During my degree I cam across a photographer whose work I simply have to share.
The photographer is John Rawlings.
Rawlings was a photographer for Conde Nast and in his heyday (between the late 30s and 60s) he was one of the top fashion photographers. His work featured in the pages of Vogue, Glamour and Life magazine (he worked primarily in America). His work was regularly seen on the covers of vogue in particular.
What I love about Rawlings work was the vibrancy and colour in his work. Many of the images I’ve picked for this post come from the 40s and the colour is simply amazing. I think most of these images would have been shot in Kodachrome, which gives the almost slightly eerie oversaturated colours. His work almost always has an underlying story line which allows you to look more deeply into his photography, his work wasn’t just about selling clothes, but creating a narrative too.
In my humble opinion Rawlings was one of the most talented phtographers of the 40s and 50s and I think is sometimes overlooked. The composition of his images are always so carefully thought out and turn women into sculptural objects, using the angles of the clothes and the womens bodies to create interest.
There is a book about John Rawlings (currently out of print…seemingly like every book i want)
John Rawlings: 30 years in Vogue
Many of these images come from this FABULOUS blog post, do check it out:
Advantage In Vintage 