Vintage photographers and their AKAs - A notebook

[effCup]

Originally Posted by Dick Needle

I'm not really sure if this is worthy of a mention as it doesn't appear to be an alias as such but I've noticed that several of Dwight Fox's sets in Men Only have him referred to as Walt Alton in the text. I think it's probably just an in-joke amongst the editorial staff but 'Walt' does get credited with the Gotcha! set from 52-03 according to the toc.

Yes, some Men Only tocs also list him as "Dwight Focks"--e.g. Men Only 52-05, 1987-05.

Many of the photog. names (esp. in Escort) are suggestive puns, similar to some (e.g. Mayfair) model names.

Steve Colby may or may not be a real name, but I've always thought it slightly suggestive, given the "cheesecake" photog. context?

Brian Wilson? Yeah, photog. was his "second" career.

Phil Dent? Piling it on with a trowel.

----

Geraldine Carswell? On yer bike!
Beverley Gothard - a real name or just a bad joke?

One issue of Mayfair had both:
Marion Whiting & Susan Browning
Accident?

Diane Hasnip | Fuller - focus seems to be above the navel.
Kim Charoensuk (Kristara Barrington) - slurpable.

This is on top of the parodically English/UK model names given to (often Continental) models.

Elizabeth (Betty) Mary Frogmore
Anthea (Parks) Parks-Evans
...

The ratio of alliterative names also seems somewhat suspicious.

Millicent (Milly) Millichope

But real names can also seem amusing: Ursula Andress - did she undress?

[electile disfunction]

For us amateur IDers, could someone post a basic list known aliases?

(Possible format:
Name (or Professional Name)-has been identified with these aliases: _____, _____, ___, etc.)

It doesn't need to be a long, comprehensive, or encyclopedic list. It just needs to be a good starting point for: 1) Those of us who care; and 2) Those of us willing to report evidence or irregularites to you once we know what to expect.

e.d.

[effCup]

Originally Posted by electile disfunction

For us amateur IDers, could someone post a basic list known aliases?

Do you mean of photographers? I've added some of those earlier in this thread... somewhat piecemeal, I'm afraid but that's how it mostly is. That's why this thread is a notebook.

I perhaps over-strayed into models in my previous post, but it was simply about suspected word-play in mag. (photog. & model) names, that's all.

[electile disfunction]

Originally Posted by effCup

Do you mean of photographers? I've added some of those earlier in this thread... somewhat piecemeal, I'm afraid but that's how it mostly is. That's why this thread is a notebook.

Yup, photographers! This thread is a notebook--understandable by the pros & "those in the know". But a short list of known/recognized AKAs only would give the rest of us a starting place to help find data for the pros.

Originally Posted by effCup

I perhaps over-strayed into models in my previous post, but it was simply about suspected word-play in mag. (photog. & model) names, that's all.

No worries . I was not referring to any particular post--that's what the 'Quote' button is for.

e.d.

[effCup]

Originally Posted by electile disfunction

Yup, photographers!
a short list of known/recognized AKAs only would give the rest of us a starting place to help find data for the pros.

So have a look back through this thread (early-ish). You'll see posts like what you describe. For example, posts on Stephen Hicks & Hank Londoner.

The point of this whole thread (well, one of them) is to find the bits of evidence that link photog. names. That will often only ever be circumstantial, e.g. distinctive settings. So on that basis most every post in this thread is what you're describing... only your description sounds like a much more worked/finalised/finished effort. Well, I'm afraid the only way is through. (Several senses.)

I'm not aware of any international association/trade union of skin/porn mag. photogs., so there's nowhere such to go & ask them for a list of "official" photogs' details & all their known akas, etc.... similar story as with models.

[electile disfunction]

Originally Posted by electile disfunction

For us amateur IDers, could someone post a basic list known aliases?

(Possible format:
Name (or Professional Name)-has been identified with these aliases: _____, _____, ___, etc.)

It doesn't need to be a long, comprehensive, or encyclopedic list. It just needs to be a good starting point for: 1) Those of us who care; and 2) Those of us willing to report evidence or irregularites to you once we know what to expect.

e.d.

Important: A short list, only, of known & very, very likely aliases. Anything that is just "suspected" or "might be" would not be on this basic list.

[effCup]

Originally Posted by electile disfunction

Important: A short list, only, of known & very, very likely aliases. Anything that is just "suspected" or "might be" would not be on this basic list.

Have you already looked at the posts on e.g. Hicks & Londoner? From your statements it doesn't sound like it, but I presume you have.

What would you regard as acceptable evidence to take one beyond a suspected/might be threshold?

Depending on your answer to that, your list could very well be very short.

[electile disfunction]

Originally Posted by effCup

Have you already looked at the posts on e.g. Hicks & Londoner? From your statements it doesn't sound like it, but I presume you have.

What would you regard as acceptable evidence to take one beyond a suspected/might be threshold?

Depending on your answer to that, your list could very well be very short.

I'll start to compile "a list" as a starting example and then get some feedback from folks in the thread for things that need deletion or alteration. (I don't have much time but is should be easy enough). Then we will have something concrete to consider, alter, and/or reject--I'm not proud.

In the meantime, I'll address your post (above) and provide a very long perspective of the very short problem that might be helped with some sort of list. This is just an illustration of: "why a list?", or maybe "what amateur problem?", or whatever.

Yes, it could be a very short list--or longer than anyone suspects. But it only needs to be simple--made once and then updated only once or twice a year if there is anything new. This "list thing" only needs to be a starting place for basic, accepted info on photographer aliases. By your example, Hicks & Londoner each have some known and reliable aliases at given times & places (and also a variety other possible aliases of less reliabilty--but these would not be on 'the list' of course). Only those aliases that are known and reliable --generally accepted until very hard evidence otherwise--go on the list!

The list would be a set of stones or a pier in the water where everyone can get their feet wet but not sink below the surface into the deep waters.

Let me give a contrived, "textbook" illustration of the problems an amateur has in the pages of the thread. (This is NOT a criticism of anyone, it is just a example of poor perspective caused by lack of experience & knowledge as an amateur! ) (Really! Communication like this happens in every job and every hobby every day, but we are all expecting it elsewhere!)

Let's construct the problem with the parts below.

Step 1. Identify standard phrases in thread posts: "by personA"; "of personB"; "for personC"; "as personD"; "from personE"; "like personF"; etc.

Step 2. Note that every "personX", in Step 1., is a simple proper name like "Peter", "Kane", "Janet", "John", etc., that can be substituted into any phrase in Step 1.

Step 3. Note that every phrase, in Step 1., may refer to ANY of these things: a known photographer; a photographer's alias; another photographer; another possible alias of someone; a model's name; a model's alias; the photographer's wife and/or business partner; a VEF poster's nym; a VEF poster's actual name; a web site; a website owner's name; a company or magazine; a company/magazine owner; etc.

Step 4. Now using our parts we create a sentence of a post as an amateur might see it:
"PersonA was a photographer, featured regularly in personB with earlier credits like personC as personD in personE 12-07 1980, personF 1980 Aug by personG, thanks to personH."

It's a very difficult sentence to understand, isn't it? Remember that an amateur likely does not know what to substitute from Steps 1., 2., or 3. into the "personX" places in the sentence!

This is how our created statement, above, might actually read:
"Hicks was a photographer, featured regularly in Jacques with earlier credits like Piper Smith as Carmine in Knave 12-07 1980, Fiesta 1980 Aug by FotoKollektor, thanks to howmer."
One translation with notes in parentheses:
Hicks (the photographer in question) was a photographer, featured regularly in Jacques (magazine name) with earlier credits like Piper Smith (model name) as Carmine (the model's alias) in Knave (magazine name) 12-07 1980, Fiesta (likely a magazine but could be model name in Jacques or Knave Mags) 1980 Aug by FotoKollektor (VEF nym or a reference-website name), thanks to howmer (the VEF mamber who originally posted or noted the evidence presented in this sentence).
Alternative translation:
Hicks (the photographer in question) was a photographer, featured regularly in Jacques (company name) with earlier credits like Piper Smith (magazine title) as Carmine (photographer's alias) in Knave (another magazine of the company) 12-07 1980, Fiesta (photographer's own studio) 1980 Aug by FotoKollektor (alias used by photographer while at Fiesta), thanks to howmer (defintive website info located through Wayback Machine).

See? A "pro" of the thread can translate or make sense of this post's sentence relatively easily but to anyone else it might be all varieties of incomprehensible nonsense.

"The List" would provide info & clues about the photographer 'Hicks' and his aliases at various times in various places so people can make much more sense of the references in Step 3! (Simple example: all the list need say is, "Hicks ... credited as 'Gorgo' in Jacques, Knave, & Fiesta mags, from 1979 to 1982.")

I repeat: The list and this illustration is NOT a criticism! The posts and contributions Do Not need to change! Just think of my 'list suggestion' as a scoreboard to help non-afficicionados find out what happened while we were visiting the restrooms and buying popcorn--or finding magazine scans.

Speaking for myself, I want to correctly attribute the work of artists out of respect and so that I can find--and purchase!--more of their works. But, as an amateur IDer, some of the posts in the thread take a lot of time to translate into a readable subject that I ultimately can't actually help with. But a scoreboard, some rocks to stand on, or a rickety pier would help me start to search the thread to see if and where the info I have might be useful in the thread or if it is already known. Or help to find where & how I should add further evidence for the pros to consider.

This "list thing" only needs to be a starting place for basic, accepted info on photographer aliases.

Does that settle some of your concerns or at least simplify what I was meaning by "a list", effCup? (And everyone else for that matter?)

e.d.

[effCup]

Another sighting of the wooden balcony & cane chair I've been largely associating with Hans Larsson, on the cover of Men, 1976-07.



It's Annicka Salomonsson and related pics. were in Club International (UK) 04-03, 1975-03 as Nina, yet oddly that set was credited to Siwer Ohlsson. Here are the scans of that set made by rip & originally posted here.

[effCup]

Originally Posted by electile disfunction

I'll start to compile "a list" as a starting example and then get some feedback from folks

Sounds good.