Pyramid vodka ad photographer

[jmg1911]

<p>This is driving me crazy. Who was the photographer that made the first picture of a vodka martini and the great pyramid at Giza for a vodka ad? Not the inverted P in the glass, the original.<br>

This may be the wrong forum, but I figured you guys (and gals) would know. It was taken with a Rollei by a guy who was not really a photographer at the time, but a commercial designer.<br>

Thanks in advance. Maybe if I get the answer I can sleep tonight.</p>

[mike_stemberg]

<p>Bert Stern?</p>

[jdrose]

<p>Perhaps you are thinking of this image? To make this on-topic I was trying to find the camera he used but was unable to.</p>

<p>http://www.bertstern.com/photos.html</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

<p>It was made with an early HAsselblad --a 1000F -- and the photographer who both came up with the idea and made the photo for Smirnoff was indeed the legendary Bert Stern.</p>

<p>http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/2006/?id=303</p>

[jmg1911]

<p>I give. Stern's bio sounds right. But everywhere I see that darned inverted pyramid. The one I remember was NOT inverted. The overall color was sandy, not oversaturated purple. Much cleaner.</p>

[profhlynnjones]

<p>Hi James,</p>

<p>Yes it was Bert Stern. His origal vodka was shot in the desert near Palm Springs on his way to New York after just having just been discharged from the military in the Korean War (my war). He had never been a photographer but was in a major ad agency and was drafted meaning that the agency had to hire him back. Bert called the NYC agency from California, they told him to take some pictures for a new client and they loaned him a Hasselblad, some transparency film, and gave him a case of vodka.</p>

<p>I'm not going to tell you the whole story as I heard in some years later, but he and two friends ran out of vodka between LA and Palm Springs (100 miles?) and had to get more vodka! They finally exposed some film, Bert turned it in to the agency in the City, it was a photo of a vodka martini by setting sun (from the last bottle left) and the photo was so good that the client insisted that Bert be the only photographer for the whole series. It was actually a year or two later that the Egyptian photo was made with the pyramids. And if that story isn't correct, may the emminent Mr. Stern correct me.</p>

<p>Lynn</p>

<p> </p>

[jmg1911]

<p>Thanks everyone. It must have been Stern. Talk about a legendary photo! I remember reading a story closer to to event to the effect that the first shot at Giza was taken with his brand new Rollei, which he was not at all sure how to run. So he just went up and down the f-stops and shutter speeds until he had all the bases covered. Please note this is from a memory that is known to be, er, creative. I may have dreamed the whole thing, but I always liked the story because it priveleged vision over technique.</p>