Portraits in Fashion: Norman Parkinson

Capturing life
energy, mood and spirit
is a talent reserved for the world’s most gifted photographers. No matter how beautiful or photogenic a person may be, their photograph won’t shine unless the maestro behind the lens communicates with them, teases them, emotes with them. Photography is a collaborative process
like a dance
and Norman Parkinson was like Fred Astaire.

From the foreword by Iman From his first outdoor fashion shoot in 1935, Norman Parkinson’s moving pictures taken with a still camera brought glamour and inventiveness to fashion photography. He set the New Look against the New York skyline, Quant dresses in swinging London, and Calvin Klein and Krizia in exotic locations from Tahiti to Tobago.

If a girl looks like a model, she is not for my lens, said Parks . He wanted energy and individuality, and found it in top girls like Wenda, the willowy actress he married in 1947, Celia Hammond, Jerry Hall, Iman and Appollonia van Ravenstein. Parkinson’s long association with Vogue, and his numerous assignments for Harper’s Bazaar, Queen and other international magazines, brought him fame and recognition. In return he gave the fashion world ineffable style and unforgettable images.
This timely new edition is updated to feature additional iconic Parkinson images, including a striking collection of Audrey Hepburn to coincide with the National Portrait Gallery’s Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon exhibition in the UK. It is an impressive examination of an unrivalled twentieth-century photographic portfolio. SELLING POINTS: . New, updated hardback edition with additional images. . Featuring original colour photographs and black and white prints from Parkinson’s own archive. . Foreword by Iman 150 full colour and b/w photos