Back To Palm Springs With Slim Aarons

I decided very last minute to book some tickets for The Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival, a series of films being shown across the country this month. I'd actually never been to a film at any of the previous festivals, which is disgraceful given that I live so close to the cinema. So, we went and saw Slim Aarons: The High Life and I loved it!

The High Life is all about the life and work of iconic American photographer, Slim Aarons. I was aware of Aarons work from my photography class last year and knew that he was kind of a big deal. But I'd never really connected with his work or taken the time to learn about him. I've found that there's a distinct shortage of his images available online and many of my favourite shots were ones I'd never come across before. Aarons took images of 'attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.' Glamorous movie stars, politicians, royals and mid-century beauties.

I am, of course, a big fan of anything mid-century and I completely lapped up the aesthetics of the fashion, homes and faces of the 50s, 60s and 70s in this film. The High Life covered Slim Aarons' life from his early years, documenting the war with his camera, to just before he passed away in 2006. It's full of interviews and clips of some of his closest friends and relatives sharing personal stories of his life and photographic work. I could somewhat relate to Aarons as he is described as a total unapologetic perfectionist, sometimes taking thousands of photographs in one shoot and discarding those with even the smallest of imperfections. He also liked to take control of the situation and nobody could tell him what to do when it came to his creative work.

I loved the way he captured so many famous faces in a completely candid and natural way, whilst still having a staged scene. He was able to create such images simply because Aarons himself was part of that world, he sat at their tables and went to their parties. He was allowed exclusive access into the lives of people such as Audrey Hepburn, The Kennedy's and Marilyn Monroe because they trusted him. He wasn't paparazzi, he was one of them.



I adore everything about mid-century style and then combine that with old Hollywood glamour, it's pretty much my perfect match. Anyone who knows me will know just how obsessed I am with California, I've been there several times and feel such a strong connection to it. I'm always my most creative and inspired when I'm in Cali, and I plan to live there someday for sure. I was so enthraled by the glamour and glitz of Hollywood Aarons could capture in his images and he took me back to Palm Springs.

I visited Palm Springs in 2017 and I fell in love. Every direction you look, there's a photo waiting to be taken. Some of my best selling photographs were taken in Palm Springs and I can't wait to go back there with my camera someday. Aarons seems to sum up that Palm Springs lifestyle so well. The old money, the class and the fame. He attended their parties and he captured moments of their lives in a single photograph.





The photos I took in Palm Springs will forever be some of my favourites and the look they have simply can't be replicated in any other place in the world. That warm light, soft pastel colours and the jagged mountainscape framing the background in every direction you look. We visited a classic American diner, with red vinyl booths and the staff wore proper red and white retro uniforms (with matching hats). We even went on a house tour, getting an exclusive look inside some of the most outrageously glamorous houses in Palm Springs. Weekend homes belonging to the rich and famous, with large expansive pools and bright orange umbrellas. Palm Springs was like a hidden mid-century time capsule.

If you want to check out some more of my Palm Springs work you can find it here and here.



My all-time favourite shot from the film and probably the photograph that many people would know Slim Aarons for is 'Poolside Gossip'. Everything about it, the colours, the setting, the clothes, it's all perfect. I adore the white flared crochet set that the lady on the left wears and everything about their relaxed summery look. Aarons had a way of capturing the essence of that era and the most glamorous people at the time in their most natural state. His images make you envious that you can't simply travel back in time to a Slim Aarons Palm Springs coloured world.

Bella 🌼