Earle Forbes got his start in photography by taking pictures of fellow dancers in the Denishawn troupe in the 1920s with a $3 box camera. He moved on from that to photographing bodybuilders and athletes, most famously Dan Lurie, who said, "We all knew he was selling the nudes on the side to gay men, but nobody cared. He got us into all the best magazines, and he was a nice guy."
We start the show with the first of five unknown models.
Did Forbes go in for oil on the males he shot? Big Dude
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, and the main reason was that his model pool expected it because it was a standard item at bodybuilding competitions.
DeleteThis one checks all my boxes.
ReplyDeleteI'm only at the beginning of learning to draw and still a long way from anatomy lessons, but in this series, there are a lot of photos that I have to take for later! Thanks Jerry
ReplyDeleteAlways happy to help inspire my Belgian friend!
DeleteI remember that quote and was thinking of it last week -- but I forgot who said it and about whom. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, James! Mr. Lurie and his peers showed a remarkable level of tolerance and sophistication for their era and backgrounds. Also, they were practical.
DeleteEarle Forbes did terrific work using simple cameras, proof of his fine honed skills….:)
ReplyDeleteHe did eventually move beyond the $3 box camera, but he did keep it simple and did a great job.
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