What a life this photographer lead. . .
Philip Drell, World War II motion picture photographer, dies at age 91 - chicagotribune.com
Philip Drell, World War II motion picture photographer, dies at age 91 - chicagotribune.com
Amazing life & story of a photographer
- Thread starter Eduard
- Start date
Carolina Photo Guy
Senior Member
Phillip Drell is the benchmark that we should all strive to meet.
RIP Phil, RIP.
Pete
RIP Phil, RIP.
Pete
Phil's photographic record of the war was incredibly extensive. His images probably numbered in the thousands. Many of which have been sent on to museums and publishers.
Later on he went on to photograph luminaries such as Elanor Roosevelt and then JFK (candids) at the Nixon / Kennedy debates, for I believe what was called, Black Star, as a free-lance photographer.
Then, for the bulk of his professional career, he focused primarily on audio-visual presentations. In addition to being an exceptional photographer he also became an amazing inventor. Among a number of ingenious devices he designed and built was a 35mm camera that utilized a prism and two lens so he could capture two images simultaneously. One lens would capture "the product" while the other would be focused on a Kodalith that contained the text. Utilizing a zoom lens he could alter the size of the type, as well as change its appearance by marrying it with colored gels. Amazingly you could 1. see the finished image before you clicked the shutter, and 2. make revisions / adjustments in real time, with 3. the final shot being a first generation image! And all this (among so many others ingenious inventions) was being done in the 60's and 70's-- long before computers and Photoshop!
He spent the later years of his life going to high schools and universities lecturing on the war and the holocaust, punctuating the moments with his own photographs. He was an incredible photographer, a true genius, and the big brother I never had. (We worked closely together for over 20 years).
Later on he went on to photograph luminaries such as Elanor Roosevelt and then JFK (candids) at the Nixon / Kennedy debates, for I believe what was called, Black Star, as a free-lance photographer.
Then, for the bulk of his professional career, he focused primarily on audio-visual presentations. In addition to being an exceptional photographer he also became an amazing inventor. Among a number of ingenious devices he designed and built was a 35mm camera that utilized a prism and two lens so he could capture two images simultaneously. One lens would capture "the product" while the other would be focused on a Kodalith that contained the text. Utilizing a zoom lens he could alter the size of the type, as well as change its appearance by marrying it with colored gels. Amazingly you could 1. see the finished image before you clicked the shutter, and 2. make revisions / adjustments in real time, with 3. the final shot being a first generation image! And all this (among so many others ingenious inventions) was being done in the 60's and 70's-- long before computers and Photoshop!
He spent the later years of his life going to high schools and universities lecturing on the war and the holocaust, punctuating the moments with his own photographs. He was an incredible photographer, a true genius, and the big brother I never had. (We worked closely together for over 20 years).
THANK YOU very much for sharing! I would have loved to have met him.