide to Pinup photography many years ago. I like the book and the lighting and composition hints are fun. Many outdoor shots with moody lighting- a nice post-war collection- he was working with Speed Graphic 4x5 and Ansco 5x7.
The book is readily available although it does seem to be OP...

You can see much of it online...
http://www.bernardofhollywood.com/photips.html
http://www.bernardofhollywood.com/
Enjoy!
B
T

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Nice work, MissTayva! You do a great job with your pinups as well!

You also did a great job with Photoshop--I need to take a class so that I can experiment more!

And thank you for your vote--that means a lot to me, because I know you have a few other friends in the contest right now. You also do an excellent job of recreating pinups, so knowing that you cast a vote for me was a real complement!

I am very glad for the support of everyone here--and it is nice to know I am not the only one who doesn't consider the more ‘hardcore’ photography to be pinup! It certainly has its place (and there is definitely a market for it), but not so much in a pinup contest.

I agree wholeheartedly that true, vintage cheesecake pinups were so alluring because the subjects didn't ‘play all their cards’! The women were cute and sexy, but very much 'girl next door'. They smiled sweetly, but knowingly, and they never glared at the camera in an attempt to be sexy. My mother always told me that what you *don’t* show is sexier than what you *do* show, and I have found this to be true.

Filmnoirphotos—some time ago I purchased a 1950s book called Glamour Photography. Several well-known photographers of the time were consulted (right now Andres de Dienes is the only one I can think of), as well as a few top models. Although I can’t say that I’ve applied the lighting techniques yet, I have attempted some of the posing suggestions and did find them very helpful. It’s amazing to see how a turn of the body or a tilt of the face can transform a model’s features.

Bernard of Hollywood did amazing work as well—I have one of his books and I really enjoy studying it. He was well-known for making everyone look wonderful, and starlets sought him out because of his talent!

I did learn about another photographer the other day—but now I can’t remember his name! He did very interesting work in the 1920s-40s, and did things that we now achieve with Photoshop. Apparently, because he manipulated photos rather than shooting things just as they were, Ansel Adams did not care for him and refused to have his work published alongside this other artist. Very interesting!

 

[BellyTank]

Yep- a lot can be done in the darkroom- in the developing and printing, dodging, burning and more- the stuff that we do in PShop nowadays.

Nice work Amanda!
B
T

 

[MissTayva]

I have to agree with you ladies. Yes, I'm a man but I have taste. I understand true vintage style and well, some have it and some don't quite seem to get it.

It takes lots of work as you all know to have the look. Today most think that Pin Up art is supposed to be slutty. BIG FAT NO! It's not about that in my book.

Any way, I hope the best girl wins for the right reason. Not because one may show more skin then the next! It's not about that.

Root.

You couldn't have said it better! I know it's a competition and all... but some gals seem to think that showing all the goodies is going to get all the votes. I'm by no means a prude, but I was really turned off by some of the stuff I saw there.

Oh, there is one other gal over there--a black gal, at that, which I think is a fabulous twist! Anyway, she has some really neat looking photos, too! I really like what she did... but my vote is still for Amanda

I'm over those contests, though. It usually is a popularity contest. There are so many gals who are into it now, and I've noticed lately that the pin-up scene is getting really catty! I myself have noticed I'm sort of straying away from the whole lingerie-type stuff, I think sexily shooting with period outfits is more fun!

Next month, I'll have some GREAT shots to share with you all. I won't disclose anymore, but it's going to be a BIG surprise!

 

[MissTayva]

Great stuff; Mis Tayva (impressive Photo Shop work - seen photos with your tattoos)

I do know what you mean about the location thing. Here in the San Francisco bay area it's pretty tough to get permission to use a store front, bar or public building for a shoot without paying some bucks or bartering. Especially in San Francisco. In fact, I was shut down once shooting just off Market Street in front of one of the old office buildings - the City fathers are definitely all about making a buck. Cops pulled up (no guns drawn), and asked to see my permit. When they found I had none one of the guys was going to write me up! There was only three of us, myself with the cameras, an assistant with a reflector and the model....... The other cop talked him out of it and told me not to use a tripod next time and I probably won't be bothered. No wonder the local film makers pride themselves on Gorilla productions. It can cost a fortune to do shoots by the book.

Hi there!
Well, I am working on getting my look back to that (sans-tattoos). It's going to take a lot of time, money and cosmetics, too!

I had one heck of a time trying to find a place that wasn't going to charge me an arm and a leg! I had my heart set on one location, they wanted $400 for three hours, and actually wanted me to wait until June-September to book the shoot there... mind you, this is a place that averages above 110 degrees in the summer! Even these non-profit botanical garden places had a "suggested donation" of $150!
I was so lucky to book this specific place. It's one of the best tiki bars in Southern California (I've never seen a bar so clean in my life!). I've still yet to send them a print or two :-/

 

[filmnoirphotos]

I had one heck of a time trying to find a place that wasn't going to charge me an arm and a leg! I had my heart set on one location, they wanted $400 for three hours, and actually wanted me to wait until June-September to book the shoot there... mind you, this is a place that averages above 110 degrees in the summer! Even these non-profit botanical garden places had a "suggested donation" of $150!
I was so lucky to book this specific place. It's one of the best tiki bars in Southern California (I've never seen a bar so clean in my life!). I've still yet to send them a print or two :-/

I've also run into the insurance thing. In one bar I had to float a policy to do an afternoon shoot there. Fortunately, the band was in good with the bar so we didn't have to pay for the use of the location.

There are a couple vintage hotels in my area with bars, restaurants and lobbies that've been restored to their original glory.......sadly, all of them want big bucks for their use.

I'm in the process of setting up a 40s private eye office in my studio. Still need a few details like Venitian blinds for the window, but it should be fun for both noir/pulp type shots and for pinup stuff. Tayva, should you find yourself heading out to the Barbary Coast and interested in shooting something dark and dangerous, do drop me a post.

One other thing I have run into along the lines of the misunderstanding of pinup, is when I mention I'm doing a pinup shoot, there is often immediate concern that I am shooting pornography....total bummer.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Thanks, BT!

I just remembered the name of the photographer I mentioned yesterday--William Mortensen. He blended his photographs with other mediums, such as pencil—the overall effect is amazing, considering he was working in the 1920s-40s. He also did quite a bit of experimentation with lighting. (He did do a lot of nude figure studies though, a few of which are featured in the link below. Now even though I am quite conservative, I find these works to be very elegant and reminiscent of the old master’s paintings rather than vulgar or offensive. But, I still wanted to give advance warning in case you are at work.)

http://www.thescreamonline.com/photo/photo06-01/mortensen/

filmnoirphotos--I too would be interested in doing a series of noir photos--I'd love to portray a dangerous blonde, as I generally stick with girl-next-door looks. I was obsessed with vintage detective novels when I was in college, and would love to play a character from say, a Dashiell Hammett novel.