Amateur Photographer - UK (2020-12-05)

Nigel Atherton looks back at past AP issues

‘CHRISTMASTIDEandthecamerawere,notsolongago,
twoingredientsthatdidnotmix,’saidEditorFJ Mortimer
in hisintroductionto the 1928 ‘ChristmasNumber,’which
featuredex-VoguephotographerMauriceBeck..‘I contend
thatyoucannevergetthe[same]“quality”...froma quick
exposurewitha lotof lightthatyoucansecurefroma
longexposurewitha littlelight,’hewrote,discussinghis
print,‘TheLivingBronze’.
Beckrstexperimentedwith‘greasingthemodel’on
RudolphValentino,usinggrease-paintandVaseline.‘A
verymessyaffairit was,’herecalled.Theoccasionfor
thispicturewasthevisitof a photographerfriendfrom
NewYork.‘Onenightwedecidedto dosomeoilynudes,
usingoliveoilthistime.’Whilehisfriendusedallthe
lightsat hisdisposal,creatinga ‘blindingglare’,Beck
favoureda single200-wattlamp.‘Theeditoraskedme
howlonganexposureI gavebut,asI haveneveryettimed
anexposure,I hadto tellhimthatI wentonexposinguntil
I sawthemodelbeginto wobbleandthenshutdown.I’m
afraidthat’sthewayI timemostof myexposures.’
Theissuewentfromthesublimeto theridiculousin a
singlepageturn,asontheipsideof Beck’snudewas
C.ABromley’spictureof a catplayinga banjo.Thetitle?
‘Ro-Meiow,Ro-Meiow,WhereforeArtThou,Ro-Meiow.’To
befair,a picturelikethiswassignicantlymoredifcultto
pulloffin thedaysbeforePhotoshop,butdon’tthinkfora
minutethatAdobeinventedthissortof thing.

A 200 watt lamp and a bottle of olive oil were all that Maurice Beck required here

‘Thedaintygirllikesdainty,smartandefficientgifts.’Thechoiceof ‘fivedelightful

shades’means‘themoderngirlcanchoosea camerato matchherfrockor hercar’.

A banjo-playingcatserenadestheobjectof hisdesire,withnohelpfromPhotoshop

From the archive

5 Dec 1928