David Bailey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Bailey
|
|
|---|---|
Bailey in 2012
|
|
| Born |
David Royston Bailey
2 January 1938 Leytonstone, Essex, England
|
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Years active | 1959–present |
|
Notable work
|
Box of Pin-ups (1964); Goodbye Baby & Amen: a Saraband for the Sixties (1969); Another Image: Papua New Guinea (1975), David Bailey: Birth of the Cool, 1957-1969 (1999) |
| Spouse(s) |
Rosemary Bramble
(m. 1960; div. 1964)Marie Helvin
(m. 1975; div. 1985)Catherine Dyer
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 3 |
David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is a famous English photographer and director. He is best known for his amazing fashion photos and portraits. He also helped define the look of the "Swinging Sixties" in London. Bailey has also directed many TV commercials and documentaries.
Contents
Early Life and Challenges
David Royston Bailey was born in Leytonstone, England, on January 2, 1938. His father was a tailor's cutter, and his mother was a machinist. From the age of three, he lived in East Ham.
School Days and Discoveries
Bailey loved natural history, which led him to photography. He had dyslexia, which was not diagnosed at the time. This made school difficult for him. He went to a private school, Clark's College, in Ilford. He felt he learned less there than at a regular public school. Besides dyslexia, he also has dyspraxia, a condition that affects motor skills.
He once said he only attended school 33 times in one year. He left school on his fifteenth birthday. His first job was as a copy boy at the Yorkshire Post newspaper in Fleet Street. He had several short-term jobs before joining the Royal Air Force in 1956 for national service. He served in Singapore in 1957. When his trumpet was taken away, he looked for other creative hobbies. That's when he bought his first camera, a Rolleiflex.
Starting a Photography Career
After leaving the Air Force in August 1958, Bailey decided to become a photographer. He bought a Canon camera. He could not get into the London College of Printing because of his school record. Instead, he became an assistant to photographer David Ollins. He earned £3.50 a week and did many small tasks in the studio. He was very happy when he got an interview with the famous photographer John French.
Professional Photography Career
In 1959, Bailey became a photography assistant at John French's studio. In May 1960, he worked as a photographer for John Cole's Studio Five. Later that year, he signed a contract to be a fashion photographer for British Vogue magazine. He also did a lot of freelance work.
The "Black Trinity" and Swinging London
Along with Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy, Bailey helped create the exciting "Swinging London" look of the 1960s. This was a time of new fashion and celebrity culture. These three photographers spent time with actors, musicians, and even royalty. They became celebrities themselves. They were the first true celebrity photographers, and Norman Parkinson called them "the Black Trinity."
In 1966, Bailey directed a short film called G.G. Passion.
The movie Blowup (1966) was directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. It shows the life of a London fashion photographer played by David Hemmings. This character was inspired by David Bailey. Bailey's famous Box of Pin-Ups (1964) showed the "Swinging London" scene perfectly. It was a box of poster-sized prints of 1960s stars. These included Terence Stamp, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Jean Shrimpton, P. J. Proby, Cecil Beaton, Rudolf Nureyev, and East End figures, the Kray twins. The Box was a unique product. It showed how important photographers had become. Other photographers, like Lord Snowdon, strongly objected to the Krays being included. This was why no American version of the "Box" was released, and a second British edition was not made. A copy of 'Box of Pin-Ups' has sold for over £20,000.
Working at Vogue
At Vogue, Bailey was shooting magazine covers within months. At his busiest, he photographed 800 pages of Vogue content in one year. Penelope Tree, a former girlfriend, described him as "the king lion on the Savannah." She said he was "incredibly attractive, with a dangerous vibe." She added, "He was the electricity, the brightest, most powerful, most talented, most energetic force at the magazine."
Grace Coddington, who was a model then and later became American Vogue's creative director, said, "It was the Sixties, it was a raving time, and Bailey was unbelievably good-looking." She added, "He was everything that you wanted him to be – like the Beatles but easy to meet." Many models wanted to work with him, but he quickly started working with Jean Shrimpton.
Bailey said about model Jean Shrimpton:
She was magic and the camera loved her too. In a way she was the cheapest model in the world – you only needed to shoot half a roll of film and then you had it. She had the knack of having her hand in the right place, she knew where the light was, she was just a natural.
Photography for Musicians
In 1970, Island Records' Chris Blackwell hired Bailey. He took publicity photos of Cat Stevens for his album Tea for the Tillerman. Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, did not like having his photo on album covers. However, he allowed Bailey's photos to be placed inside the album sleeve. Bailey also photographed album covers for other musicians, including The Rolling Stones and Marianne Faithfull.
In 1972, rock singer Alice Cooper was photographed by Bailey for Vogue magazine. Cooper later hired Bailey in 1973 to shoot photos for the group's popular Billion Dollar Babies album. The photoshoot included a baby wearing striking eye makeup. It also supposedly had one billion dollars in cash, which needed armed guards during the shoot.
In 1985, Bailey photographed stars at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium. He later remembered, "The atmosphere on the day was great."
Directing Films and Documentaries
Bailey directed and produced TV documentaries. These included Beaton (1971) about Cecil Beaton, Visconti (1972) about Luchino Visconti, and Warhol (1973) about Andy Warhol.
In 1992, Bailey directed the BBC drama Who Dealt? starring Juliet Stevenson. In 1995, he directed and wrote the film The Lady is a ... which featured his wife, Catherine Bailey. In 1998, he directed a documentary called Models Close Up for Channel 4 Television.
In 2012, the BBC made a film about his 1962 New York photoshoot with Jean Shrimpton. It was called We'll Take Manhattan, and Aneurin Barnard played Bailey.
Recent Work
In October 2013, Bailey participated in Art Wars at the Saatchi Gallery. He was given a stormtrooper helmet, which he turned into a piece of art. The money raised went to the Missing Tom Fund. This fund was set up to find Ben Moore's brother, Tom, who has been missing for over ten years.
In October 2020, Bailey's memoir Look Again was published. He wrote it with author James Fox. It reviews his life and work.
Fashion Photography
Bailey started working with the fashion brand Jaeger in the late 1950s. This was when Jean Muir became their designer. After working with other photographers like Norman Parkinson, Bailey was officially hired by Vogue in 1962.
Iconic Shoots
His first photoshoot in New York City featured young model Jean Shrimpton. She wore clothes from Jaeger and Susan Small. These included a camel suit with a green blouse and a suede coat with kitten heels. The photoshoot was called 'Young Idea Goes West'.
After 53 years, Bailey returned to Jaeger to shoot their Autumn/Winter 2015 campaign. James Penfold modeled tailored tweed blazers and a camel coat for the menswear section. Also on the shoot were model and film director Elisa Sednaoui and Martin Gardner, who was named GQ magazine's most stylish male in 2003.
.jpg)
Awards and Recognition
- 2001: He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours.
- 2005: He received the Centenary Medal and became an Honorary Fellow (HonFRPS) of the Royal Photographic Society.
- 2016: He received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Infinity Awards from the International Center of Photography in New York.
Personal Life
Bailey married Rosemary Bramble in 1960. In 1965, he married actress Catherine Deneuve. They had three children: Paloma, Fenton, and Sascha. They divorced in 1972. In 1975, Bailey married American fashion model and writer Marie Helvin. After their divorce, he married model Catherine Dyer in 1986.
Bailey's company is in London. His wife and their son, Fenton Fox Bailey, who is also a photographer, are directors. The family also has a home on Dartmoor, near Plymouth.
Bailey was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2018.
Images for kids
-
Bailey in 2012
-
One of Bailey's images of London figures Ronnie and Reggie Kray
-
Bailey in 2011
See also
In Spanish: David Bailey para niños
