HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Today I’m spotlighting the wildly inventive photographer (and fellow Phil) Philippe Halsman (1906-1979) who’s known for his surrealistic and playful portraits.  He’s most famous photographing celebrities for Life Magazine, including his iconic portrait of Salvador Dali that manages to capture Dali’s unique energy and creativity. Halsman was always able to capture the essence of his subject by deploying unusual techniques of light, lens, and angle. 

“A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, be the testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being he was.” – Philippe Halsman

[Phil Cantor is an award winning portrait photographer in Verona, New Jersey]

USA. NYC. 1949. French poet, artist and filmmaker Jean COCTEAU.