Ritz: The Master Who Shapes Icons for the World

Author: Di Yuancang (Editor) / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-06-01
Features: In the mid-1980s, a young photographer skilled in capturing celebrities emerged in Hollywood, the United States. His name was Herb Ritts, who was just turning 30. The celebrity portraits Ritts took were vastly different from traditional styles. The female celebrities in his lens were often only lightly made up, while the male celebrities not only didn’t wear makeup but some didn’t even shave. Ritts excelled at uncovering the natural beauty of celebrities and vividly portraying it in his images, giving them a fresh and natural look. In his nudes, the tonal treatment featured strong black-and-white contrast while maintaining rich layers, especially on the bodies of Black individuals, where a glossy and moisturizing sheen shone, achieving a striking and pleasing effect. This demonstrated Ritts’ exceptional skills in darkroom film development and photo enlargement, which perfectly complemented his photographic art.