2006-03-19 Essential Reading For Aspiring Photographers

This is because despite various hardships, brought on largely by Nazi anti-Semitism and persecution which murdered his uncle, and also his original employer a photographer called Yva Newton remains positive. He doesnâ??t dwell on the horrors, and the hardships of internment as a stateless alien in Australia followed by four years of military service in the Australian forces. Instead he describes in great detail how he â??laidâ?? his way across Europe, Asia and â??down underâ?? before meeting his beloved wife June Browne, [who is also takes photographs professionally under the pseudonym Alice Springs].

The couples' sometimes tempestuous, but always loving relationship reveals the strains that a photographerâ??s lifestyle can place upon a relationship.

As the book progresses Newton leaves Australia with June to work for London Vogue. "My pictures were a disaster", he writes.

Subsequently the couple settled in Paris where they struggled to make ends meet, even though Newton was regularly employed by French Vogue, as well as Elle and other publications. Nevertheless sometimes he also was forced to go to Berlin to photograph collections for very little return,

The couple vacillated about whether to live in Australia or Europe. In Australia Newtonâ??s career was successful and his finances were stronger, but to be in the first rung of photography he needed to be either in Europe or the USA.

In due course the Newtons settled in Paris, living there for over twenty years, later they moved to Monte Carlo.

It must have been shortly after his heart attack in America that I first came across Helmut Newtonâ??s work. It is the original â??Porno Chicâ?? that has moved his work into art galleries across the globe. Newton always insisted he wasn't an artist, but a 'gun for hire'.

The book is well produced and contains a number of images from Newton's life and work. It must be said however that this is primarily a work of text and not a 'fine art' book. Many of Newton's images from such works as 'Big Nudes', and 'White Women' are there, but in order to see them at their best readers should refer to Newton's other books, which are printed to reproduce the quality of the photographs and contain less text.

Stephen Bray
http://pebblesfromparadise.com