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Essay on Fashion Photographer Cecil Beaton

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T here have been many great photographers throughout history who have left their mark on the industry. Cecil Beaton is an inspiring fashion photographer from the 1930s. He was born in 1904 in Hampstead, England, he moved to London and continued to live there until his passing in 1980.

This British photographer launched his career as a society photographer in 1926 (A Gallery for Fine Photography, 2001). His first camera was a Kodak 3A which was a very popular model in its time. Beaton used this camera to teach himself the basics of photography often using his family members as subjects. Ignoring his dislike of further education Beaton studied history, art and architecture at ST John’s College, Cambridge (Search.com Reference, 2010). In…show more content…
He was never known as a technically skilled photographer, he relied on his ability to sculpt a subjects body into an ideal pose and place them in a flattering scene to compliment the feel of the photograph that he was aiming to achieve (Search.com Reference, 2010).

Beaton was a great photographer however his photographs were not about capturing reality; he used his art so that we may perceive his subjects to be more attractive then they truly appear. Early on in his career he learnt flattery was the key to portraiture (Patrick, 2009). Beaton was able to transform ordinary subjects to look younger, more attractive and sophisticated through his photography. This was achieved by careful manipulation of their posturing (Patrick, 2009). These subjects would trust Beaton to transform what ought to be an ordinary photograph into something more elegant and stylish. Clients could easily have faith in Beaton’s creativity as his photographic style followed the current trends in society (Patrick, 2009). Beaton was known as a natural socialite however later it became evident that he was not a loyal friend at all.

After Beaton’s diaries were discovered readers uncovered a stranger, and those who knew the photographer where shocked. These diaries were found to be the scripture of Beaton himself and personal thoughts no one should have to hear.

Beaton’s self-created façade worked perfectly within high society although it was
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