Sometimes as a creative, I give myself that title very lightly, we find inspiration in simple things. I was recently gifted an amazing set of Original Irvin Klaw prints from his negatives from my friend. Klaw was best known as one of Bettie Page's promoters, photographers and videographers. If you have heard of or seen the epic Teaserama, you are familiar with Klaw's line of work. Back in the 50's this style was considered Smut, The Devils Work, and pornography. Klaw eventually was put on trial and agreed to burn his negatives, well most of them.
Back to the recently gifted images, I couldn't help to notice how simple they were yet so impactful. No crazy lighting, just simple backgrounds or a simple couch on a wall with a beautiful woman in her undergarments, which by today's standard would be considered modestly clothed if not overdressed. The images I have are simple images, nothing too spicy, but made me dig into the history a little more and find the "Darker Side". Fetish back in that time was so taboo, it was unspoken of and was considered downright shameful. Fast forward to today, and we have "Adult Marts" off of exits on the highway.
Irving Klaw Image
So, I wanted to dive into some classic-style images from that naughty era. Simple lighting, simple set up, just focus on the model. I studied vintage lighting techniques and rolled out the hot light style from that era. I made a few tweaks to give that classic voyeur peep hole style lighting.
I had the exact look I wanted in my head, but needed to find the perfect model to execute, I needed the right outfit with a little vintage flare with a whole lot of modern touches. Luckily I have a huge wardrobe at the studio with all kinds of fun pieces, and also lucky for me, I found a willing victim, I mean Model, in my good friend Penny Prestige. This was something outside of her normal scope of gaming cosplay style, but we still kept it in a cosplay genre, just a little bit spicier, LOL It was so fun working with her and seeing this transformation come to life. The things a leather mask and a cute black wig will do to a person. RAW!!!!
Stay tuned for more images from this set in an upcoming publication.
Do You have a vintage image style you would like to recreate? Message us to direct.