Charlotte March est photographe de mode Allemande.
THE “GRAND DAME” OF GERMAN FASHION-PHOTOGRAPHY
She is the “Grand Dame” of German fashion-photography. Charlotte March, combative non-conformistic, with high artistic potential and inexhaustible creativity. Since the fifties her exceptional photographic work spread even over the boarders of Germany, particularly England and to Italy.
Suddenly in the sixties the German magazine TWEN started. The unconventional style of TWEN permitted extremely new visual perspectives - and provided, therefore, a very challenging time for Charlotte March with an abundance of publications. Her photo-stories received several awards from the New York Art Directors Club.
During the eighties the creative fashion series of Charlotte March found again a worldwide forum, VOGUE Italia.
1954
For me the situation was ideal, because I could start to do pictures without any conventions or rules to inhibit my creativity. I had graduated from the Art College in Hamburg as graphicdesigner, when repeated encounters with photography turned my focus of interest. I was smitten into this suction, this HEART-BEAT AND IN-LOVE-STATE, that photography can mean. I found myself directing humans without any effort, not for me, neither for them. Everything seemed to obey my thoughts.
I took my first pictures on a Rolleiflex, which had a 6 x 6 focusing screen that fitted my vision of taking PICTURES ideally. The Rolleiflex was technically simple; and the fact that I did not use a light meter and took all the pictures with an aperture setting of 5,6 made the process easier. A wonderful condition. I was able to expose the picture in a dreamlike condition without ever failing. This enchantment diminished with the growing photo equipment in my bag. Under any circumstances I wanted to be a reliable and professional photographer.
1961
Suddenly the magazine TWEN came up. It´s unconventional style permitted new visual perspectives, and for me they were challenging times with continuous publications. My photo-stories received several awards from the New York Art Directors Club. Of course also due to the brilliant layouts by Willy Fleckhaus, the inventor of that magazine. His idea was to set Zeitgeist against the established conservative womens-and youths-magazines of those days.
1966
I started to get jobs, for example to do a shooting with Romy Schneider. I wanted her to look different than usual and she liked it.
1975 – 1978
Creation and emergence of my book “Mann, oh Mann!”, “a contribution to the emancipation of the attractive man”.
1985
In the eighties the Italian VOGUE under the artistic direction of Alberto Nodolini was the most creative vehicle for fashion-photography. What an honour to be accepted by Alberto Nodolini! They were exiting shootings I did for VOGUE ITALIA.
1998
Great expectations in free photography, book, exhibitions.
Gallery Camera Work in Berlin presents from September 20th until November 15th an exhibition of fashion photography of the 20th and 21st centuries. This group exhibition provides a representative overview of the development of fashion photography from its beginnings in the 1920s to the present time. With over 250 works of a total of 65 photographers - many of which are vintages - one can trace the different trends of fashion photography.
The spectrum of the photographs on display ranges from the sometimes classic compositions of an Edward Steichen to the experimental photographs of Man Ray, from the sexual revolution to the resulting emancipation of women as shown for example by Helmut Newton, from the cool elegance of the 1990s - influenced by Peter Lindbergh - to the highly imaginative works of a Tim Walker. On...