Helmut Newton once said, "Some people`s photography is an art. Mine is not. If they happen to be exhibited in a gallery or a museum, that`s fine. But that`s not why I do them. I`m a gun for hire." To many people, Helmut Newton is the father of fashion photographer. He was there at the beginning, and it's his images that helped shape the way many of the people that followed.
Born Helmut Neustädter, in Berlin, shortly after the First World War, to an American mother and a Jewish Father, Helmut spent his early years living in an increasingly oppressive time. After being issued with a passport at the age of 18, he left for Singapore, where he began his career as a portrait photographer. During his time in Singapore, he was interned by the British authorities and taken to Australia. He gained Australian citizenship following the end of the war, and subsequently changed his name to "Newton".
Newton established his own studio. where he worked on fashion and theatre photography. This established a reputation, which resulted in a commission from British Vogue for an Australian feature in the magazine. In 1957, he left for Britain, having won himself a 12 month contract with Vogue. Before completing his contract, Newton moved to Paris where carried on working as a fashion photographer, shooting for a variety of magazines, most notably, French Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
