The Roaring Twenties are associated with a new freedom for women – and impeccable style. Twenties fashion is often remembered for its glitz and glamour, with women wearing shorter skirts conveying simple shapes.
Iconic women who defined the 1920s style:
Colleen Moore
Silent film actress Colleen Moore basically invented the bob. Women around the world copied the black block cut that she and a few other early adopting actresses made popular, making her one of the greatest beauty influencers of all time.
Gloria Swanson
Dripping with glamour in her spliced gold dress and bejewelled headband, Gloria Swanson was the picture of 1920s fashion. Never knowingly understated, her extravagant dress sense meant that she was one of the decade’s stand-out style star
Pola Negri
The first European actress to be invited to Hollywood, silent film star Pola was responsible for introducing all sorts of our favourite fashion and beauty trends to popular culture. She loved headgear, put fur boots on the fashion map and even introduced the world to the concept of red painted toenails.
Each of these influential women could give me inspiration on how to style my shoot.
Lighting:
Here is a lighting diagram that I have made as a demonstration to how I may set up the studio to create the 20s look. This diagram includes the subject being stood in front of the camera with a soft box behind. Behind the subject is a hard light strobe. In my research I have found that this set up will create the 1920’s glamor look. Whilst looking on the online store, I have found that there is a range of equipment available which will help me to create high quality images.
In my research I have found how photographer, Eli Dreyfuss uses lighting to create the 20s vintage look. In her blog, Eli explains that she keeps the lighting relatively simple and clean. In her first shot, the key light was placed camera right and shot through the white side of a 5-in-1 reflector, this is something that I could do. Her backlight was placed directly behind the model and was warmed up with a full stop CTO gel. The remaining two lights were acting as fills. This is the image that she achieved.
Final Major Project 