'Jump 1970', photographed by Jim Lee in 1970, printed by Brigida Mendes at the RCA, London, in 2006.

Black and white fashion photograph showing model jumping from a moving train and a small boy lying on the floor next to the train tracks, Jim Lee 1970. The series was shot on a Nikon F camera with an 85mm lens. To create the blurred effect as the woman jumps from the train a shutter speed of approximately a 60th or a 30th would have been used.

Given by Jim Lee

This was a commission for a fashion magazine and was part of an 8 page series.
The concept behind this image was refugees escaping from an 'iron curtain' country in Communist Eastern Europe. When the photograph was taken many people attempted to flee oppressive communist regimes that existed in parts of Eastern Europe. Jim Lee describes this as brutal period in modern history. At this stage in his career Lee was very interested in making films and looked for a narrative within his work. He tried to capture 'film-clip' ideas that may have resembled the making of a movie. There is no obvious fashion reference in this shot other than what the boy is wearing.

Jim Lee established himself as a leading international photographer based in London, Paris, Milan and New York, shooting for such clients as Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent. His great breakthrough was meeting the diva of fashion editors, Anna Wintour, at that time the assistant fashion editor at Harpers and Queen, who he regularly collaborated with to produce some of his best work, which continued years later after they both moved to New York. Central to his work is the concept of telling stories which he creates using casts of three or three hundred and extraordinary locations and props. He has recently re-emerged as an active photographer working on numerous magazine editorials with top fashion stylists.

Jim Lee has recently moved seamlessly into directing TV commercials, his first film was for Levi’s followed by several fashion and beauty commercials. In 2003/4 he had six photographs showing in the Ossie Clark retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Printed from the original negatives by a student of the Royal College of Art, London.

This photograph was a commission for a fashion magazine and was part of an eight page series.The concept behind this image was refugees escaping from an 'iron curtain' country in Communist Eastern Europe. When the photograph was taken many people attempted to flee oppressive communist regimes that existed in parts of Eastern Europe. Jim Lee describes this as brutal period in modern history. At this stage in his career Lee was very interested in making films and looked for a narrative within his work. He tried to capture 'film-clip' ideas that may have resembled the making of a movie. There is no obvious fashion reference in this shot other than what the boy is wearing.

E.16-2006