Existing comment:
Edward Steichen, 1879-1973
Prior to becoming chief photographer for Condé Nast Publications in 1923, Edward Steichen had never worked with anything but natural light. When an electrician armed with floodlights, reflectors, and other exotic equipment joined him for one of his first assignments, Steichen improvised to avoid admitting that he had no experience with artificial lighting. His instincts proved excellent, and the electrician came away from the session convinced that the photogra- pher was truly an innovative professional. Steichen soon grew to regard electric lighting as an essential tool in bringing variety to his compositions. In the later years of his work for Vanity Fair, he recalled that he had "lights going all over the place," as evidenced in this self-portrait.
1929 |