Lee Miller American Photographer and Photojournalist

Man Ray,  Lee Miller, 1930 circa© Man Ray 2015 Trust

Elizabeth “Lee” Miller born in New York U.S on 23rd April 1907 and died in East Sussex England on 21st July 1977.

Lee Miller – one of the most remarkable artists of our generation. A celebrated photographer, respected member of the Surrealist art movement, war correspondent, model and gourmet chef.

In 1926 at the age of 19 Lee left home and began a modelling career in New York. After a chance meeting with publishing magnate Condé Nast she was hired to model for Vogue where she featured on the cover of both British and American Vogue editions in 1927.

Looking to diversify and change direction, Lee had learnt about photography from her father who was a passionate photographer. Lee’s moto ‘I’d rather take a picture then be a picture’

Lee left New York for Paris where she sought out the American photographer and surrealist artist Man Ray whom she lived with for three years as his lover and muse. He taught her photography, and in 1929 they developed and worked on solarisation - a technique that reversed the negative and positive parts of a photo and produced halo like outlines that enhanced the lights and darks. Man Ray created some of his most recognised works while he was involved with and collaborating with Miller, including Observatory Time the Lovers which features Miller’s lips.

Original Title - A l'Heure de l'observatoire: Les amoureux 1936 which features Miller’s lips by Man Ray

By 1943 Miller had become an accredited war correspondent for Vogue, and the following year she teamed up with Life photojournalist David E. Scherman. Together they followed the 83rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army as it advanced on the front lines. Miller became the first female photojournalist to do so.

Lee Miller with children 1944 © David E Scherman—The LIFE Picture Collection

Picasso and Édouard Pignon in his studio photographed by Lee Miller in
La Fournas, France 1953

After returning to Britain from central Europe, Lee suffered severe depression which her son Anthony Penrose believes was due to post traumatic stress disorder. Anthony published her biography, The Lives of Lee Miller, and described her alcoholism as well as her self-recovery from alcohol abuse.

While Lee continued to do the occasional photo shoot for Vogue, she soon discarded the darkroom for the kitchen, becoming a gourmet cook. According to her housekeeper Patsy, she specialised in "historical food" like roast suckling pig.

Lee Miller died of lung cancer at Farley Farm House in 1977, aged 70. She was cremated and her ashes were spread through her herb garden at Farley House, Chiddingly, East Sussex.

A film about Lee Miller’s life featuring Kate Winslet as Lee was released earlier this year. Based on the book by her son Anthony Penrose The Lives of Lee Miller.

Well worth reading and watching to learn more about this remarkable woman – Lee Miller.

Find out more about Man Ray and Lee Miller’s fascinating relationship here

Next month I’ll be featuring the work of photographer Diane Arbus 1923 -1971 . An American photographer who photographed a wide range of subjects including strippers, carnival performers, nudists, people with dwarfism, children, mothers, couples, elderly people, and middle class families.

Thank you for reading

Stella

Christina Broom Pioneering Press Photographer

Christina Bloom taken by her daughter Winifred prior to the funeral of King Edward VII, May 1910

Christina Broom 28 December 1862 - 5 June 1939

The first female press photographer in the UK has recently been commemorated with a blue plaque, honouring her work as a ‘‘trailblazer“. She worked at the forefront of photography at a time when it was not the accessible medium that it is now.

Broom is described by the organisation as the most prolific female publisher of picture postcards in Britain – a prominent photographer of the suffragette movement and the only female photographer allowed into London barracks and the only photographer permitted regularly into the Royal Mews. Her plaque at 92 Munster Road where she lived and worked for 26 years will be the first blue plaque in Fulham, London.

The ‘Bermondsey B’hoys’ from the 2nd Grenadier Guards appear at ease for this informal photograph taken inside their base at Wellington Barracks sometime during 1914 or 1915

She set up a stall in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace selling postcards of photographs that she had taken. She maintained this stall from 1904 until 1930. Her ability to capture spontaneous moments with accuracy and skill were her forte.

Broom was a self taught photographer starting with a box camera. Needing a source of income she used this new skill to support her family after her husband Albert’s ironmongery business failed.

When the family moved to Burnfoot Avenue, Fulham she used the coal cellar as her dark room. She was assisted by Winifred her daughter, who had left school to assist her. Albert wrote the captions for the postcards in his neat script. The postcards sold well and in one night-time session Broom printed and sold 1,000 postcards that were collectable and sought after. Albert died in 1912 and Christina and Winifred moved to Munster Road, Fulham.

Suffragette in costume 1909

In 36 years of work Broom took 40,000 images altogether. Winifred was instrumental in safeguarding her mother’s negatives by having them housed in public institutions.

Broom had opted for a half-plate camera, which required a tripod. This was either a Thornton Pickard or a Sanderson. The lens would have had stops of around F5.6 or F.8 to F.64 and shutter speeds around a 15th to 1 second. This slow shutter speed explains why there is often blurred faces and movement in her photographs because her subjects weren’t still long enough.

Photographic plates preceded photographic film as a capture medium in photography. The light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts was coated on a glass plate, typically thinner than common window glass. They were heavily used in the late 19th century and declined through the 20th

Captain Greer of the 1st Irish Guards and his machine gun team just prior to leaving for the war. They were all killed in battle soon afterwards taken around 1914-1915.

Nurses and midwives marching to the Albert Hall, Pageant of Women’s Trades and Professions, 27 April 1909

I hope you have found this story as fascinating as I have. Broom’s exceptional work has stood the test of time documenting events for posterity.

Next month I will be featuring the work of photographer Lee Miller 1907 - 1977 – an American photographer and photojournalist. Miller was a fashion model in New York City in the 1920s before going to Paris, becoming a fashion and fine-art photographer there.

Thanks for reading

Stella

London Concours 2024

On Wednesday 5th June 2024 I attended the London Concours – a luxurious three-day automotive garden party. This hugely exciting automobile extravaganza showcases 80 of the world’s most precious cars gathered in the gardens of the historic and beautiful Honourable Artillery Company Headquarters in the heart of the City.

The day I went along paid homage to one of the greatest and most enduring icons of automotive design – the Jaguar E-type.

This automobile has stood the test of time, with all the evolutions and variants on display that have become synonymous with elegance, class and sophistication. It was designed with purpose and reliability. It still turns heads whenever you see one on the road or at an event such as this. Selected owners were invited to feature their pride and joy for all to admire.

This link takes you to all the Winners of the three-day event at London Concours 2024.

If you would like to attend next year’s three day event be sure to put this in your diary 3 - 5 June 2025.

In the meantime I’m going to let the following photographs from the day do the talking.

Thanks!

Stella

Photography Mentorships - Ready for your first step?

Take a leap of faith.

WHERE DO YOU START

The first step is always the most daunting when you are thinking about venturing in a new direction. Such as developing a business idea, moving home, changing jobs, or wherever your intuition is pulling you.

So often there are words of doubt swirling in your mind…’ what if I fail’ … ‘It’s going to be too hard’… ‘I might regret it’…etc …etc…

It’s all negative self-talk that won’t get you anywhere. It only holds you back, just like in the photograph above – this piece of urban art was positioned on the rooftop of an art gallery in the South of France, and the treetop one below struck a heavy chord with me.

It made me realise it’s very easy to lie back – perhaps very uncomfortably and wait for all your desires and wishes to come to you… it doesn’t work like that, you have to take a leap of faith – otherwise, nothing will ever change. Believe me, I’m speaking from experience…

It’s easy to lie back and wait…

IS THIS FOR YOU?

Are you a photographer who is:

• Wanting to start your own business?

• Struggling to keep up a pipeline of business?

• Looking for a change of direction?

• Looking for creative inspiration?

• Working on a qualification or competition?

  OR

• A student embarking on a photography career?

• Looking for network links?

• Looking for guidance on the most suitable equipment for your style?

Then my service is for you.

MAKING IT HAPPEN

I always wanted to run my own business ever since I started selling eggs from our garden chickens to neighbours as a child. My dream was to open a portrait photography studio.

In my early teens I worked as a Saturday girl at the local portrait and wedding studio and became an apprentice in their commercial department at the age of 17 enrolling on a three-year day release course back in 1977 when cameras had a film inside the body and were processed in darkrooms, not Lightroom.

Fast forward 20 years and three children later I was catapulted into adversity and took a leap of faith to provide for myself and my children by realizing my dream. I was completely outside my comfort zone and knew it was now or never. I didn’t want to be on my deathbed regretting having never accomplished what I wanted to achieve – financial independence being my goal through my passion for photography.

MENTORSHIPS

If any of the above resonates with you and you would like my professional one-to-one attention this mentorship program will help you flourish.

This includes:

• Creating a clear understanding of your goals

• Overcoming your fears

• A plan of action

• Networking

• Technology

• Marketing

• People skills

• Managing money

• Connecting with other industry experts

Pricing starts from just £60 with your choice from the below.

Either face-to-face or via Zoom – One to One focused on your specific needs and direction.

1. Half hour online taster session - £60

2. Three hour class to gain clarity and direction - £375

3. Six hour class to work on your specific needs - £695

4. Eight week intensive mentoring with a 60 minute online session once a week - £125 per week

5. Full Day mentoring at my studio in Oxted Surrey working closely with me - £1200

   For more comprehensive options and further details please refer to my Photography Mentoring page

LOOKING BACK

February 2024 marks 27 years since I opened the doors to my high street studio SMS Creative Photography – now called ‘Stella’. I didn’t have the confidence back then to have my name above the door – so I used my initials Stella Marina Scordellis – the Creative part was to emphasise I wanted to be different from other high street photographers of the time, who were more conservative and traditional in their style. I introduced a more informal and relaxed approach to portrait photography where children were encouraged to be more natural and candid either in the studio or in their homes & gardens.

Please feel free to email me, Stella – or call/message on 0777 181 0105 for a brief chat about your direction and how we can make your photography business a success.

Thanks

Stella

Festive Greetings

Taken from a footpath looking towards the driveway at Southlands in Tandridge – the perfect place to work and live from.

As the year comes to a close I always stop for a moment to reflect on the past 12 months and what it means to me.

At the top of my list is gratitude to my customers for allowing me to photograph them, their families, the things they love, and their marketing needs. Without you, I would not have my business that has been up and running since 1997.

It’s with the support and input from the other people I work with – the fine art and photographic printers, post-production and IT experts, bookbinders, designers, accountants, and the Association of Photographers who collectively help me keep all the behind-the-scenes part of my business running smoothly.

A very big festive THANK YOU!

Wishing you all a fun time and happy Christmas and a prosperous and healthy 2024.

Looking forward to doing more of what I love for years to come.. thank you very much.

Stella X

S4K International Films at Southlands in Tandridge, Oxted

Southlands a beautiful Grade II listed building nestled in eight acres of grounds with far reaching views

Let me tell you more about where I’m based... it’s a place called Southlands – a beautiful Grade II listed building in the Surrey countryside. It’s nestled in eight acres of stunning grounds surrounded by woodlands and fields and dates back to 1827. The far reaching views from my first-floor apartment are captivating with views overlooking the Weald.

This gives me the perfect tranquil working environment and location for photoshoots. I feel inspired every single day. With this in mind, Southlands will soon be available to others to hire for commercial photographic shoots and filming too.

Last week a local theatrical company called Shakespeare 4 Kidz - S4K International asked permission to film a pilot for a new film they are producing called ‘Side-by-side by Shakespeare’ – shooting a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream – our neighbouring woodland proving to be ideal to set the scene.

So here begins our Southlands Production journey, to offer our grounds for commercial films, period dramas, commercials and photoshoots.

Read on to learn more about S4K International and our day with Titania and Oberon …

The Shakespeare 4 Kidz project started in the mid-nineties when friends Julian Chenery and Matt Gimblett combined to create musical theatre adaptations of Shakespeare’s classic stories to be performed as school shows. Since then the company has expanded into publishing, education and theatre production - with their shows being performed by professional adult casts in theatres all over the country. The shows have also been performed by schools in every English-speaking country in the world.

S4K International’s “Side-by-side…” project is a series of short films that directly compare the Shakespeare 4 Kidz easy-to-understand/accessible musical versions of a scene with the original text one. Both scenes are identical: same scene, same actors, same shots, same edits, same music. The idea is to make them available literally side-by-side.

Set up and ready for a day filming

The famous scene from the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the audience’s first introduction to Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of Fairyland, and finds them in a heated argument over the custody of a young orphaned prince from India. Oberon wants him to join his gang but Titania has made a vow to the boy’s mother that she would bring him up and protect him. Their argument has disrupted the climate and the seasons of the mortal world.

The actors were Andrew Troy (Oberon) and Thea Jo Wolfe (Titania). Directed by Olivia Chenery.

The Indian Prince, the subject of the King and Queen of Fairyland’s nature-disrupting argument, is a young actor called Kenneth from the Helen O’Grady Academy in Coulsdon.

The series is produced by Carolyn and Julian Chenery for S4K International and the first two episodes will be launched in the autumn of 2023. Film production is by Chris Grierson and Alex Carter of The Sheriff of London.

Makeup by Helena Sergeant. Lunch made by The Limpsfield Cookery School. Costumes by Prangsta Costumiers.

For more information on S4K’s work visit S4Kinternational.com and Shakespeare4Kidz.com - or search ‘S4K International’ across social media channels.

Oberon and Titanian resting between scenes and adjusting headress by Carolyn Chenery left and Helena Sergeant right.

Titania and Oberon during filming

A heavy headress needs adjusting by Helena

Matt Gimblett left and Julian Chehery right, the founders of Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

Behind the scenes

A moment of reflection for Titania.

An important part of any day’s filming is having the right food and enough of it. My apartment was used for dressing, dining and refreshments.

The Indian Prince played by Kenneth

The Indian Prince and Titania

An exchange of stares and words from Oberon and Titania.

A very productive and successful day was had by all. Thank you to Barry our neighbour for being so accommodating with the use of his wonderful woodland and driveway.

To find out more about Southlands Production email me here.

Thank you

Stella