William Klein

           William Klein is a talented photographer and filmmaker. Looking at his famous photographs from the 1950s and 60s, anyone can easily tell William Klein took those photographs (wide-angle lens, lighting effects of exposure and flare and blur). He’s very known for his photographs and his films. William Klein photographs fashion and people. He takes his pictures with certain angles and shots to make the fashion and the person look a lot better than they really do. William Klein knows how to take dead fashion, boring scenery, and a drudging face into something beautiful.

            The first photograph (Figure 1) is a picture of Evelyn Tripp, a model in the 50s, taken by William Klein in 1958. This photograph (Figure 1) is called  “Smoke and Veil”. This photo shows Evelyn smoking a cigarette outside wearing a black veil (fashionable in the 50s). Often when seeing a person smoke outside, it’s not attractive but William makes everything in the photo look intriguing. The way the smoke comes out of her mouth, the way the smoke looks, the way her veil falls perfectly on her face, it’s makes this photograph so beautiful. This shows how William took something dull and turned it into something amazing.

This next photo (Figure 2) shows Selwyn Theatre in New York (42^nd Street). William Klein took it in 1955. It shows an old-fashioned black car and people walking in and out of the Selwyn Theatre. The Selwyn Theatre was a theatre of many in New York and was never that busy. William was inspired by the look of the Selwyn Theatre and waited one day for it to be packed. When it was he took this photograph and it became famous. After then it was a famous theatre that people went to for a fun night out. This proves, not only that William knows the right exact time to take a photograph, but also he took something dead (The Selwyn Theatre) and turned it into something alive.

The last photo (Figure 3) is a ‘7up’ sign posted on a tree. It was taken in New York in 1954 called ‘7-Up’. My favorite part of this whole picture is on the bottom of the sign it says ‘You like it. It likes you.’ because it really sells the product. Again, this photo you would never think could look good because it’s just a sign posted on a tree, but the way William photographs it, it makes the sign pop out. In the background you see a bunch of signs attached to a bunch of trees but yet this one sign is what William decided to photograph. Although you would usually not pick this as a photo you would take, William can take any photo and turn it into an amazing one.

Showing these three photos and how their a simple theme but such a beautiful picture, it shows the real photographer, William Klein. He has many fans that don’t just love him has a photographer but as a person. William has a great personality that reflects onto his work greatly. William Klein shows himself in his work and that’s why everyone loves him and his photographs.

MY PHOTOGRAPH...

I took and chose this photo as my work showing William Klein's work because it shows fashion and people. This is a photo of my brother closing his eyes. My brother is a fashion designer and always dresses in the most outrageous clothes. As seen in his jacket and hat, he loves fashion. I took this photograph, made it black and white, and i could completely see William Klein taking it.

Bibliography

"Profotos - William Klein." Profotos Professional Photography Resource. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.<http://www.profotos.com/education/referencedesk/masters/masters/williamklein/williamklein.shtml>.

"William Klein Essay." Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne - ACMI Homepage. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.<http://www.acmi.net.au/william_klein_essay.htm>.

"William Klein." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Klein>.

"FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Artists." FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Exhibitions. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. <http://www.gallery51.com/index.php?navigatieid=9>.