Master of Fetish Photography Series: Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton is a that name speaks to me.   This photographer was a true visionary, a genius of subject.  He brought fetish to the mainstream through the pages of the fashion glossies we have become so addicted to.

If you do not know who Helmut Newton is, well, you should!  Born in 1920 in Berlin to Jewish parents, this unique photographer purchased his first camera at age 12.  His youth was filled with world traveling in escape from from world drama, where he took a job eventually as a portrait photographer in Singapore.  More turmoil followed as he was interned by British authorities in Singapore and sent to Australia, eventually becoming an Australian citizen and changing his name to Newton in 1946.

He soon married actress June Browne (who went on to become a photographer under the pseudonym ‘Alice Springs’).  In 1946, he also setup his first studio in a fashionable district and began work primarily on fashion photography.

Eventually, he moved on and left Australia for London.  Australian Vogue magazine commissioned him for a special photo spread in January 1956.  That job would land him a 1 year contract with British Vogue.  Before his contract ended, he left the magazine to move to Paris where he worked for French and German magazines, where he eventually settled and continued to work as a fashion photographer through the 1960′s.

Primarily working for French Vogue and Harper’s Bazzar, his style was marked by erotic and highly stylistic scenes.  These scenes often showed signs of fetishism and BDSM subtexts.  In the 1970′s, he had a heart attack, slowing his output but increasing his fame.  His 1980′s “Big Nudes” series was the pinnacle of his unique erotic mixed with city life style.  His skill as a photographer was nearly perfect by this time.

Helmut Newton also shot many photo spreads for Playboy magazine where those images would eventually sell at auction for thousands of dollars at Bohhams and Christies.

Near the end, Newton lived in the cities of Monte Carlo and Los Angeles.  He died in as a his car hit a wall in the driveway of the famous Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard.  His ashes are buried next to Marlene Dietrich in Berlin.

Now, go online and do a Google Image Search on Helmut Newton and see for yourself why he is a master of fetish photography!