portraits

Although, sadly, Herb Ritts has passed away I'm sure he'll be remembered as one of the greatest celebrity photographers ever. With that being said, I'll admit that I am NOT a Hollywood-glam-celebrity fanatic, and I hate public obsession with celebrities. However, I will admit my admiration of Herb Ritts' introverted and sophisticated images of Hollywood identities. I keep my copy of "Herb Ritts: Work" next to the wild and outgoing "Lachapelle Land" by David Lachapelle, which together show an interesting contrast in approach to celebrity photography.

The first third of the book is comprised of Herb Ritts' nudes and "unearthly" abstract nudes, most of them photographed in the 1980's. The remaining are photographs in Africa and his famous artist and celebrity portraits. One of my favorite photos is of photographer/sculptor Joel-Peter Witkin with his son, a rather down-to-earth and affectionate portrayal of such a "macabre-oriented" artist.

I was always intimidated by the price of this book, but I knew I had to have it. Luckly, I got a new 1st ed. copy for about thirty-bucks with online auction (I'm sure the seller was hitting himself on the head with it). However, I would've WELL paid $135+ on this as it is one of the most well-bound luxurious photography books I've seen. The book itself is finely printed, and I would definately recommend adding this "essential" to any monograph book collection.

I was mesmorized by this book! Herb Ritts has the ability to not ownly create a beautiful portrait, but to capture I personality of his models. Each photograph tells a fabulous story of fantasy, glamour, and often just everyday life. I would highly recommend this collection. Among my favorite celebrity photos: Johnny Depp on the set of Edward Scissorhands, Jim Carrey dressed as a Mermaid, Tom Cruise on the set of Mission Impossible 2, the tattooed arm of Axle Rose, and a mysterious grin by Roy Lichtenstein. These photos are also large enough (most are at least 8x10) to remove and frame.

I received this book as a gift. I can't tell you how many times at a party or get-together at our home someone has picked this up, and then it has become the topic of conversation. The book gets passed around the entire night because everyone wants to look at it, and once someone starts flipping through the pages they simply can't put it down because they want to look at every image. Several of the photos are of celebrities, but they are somewhat disguised. Example: Cindy Crawford made up as a man. It is fun to do a "double take" as you try to guess who some of the subjects are. As always, Herb Ritts' images are masterpieces. This was a wonderful gift.