The Making of “Mary Jane” – a Grow Room Painted Portrait

This was a fun opportunity that I just couldn’t turn down.  A friend of mine operates a legal marijuana grow room in Washington State. He knows that I photograph pin-ups and said I could use his room as the background for a themed pin-up set. The space wasn’t huge and had huge grow lights all over it. They produced a …

2010s – History of Pin-up

This 2010s have reached us, and have continued to push our boundaries. Tattoos are no longer controversial. Piercings are mainstream. Nudity is common in films and online content. Facebook, Reddit, and Tumblr have made content sharing easy and accessible. Online streaming, Netflix, and non-traditional media services have removed the controversy of having language and nudity in mainstream content. And we’ve …

2000s – History of Pin-up

Technology! Y2K, the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, the iPhone, and space launches. These are all defining elements as we enter the 2000s.  We have now entered the digital age. Just like magazine, movies, and TV shows all helped shape our cultural ideals, the internet shaped this decade. No longer are we limited to what media producers find to be acceptable. The …

1990s – History of Pin-up

The 1990s were a fun transitional period. Beanie Babies, Bleached Hair and Boy Bands were popular.  They were mostly analog times, with the start of digital things –  DVDs existed, but you couldn’t stream a movie. Cellphones were around, but they were used primarily for phone calls and occasional texting. The internet was just being developed, and the newspaper and …

1980s – History of Pin-Up

Party Dance Time! We’ve reached the fashion explosion known as the 1980s on our History of Pin-Up tour.  And just like every other time we get bawdy beyond good taste, we bounce back like a bungee jumper back into conservative taste. The 1970s pushed the boundaries of sexuality, mass production, and teenage boy hormones.  So we’ve got to respond by …

1970s – History of Pin-up

The 1970s was not a classy decade – at least not for the pin-up world. The envelope was pushed and stretched, and everything came out. The name of the game was going boldly where no mainstream publication had dared to do. As an overall theme for this decade, it was all about one upping what the other guy did. We …

1950s – History of Pin-Up

The 1950s really pushed the boundaries, especially compared to the wholesome looks we saw during the war. We introduce Playboy magazine, and iconic legends like Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page. Political, social, and economic influences also help dictate the style. Let’s take a closer look. Once of the biggest advancements in this time period was Playboy magazine. Prior to Hugh …

1940s – History of Pin-up

Cue the Jazz music. The 1940s are officially here. This is the year we’ve been waiting for in our History of Pin-Up journey. World War II is in this decade. And with it comes the pin-ups that we know and love. Let’s start in the beginning. Specifically, we’re looking at 1941. This is when the term pin-up first originated, or …

1930s – History of Pin-Up

The 1930s brought a new approach to the American people. Entertainment was everywhere, from magazines with painted women to films featuring the hottest stars of the day; this era was about glamour, glitz, and bright lights. There are two notable things we want to look for in this decade: themed photoshoots and overly lit glam portraits. It seems the trend …