A Hired Gun
Join us for A Hired Gun: Commercial Photography and Artistic Practice, an evening of talks with fashion industry professionals.

This event is sold out.

During Helmut Newton - A Retrospective, Foam is organizing this evening on contemporary professional practice. The core of Helmut Newton's work lies in his commercial work, the work he did for magazines and commercial clients. He called himself 'a hired gun.'

At the same time, even with commissioned projects, he was able to produce work according to his own vision. He navigated between free and commissioned work with apparent ease, blurring the line between genres such as portrait photography, fashion photography and nude photography.

Wolford, Monaco, 1995 ©  Helmut Newton Estate / Maconochie Photography

Is the way Newton developed his professional practice an exception or are photographers relatively free to bring their own creative ideas to the table? How should a commercial photographer approach his ambitions for an independent practice?

And how can a young photographer find the appropriate balance between commissioned and free work? How much freedom is there? What is the relationship between the client and the photographer today? And what is the role of photo editors and agencies - agencies that represent the photographer, but also agencies that protect the interests of models.

Throughout the programme of A Hired Gun: Commercial Photography and Artistic Practice fashion industry professionals will discuss the above questions with ample attention to image.

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
The roundtable discussion will be overseen by Marcel Feil and feature the following people:

- Rachid Naas (producer and visual consultant)
- Martien Mellema (creative director Vogue NL)
- Wendelien Daan (fashion photographer) 

Marcel Feil will also interview fashion photographer Carlijn Jacobs about her experiences in this field.

The exhibition is organised in close collaboration with the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin.

Helmut Newton – A Retrospective is made possible with the support of Main Sponsor Wolford, Lead Benefactor Fonds 21 and Project Partners Spaces and VSBfonds.

Foam is supported by the BankGiro Loterij, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, City of Amsterdam, Delta Lloyd, Olympus and the VandenEnde Foundation.

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A Hired Gun