Irving Penn

Penn using a simple background to bring out the expression of the model.
Example of "wedging" subject into a corner
Another example of the corner background technique. Gives his photographs a different feel.




Irving Penn was an american artist who drew, painted, and photographed. He was famous for his portraiture and photos for fashion magazines. He graduated from the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, where he studied under Alexey Brodovich, in 1938. He worked as a photographer for Vogue fashion magazine for many years, and ended up marrying his favorite model in 1950. He posed his subjects against a simple grey or white background, often creating a bold corner, and "wedging" his subjects inside. Most of his portraits were lit with natural light even though Penn was skilled with the studio flash, he even created a portable studio with a special skylight. Penn died at 92 years old in his Manhattan home on Oct. 7, 2009.