The story goes that Troy Saxon (real name Stuart "Pinky" Rosenberg) was a college student in
the Midwest on the G.I. Bill when he took a 1958 spring break trip to California and got picked
up by a physique photographer. It wasn't long before he was behind the camera himself and better known as a photographer than a model. Hence this magazine caption "Troy Saxon himself."
Today will be the second series I've dedicated to this sometimes underrated artist.
I have always thought Troy Saxon to have been underrated. When vintage photography eventually found its way online, I was stunned that it was his photography - aside from some very famous studies - that had much more resonance than many other photographers. I can only conclude that I must have been able to lay my trembling teenage hands on one of his magazines to explain his work's familiarity. To be fair, he was working at a time when he no longer had to disguise his photographs with Classical and traditional artistic themes but like Bruce Bellas, he used fewer props - which were sometimes ludicrous - and let his models shine beneath his lights.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your personal experience and valued opinion about Mr. Saxon.
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