I'm throwing in this posing strap bonus photo of Bill Melby silhouetted against the sky as shot by
Don Whitman of Western Photography Guild. Bill's face and calves seem just a bit
shaded compared to his brightly lighted torso, making a great picture. Bill was a West Coast bodybuilder who traveled to Denver to be photographed by Mr. Whitman.
Don Whitman showed an unerring talent for bringing out the erotic where there was supposed to be none. Many of the bodybuilders of the day were straight and I have often wondered how many of them realized to what purpose these photo shoots were intended - or just didn't care. In contrast to the '30s and '40s, the demonstration trunks of the conservative 1950s became very large and were designed with modesty in mind. Whitman not only captured an atmosphere of freedom with his shoots in the light of the great outdoors in direct contrast to the repression of the times but would put his models in very cleverly designed and much smaller posing pouches which accentuated rather than hid the forbidden fruit of their genitals - often with the hint of pubic hair. These straps would lift and separate in true Playtex style in a way that other photographers never quite managed to achieve. It was a trick that worked. Perhaps the best example was Vic Seipke - who definitely did know what he was doing. But any number of Whitman's models went from bodybuilder to sex bomb through his lens. Whitman was not just a talented photographer but a master psychologist in the war against societal bigotry - which ironically hadn't existed in Victorian times, infused as they were with Platonic thought. It is this facet of his work that never ceases to amaze - along with the beauty of his models.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. Mr. Whitman was genius in several ways, certainly including the art and psychology you mentioned. He also managed to stay within the repressive laws while providing a well organized commercially successful business model. Over time, I think many, if not most, of his models came to realize the audience they were being pitched to and did not mind. This is exemplified by the number of them who attended his funeral (along with their wives and children in several cases) out of gratitude for his help in launching their careers. I have exchanged emails with people who knew Don Whitman, and the words "true gentleman" came up again and again.
Delete