"Creatives" As Models
There were times, in front of the camera!
When a job required a model, at times the choice was someone in the graphic arts field who fit the need. Photographers might suggest using an artist, copywriter…maybe someone in an advertising agency that would be right for the shoot.
Not usually in front of a camera…the subject of a self-promo…would usually choose a photographer that they knew from previous collaborative assignments.
Self-Promo
1A & 1B- These two promo pieces for Bruce Butte (art director / illustrator), Lowell Herrero (humorous illustrator / painter) and Bill Hyde (lettering artist / designer) were photographed by Jack Allen (It may have been in Milton Halberstadt’s studio, Hal’ worked closely with BH&H on many local and national assignments.)
This (unedited) from Jack:
My God, I haven't seen that series I did for "the boys" in a long long time. I think it was some time near 1960-2 or so. I had used Herrero for a full-page color newspaper ad for S&W foods that won a gold award in the New York advertising show.
When I switched from art director to photographer I was still itching with creative juice and offered to do a mailer for the boys.
I came up with the "send the boys to camp" concept and they bought into the idea. We set up the shot and Bill Hyde showed up with a broken leg. The idea still worked so we went ahead. I can't remember where we rounded up all the props like the wig and dresses but we did. I think we rented them. Bill Hyde did the lettering and the mailing did quite well.
There was no charge on my part as I was hungry to see my ideas surface. The same thing was true of all the geezers in those days. We loved what we were doing and were quite selfless.
I hope this works for you. Edit all you want....Jack
And:
Ann, I hate to say it but I can't remember if it was taken in Ken Bess Studio or the garage studio I had in San Mateo at that time. All I can remember is laughing at Herrero and his dress plus the mustache.
If it was in Hal's Studio my memory is even more shot than I thought. So much stuff has gone over that dam. It wouldn't hurt a bit to credit Hal's studio since so much is owed to Hal. Jack
2 Dick Moore said that he set the camera with tripod on Scott Street and asked a friend to take the picture. Not happy with heights…someone held the back of Dick’s belt as he perched on the window ledge. (No Photoshop in those days.)
3 Wally Sommers as Superman !…Here, Jack Allen was the photographer. (This original poster is not available, so apologies to Jack Allen for the poor quality of this image…this was scanned from a 5” high image in the ADASF 17th Annual of 1966.)
4 Jane Kristiansen’s self-promo was sheet music (with lyrics by artist, Harriet Hunter). It was displayed in the annual ADASF show and publication of 1967. The back showed old photos and credited everyone who contributed their talents for Jane’s self-promo.
In-House
5 Alice Harth always looked “dressed for a photo”. So there at Sunset magazine…(where she was the magazine’s food illustrator) when food was prepared and the décor was perfect, she posed (at right) as a guest.
6 Dick Cheney, who was creative director at Sunset, was also pulled into a party photo.
Direct-Mail
7A & 7B When Jack Allen (art director / photographer) handed over his presidency of the Art Directors and Artist Club of San Francisco to Gig Gonella (art director)…Craig Simpson took the photos for this two-sided poster. The top of the first photo was used again as a self-mailer inviting ADASF members to a surprise party for Jack, reading: “Come to the (sob) Jack Allen (choke) Surprise (sob) Farewell Party (tears) …”
8 In an earlier year, Louis Shawl was president of ADASF. His face was duplicated as a rubber stamp in a likeness of George Washington. This direct-mail piece won “The San Francisco Medal” in the club’s Sixteenth Annual Exhibition of Advertising and Editorial Art.
Publication Ads
9 Roy Gover (art director, layout artist and fine art painter) often modeled...these two ads appeared in ADASF annuals of 1963 and 1964.
10 Bill Hyde, known nationally for his lettering styles, modeled for this Chevron / Standard ad that ran in Life Magazine.
I don’t have the original page, this is a partial scan of the ad because Life Magazine was larger than the scanning area on the Xerox.
11 Max Landphere. “Landphere’s” was one of the largest advertising art and photography studios in San Francisco.
Here, Max models as a Matson passenger (“Breakfast at Bora Bora”) on one of the many Matson Line’s regular voyages.
Brochure
12 Sam Coombs (agency partner, copywriter) posed for a brochure, “Total Insurance”. He is at the right. I asked Samm about this shot and Samm said:
That suit, face, haircut of mine was circa '62/'63 which means it was when I was briefly with Kennedy-Hannaford after Bob Dolman joined the agency and opened a SF office (HQ was Oakland). Don't know who wrote that brochure, but I didn't.
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