The Style of Philip Halsman's Works

The turning point as a portrait photographer began at 1936. In the process of shooting for andre gide, a French writer whom he admired, he finally strengthened his shooting concept. Revealing the inner world of the characters has become the core idea of Halsman, and runs through it.

Later, because of the war, Halsman came to new york in 1940 with his invented camera, 12 photos and little money, and was completely unknown. However, for more than 40 years after new york, a powerful driving force has been pushing him forward-shooting American and European cultural celebrities, including the cover figures of1kloc-0/Life magazine, being elected as the first president of the American Magazine Photographers Association, publishing, giving speeches and professors, and winning numerous awards. In the end, Halsman, who was never known, became a household name.

Reading Halsman's photos, you can really understand this point: life, death and resurrection are the heartbeat of the world, which is uninterrupted, infinite and audible, all under the surface. As he described his theme in 1972, Albert Einstein said in his book Vision and Insight:

"If a portrait can't reflect the character's deep heart, it's not a real portrait, just an empty portrait. Therefore, the main goal of my portrait is neither composition nor the mercy of light, not to express the theme in front of a meaningful background, nor to create a new visual image. All these elements can make an empty photo a visually interesting image, but to become a portrait photo, we must grasp the essence of the characters. ..... This is the main goal and difficult point in portrait photography. Photographers explore the deepest part of their hearts, and the lens can only see the surface ... "