I have a lovely book that was graciously lent to me by a dear friend, titled "A Wonderful Time" written by Slim Aarons. He was an American photographer noted for photographing socialites, jet-setters and celebrities. Upon a further search and ending up at Wikipedia, I found the following: "At 18 years old, Aarons enlisted in the U.S. Army, working as a photographer at West Point and later serving as a combat photographer in World War II and earning a Purple Heart. Aarons said that combat had taught him that the only beach worth landing on was "decorated with beautiful, seminude girls tanning in a tranquil sun."
After the war, Aarons moved to California and began photographing celebrities. In California, he shot his most praised photo, Kings of Hollywood, a 1957 New's Year's Eve photograph depicting Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and James Stewart relaxing at a bar in full formal wear. Aaron's work appeared in Life, Town & Country and Holiday magazines.
Aarons never used a stylist, or a makeup artist.Aarons made his career out of what he called "photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places." "I knew everyone," he said in an interview with The (London) Independent in 2002. "They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn't hurt them. I was one of them." Alfred Hitchcock's film, Rear Window, whose main character is a photographer played by Jimmy Stewart, is set in an apartment reputed to be based on Aarons's apartment. He died in 2006, and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts."
Here are just a few of the fantastic photographs from his last book titled "A Wonderful Time."
Do you recognize this handsome young gentleman? You guessed right! Paul Newman.
A well to do man with horses....
When you thumb through the pages, you can almost imagine being there-I know I do! Something in my being just feels so strongly that I somehow should have been a part of that; like I really was there.
Here is a fantastic pic captured of a few Hollywood Icons enjoying a stolen moment:
And this is my very favorite: Robert Frost-
If you ever have a chance to peruse this book, I highly recommend it! It will surely give you respite from the daily grind, even if it is just fleeting.
XOXO Andi
