When one goes looking for non-nudes or G-rated photos by Denny Denfield, the pickings
are quite slim. Why? Probably because as an amateur who did photography for personal
enjoyment, Mr. Denfield did not have to worry about the draconian legal measures taken
against those who publicly displayed or commercially distributed such material.
Oddly, Denny Denfield stopped his nude photography in 1967, about when it became
legal to do those things, for reasons I haven't been able to discern.
Disclosure: I cropped a large white margin from this picture to make it
fit the blog page better. I did not alter the central image itself.
As you note, Denny Denfield was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest postwar models and has left us with a wonderful collection of photographs. His outdoor colour photos are particularly striking. However, I'm really drawn to this series of photos which have a real charm. This is my favourite - such a handsome guy. It may be fanciful on my part but he reminds me a little of the wonderful Bill Grant.
ReplyDeleteYes, he is best known for his outdoor work and use of color.
DeleteThe times were changing, by the late 60s the public wanted more explicit content.
ReplyDeleteDenny probably saw the writing on the wall, for his type of physique photography was coming to an end. He probably didn't want to become a pornographer.
Also, those type of men that posed in the golden era were harder to come by.
The bodybuilders and clean-cut guys with nice phyiques.were common in the 40s & 50s because they were in shape from service in WW2 and Korea, so nice physiques galore. Models were also demanding more money to pose, before some did it for practically nothing. For example, Bob Mizer started out with musclemen and guys in good shape, by the late 60s they were mostly street trade and average physiques. Jim French had the money, from charging premium prices, to get the best physique models and pay them well.
And of course the cost of photographic materials and equipment kept going up,
he probably couldn't afford it, since most of his work was a private hobby.
-Rj intheIE
I think there is a distinct artistic boundary between the work prior to the legalization of frontal male nudity in published photos and that afterward. Needless to say, I prefer the earlier version.
DeleteI completely concur, something about those times made it all come together, the models and the photographers. How thankful we should all be for this new medium, the internet, so much information can be shared.
DeleteAnd speaking of thanks and sharing, Jerry, I hope you and all the others who visit your blog have a wonderful Thanksgiving ! We ALL deserve it.
-Rj inthe IE