or emphasize or reduce the prominence of other
facial features. Before any application of make-up
starts, it must be determined whether the final
photograph is going to be in color or black and
white. Make-up for black and white should be some-
what stronger than that used for color photographs.
Most photographers will use either 35 mm or
medium format camera equipment, and the choice
of lenses is usually a medium telephoto lens in order
to flatten the perspective. Headshots for other pur-
poses such as theater or publicity stills often utilize
somewhat stronger lighting in order to add a sense
of drama.
Model composites are an essential part of what a
model needs for her or his business success. The
composite or ‘‘comp card’’ contains from three to
six photographs as well as the physical statistics of
the model and the agency with which she or he is
associated. The photographs include a headshot,
usually on the cover, followed by several partial
or full-length photographs. The basic use of the
comp is to allow an art or casting director to select
the model type needed for a particular assignment.
This is generally followed by a casting call or a
‘‘look-see’’ for a more detailed evaluation of the
models. A model’s comp must be up to date since
many decisions are made from the comp card. A
change in hairstyle or color requires a new card.
The fashion model is of course an inextricable
aspect of fashion photography. When Baron de
Meyer started making fashion photographs, he
used as his models the people he was acquainted
with, namely the high society women in his and his
wife’s social circles. Occasionally, he would employ
an actress from the stage or a ballet dancer. But the
reputation of this latter group of models was mostly
unsavory. One indication of this was that he would
credit the high society women in the title of the
picture with their name, but not the actresses. This
practice continued for several decades. As women
became emancipated in the early part of the twen-
tieth century, the social and moral strictures al-
tered. In the late 1920s, John Robert Powers
started the first modeling school and talent agency
in New York and the professional model became a
reality. Young women were trained in proper eti-
quette as well as what was expected of a fashion
model. The first professional model to achieve
celebrity was Lisa Fonssagrives. Born in Sweden,
she moved to Paris in the 1930s to train as a ballet
dancer. She was discovered by Horst and became
famous for her grace and poise. She worked exten-
sively in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s and married
the photographer Irving Penn. Following her move
to the United States she was in great demand in
New York until the late 1950s. Suzie Parker and her
sister Dorian Leigh, and Dovima (who appeared in
the classic Avedon image with chained elephants)
joined Fonnsagrives as top models of the 1950s.
The 1970s saw the ‘‘super model’’ phenomenon
epitomized by Cindy Crawford’s emergence in the
1980s as a major celebrity due to her work as a
fashion model.Hollywood Glamour Photography
In the world of photography there is one category
that stands by itself, namely Hollywood glamour
photography. It is neither the standard portrait
photograph, nor is it the fashion photograph of
that era, nor the production stills that were part
of the making of a motion picture. It is a category
by itself, and while there have been many practi-
tioners of this type of image making, one name
stands out above all, George Hurrell (1904–1992)
He singularly invented the category and was part of
the golden age of Hollywood glamour photogra-
phy from 1925 to 1950.
From almost the very beginning of motion pic-
tures, the still photograph of either the production
highlights or the headshot of the stars, was an
integral part of it. The portraits of the stars were
mass-produced and were displayed in the theatre
lobbies. The format of choice for these pictures was
the 810-inch camera, because contact prints could
be rapidly reproduced in quantities. Every studio in
Hollywood employed a staff photographer to make
these portraits. Clarence Sinclair Bull was one of
the early photographers who defined the visual lan-
guage of the genre, while Ruth Harriet Louise was
the first female head of the MGM portrait studio
from 1925 until 1930. Others included Virgil Apger,
Eugene Robert Richee, and Ernest Bachrach. In
Chicago, Maurice Seymour was the glamour photo-
grapher from the early 1930s through the 1960s.
George Edward Hurrell was born in Covington,
Kentucky in 1904. He attended the Art Institute in
Chicago as a painter, and was hired by Eugene
Hutchinson, a prominent Chicago portrait photo-
grapher. Under Hutchinson’s tutelage, he learned
darkroom work as well as retouching, airbrushing,
and hand coloring. In 1925 he moved to Laguna
Beach, California, with Edgar Payne, another pain-
ter. He quickly learned that the making of photo-
graphs was more profitable than the painting of the
seascape oils he favored at that time. Most of the
portraits he produced during the next two years
were done outdoors, and he became exceptionally
skilled at using sunlight to produce a pleasing por-
trait. In 1927, he moved to Los Angeles and openedFASHION PHOTOGRAPHY