ASSISTING AVEDON

This blog is about a book that is nearing completion. As I finish portions I am posting a few of them here so readers can follow my progress and correct me when I go astray.

My name is Earl Steinbicker and I have a story to tell about Richard Avedon (1923-2004), one of the Twentieth Century's most creative and perhaps best known photographers, as his creativity matured during the 1950s and 1960s. It was my good fortune to have assisted him during this period.  

My planned outline for the book Assisting Avedon is:

• Introduction
  
• Prologue — a brief account of Avedon’s early life and his development as a photographer.
  
• Part I — 1952 through 1956. Anecdotes, personalities, stories behind the photos.
  
• Interlude — What happened at the Avedon studio while I was away in the Army.
  
• Part II — 1959 through 1965. More stories behind the photos.
  
• Epilogue — a short summary of what happened after I left.
  
• The Avedon Paradox — Who and What he was, and how he operated.
• Darkness and Light — the 90-minute PBS special about Avedon.
• A walking tour of Avedon's Manhattan, with a map.
• Appendix — Technical information, personnel, studios, cameras, techniques, etc. Followed by an essay On Being An Assistant Photographer, and ending with Lists! Lists! Lists!, alphabetical listings of celebrities he photographed, locations he used, media he worked for, products he advertised, and more. 
  
• Index 
  

I hope that doing it this way will goad me on to completion, and will allow your kind comments to influence my work. 

Postings of a few selected sample chapters will be made as they near completion, not in sequential order. They will later be assembled into book form along with other material. Since this is a blog, the latest postings always go to the top, right under this Introduction. As more are added, the earlier ones go into the archives, but you can always access them through the Categories list in the left column.

More material about Avedon, Travel, Photography, and much more can be seen on my personal blog, www.lifeslittleadventures.typepad.com.

Thank you.

Comments

[Gwen Willis]

Dear sir,
I find your website very interesing. I found a piece of original oil painting at an estate sale this morning. The title on the back of the canvas said,"Moret sur Loing", so I looked it up and your website came up. Should I buy this painting? The cost is 150.00.
thank you,
Gwen Willis, Lafayette, Louisiana

[Lyndon Smith]

This blog is a treasure for the many Avedon fans out there. No more speculation - we can learn from someone who was actually there.

Thank you for this wonderful resource! I am looking forward to future posts.