Looking at Parks…

While I was in London last week I visited the National Theatre to have a look at the Norman Parkinson retrospective celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth. For those of you who don’t know, Parks, as he was affectionately known, was responsible for a change of attitude towards fashion photography; he was first to use exotic locations and quirky poses for his fashion shoots from 1946 and which he continued to use until his death.

The exhibition features around 100 of his most iconic fashion images for Vogue, Harpers and many others, celebrity portraits of, Audrey Hepburn and Ava Gardner (left most image above) and the British Royal Family.

Very well worth an hour of your time. The exhibition runs until 12 May 2013 and is FREE to visit daily between 09:30 and 23:00.

If you’re seriously into Parks’s work then you could also go to Chris Beetles Fine Art Photography Gallery, also in London, where a second exhibition “A Centenary Celebration” will run from 9 April to 2 May.

The image above is by me and taken during my visit. I love the pose of the lady on the right - so very Parks!