Weegee Meets Vampira!

September 7, 2014
magazine

IMG_7448-2
1952

“PEOPLE IN PHOTOGRAPHY
WEEGEE AT WORK
THE PHOTOGRAPHING MAESTRO HIMSELF (OR SELVES) AND MODEL
The man who achieved fame by photographing the stark realism of New York City’s seamy night life, has now gone as far astray from reality as a cameraman can get. Weegee (real name Asher Fellig, nickname because he’s always insisted he’s as psychic as a ouija board) is now devoting all his time to his new invention. He calls it a “subconscious” or “elastic” lens. Top secret, specially ground, and vest-pocket size, it distorts reality in any direction Weegee happens to like at the moment…”

IMG_7486-2
Weegee, Naked Hollywood, “Stunt girl”

We read (on boing boing) that there is a new book about Vampira by W. Scott Poole. (We haven’t read it yet.)

A few links:
Very good article.
Publisher’s website.
Peter Gowland website with photo of Vampira and Weegee: “famous news photographer Weegee with actress Vampira (Maila Nurmi) 1952.”
Vampira Tumblr
Radio show

(To be continued…)

(Thank you Caroline.)

Voyeur…

September 4, 2014
book

IMG_7434-0.JPG

IMG_7436-0.JPG

IMG_7438.JPG
Voyeur, Harper Collins, 1999

(150 line tritone with spot varnish – quarkxpress)

Weegee’s contribution to a not great book.

(This is our second iTelephone only post.)

“These Are the Wonders of the Fair” – 74 years ago today…

August 28, 2014
1940, PM

pm_1940_08_28_14-15

pm_1940_08_28_16-17

pm_1940_08_28_18-19

pm_1940_08_28_20-21
PM, August 28, 1940
Photos by Margaret Bourke-White

pm_1940_08_28_18-19-4
“Free Phone Calls: 10,657,406 Have Eavesdropped”
“In the glass booths at left and right are two of the 48,000 persons who have made free long-distance calls from the Bell Telephone exhibit. Lights on the wall map trace call: New York to Los Angeles. And 250 persons down front are listening in on every word. Visitors draw for lucky numbers. Winners may talk three minutes to any place in the U.S.A. Twenty of each days call’s 160 calls, on the average, go to California.”