Photographer 2 | Philippe Halsman

Halsman Self-portrait

Halsman was an American portrait photographer, started from fashion magazines such as Vogue in his 24 and gained popularity for images that were sharp focused and closed-up.

Halsman’s first success was realized when the cosmetic firm Elizabeth Arden used his image of model Constance Ford in an advertising campaign for “Victory Red” lipstick.

Constance Ford

Besides working on photographs for advertisement, Halsman’s portraits of celebrities and politicians also often featured on the covers and pages of popular magazines during his time, such as Look, Esquire, Paris Match, especially Life.

One of the series of Halsman’s artworks that I love is the series in collaboration with Surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. He has incorporated elements of humourous, playful and imaginative. He mentioned that photography could be dead serious or great fun, either capturing the elusive truth or one’s imagination.  

Dali 1941

Dali 1946

Dali 1948

Dali 1951

Dali 1954

Dali 1954

Dali 1964

Dali 1970

One of the stunning photographs, Dali Atomicus, was produced after 28 attempts. I think Halsman actually enjoyed collaborating with Dali, as we could see that they had been working together for 37 years. This is what I think about photography, it is a game that we can play with. Treat it as a game, and you will enjoy the process. Furthermore, we could include any unusual idea in the frames or make anyone as a hero in the portraits. 

Dali Atomicus