Hide Article Text (OCR)
(Register Phot By CATHY LAWHON)ROBERT RANDALLSELECTSSTUDENTWORK FOR UCI OPEN HOUSE EXHIBITha Says He Feels Lucky To FindOneOrTwoReallyTalentedStudents In A ClassPhotographer’s Job A Snap‘Beach Bum ’ Teacher Former Shutterbug ToStars \/By CATHY LAWHON Register Staff Writer Robert Randall is adept at bringing out qualities in people they never knew they possessed.As a photographer, he develops a rapport with his models making them feel more beautiful, glamorous and desirable than they already are.As a teacher, he is an exacting taskmaster demanding the best his photography students can possibly give.And in his own life, he built a successful career in fashion and advertising photography on the strength of one high school photography class.The Laguna Beach resident, whose photos have appeared in such magazines as Glamour, House and Garden, Harpers Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Look, began his career as a lab technician at MGM at the age of 18.“I was interested in photography as a child,” Randall recalls, “and I learned a lot at MGM. I worked on publicity stills for makeup and wardrobe and I put in a lot of overtime rinsing, drying and sorting prints.“It wasn’t until much later that I shot any stars. . .people like Van Johnson, Keenan Wynn, Janet Leigh and Judy Garland. But I used to sneak out and watch the stars on the set and that was exciting.”He was on the scene when they “burned Atlanta” for “Gone With The Wind.”When World War II broke out, Randall joined the navy and was assigned as a combat photographer in the South Pacific.Later, he was transferred to Washington D.C. and director John Ford’s Office of Strategic Services unit where he learned a little about espionage.“That really wasn’t my thing,” Randall admits. “They would drop us off in the middle of nowhere to shoot things (with a camera) and we didn’t even know what we were taking apicture of.”Before he was through, he had taken pictures of civilian railroad ties, water mains and made training movies for spies.At the end of the war, a troop shiptook Randall to Paris. He spoke no French, and he had never taken a fashion photo in his life, but that didn’t stop him from landing a job with Paris Vogue.It was somewhat the case of being in the right place at the right time, Randall said. “The editor had lost two sons in the resistance and I think he had a soft spot for a young man alone in the city.”But Randall also had the talent, a commodity he says is a must in the competitive field of fashion photography.“I had been wandering around the back streets of Paris,” he said, “to places where most tourists wouldn’t go, taking pictures of interesting local people. And they caught the editor’s eye.”In a kind of baptism by fire, Randall’s first assignment for Vogue was with Bettina, a celebrated model of the day who was the lover of Aly Kahn. But Randall says it’s not because the editors had any great respect for his talent.. .yet. It’s just that Bettina was the only model who spoke English.After seven years in Paris (aided by extensive French lessons) Randall returned to New York to enter the world of advertising photography for Lord and Taylor, Neiman-Marcus, Dupont, the Wool Bureau and designer Geoffrey Beene.He has photographed some of the most beautiful women in the world — many of them before they were famous — such as Jane Fonda, Ali McGraw, Lynda Day George and Brigitte Bardot, but his favorite model was Lauren Hutton because she is “beautiful, intelligent and easy to wortc with.”Of course, most models are beautiful. Add to that the prospect of worldwide travel, expense account dinners on the town and luxury hotel accommodations, and it’s no wonder the world of fashion photography is analluring one for shutterbugs.•Start as an assistant to learn the business, Randall advises. It’s not all glamour. The agent takes 25 percent of the salary, but Randall often sees his students eyes blinded to therealities by the potential glitter. Photography is hard work, he says.“I try to teach them to put personality in a photograph,” he said of his students at UCI and Orange Coast College. “Anyone can do the technical part. It’s all so automatic today.“You have to use imagination to turn a photograph into a picture. You could take a picture of the back of Telly Savalas’ head. That would show imagination and you would still be able to tell it was Telly Savalas.”Randall’s tools of the trade are his creative instincts and a good camera with a normal 50 millimeter lens. He doesn’t hold with many of the new fads and gadgets; he rarely uses flash attachments, preferring one source of soft and indirect lighting.“I can always tell the amateurs when they come in with all sorts of equipment and immediately start asking me about filters,’ he says.A student can expect to come out of Randall’s class knowing what makes an exciting, challenging photo, concepts of good exposure and tight design and composition.The photographer, who describes himself now as somewhat of a beach bum, is putting his leisure time to use taking photos for a book on the people of Laguna Beach.Some of his shots, and those of his best students will be featured duringan open house at UCI Saturday, April 21, on the main floor of the Administration Building. Duration of the exhibit will be April 16 through April 30.Life TodayVIDA DEAN. EDITOR€ht RegisterMon., April 9, 1979 D1
Newspaper Details
Santa Ana Orange County Register
Santa Ana, California, US
Mon, Apr 09, 1979
Page 68
Full Page
Clipped by
Muzilon W.
USA 05 Aug 2018
Other Publications Near Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana Pacific Weekly Blade
Santa Ana Excelsior
Santa Ana News
Santa Ana Evening Blade
Santa Ana Orange County Register Evening
