Fashion photographer Lillian Bassman

Fashion photographer Lillian Bassman
Born on June 15, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York, she was daughter of Russian immigrants. Aged 15, she got married and that early marriage lasted 70 years! Lillian Bassman died February 13, 2012. Meanwhile, in her youth she was a model, designer, and the photography came when she was 29 years old – in 1946. An amazing woman, she was one of the first photographers to models expose underwear, contrary to the strict morals of the time. Since the 1940s Bassman works as an art director of Harper’s Bazaar. Her Russian friend Alexei Brodovich helped her to adapt to the world of fashion. Under his guidance she began to create her unusual photos of models who appeared regularly in the Journal of 1950-1965.

Lillian stopped photographing in the 70s, but returned again to the creative photoart work after the astounding success of photo exhibition in 1992, featuring prints from her old negatives. A forgotten bag filled with hundreds of images was discovered over 20 years later. Bassman’s fashion photographic work began to be re-appreciated in the 1990s.

She worked with digital technology and abstract color photography into her 90s to create a new series of work. She used Photoshop for her image manipulation. The most notable qualities about her photographic work are the high contrasts between light and dark, the graininess of the finished photos, and the geometric placement and camera angles of the subjects. Bassman became one of the last great woman photographers in the world of fashion.

Fashion photographer Lillian Bassman

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