Rediscovering Bert Stern

Looking for inspiration for a portrait project I pulled a book from the shelf, Bert Stern Adventures. I've never been impressed by Stern's advertising work, but his portraiture is stunning. I'm especially taken by the way he closes in on a subject, creating an extreme close up without the image becoming either frighteningly stark or unflattering.

All images ©Bert Stern, from Bert Stern Adventures, Bulfinch Press, 1997