Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was born in Germany as Helmut Neustadter. How he became "Newton" is quite a story.

    His claim to fame was described by the New York Times as "provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos." He was a fashion photographer and portrait artist who depicted a range of people, from other artists, like David Hockney and photographer Mary Ellen Mark, to famous "characters" like Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Salvador Dali, and Andy Warhol, and great beauties, including Catherine Deneuve, Raquel Welch, Jacqueline Bisset, Nastassja Kinski, and Ava Gardner.

    But two other names on his list of subjects hint at the best-known part of his oeuvre. He photographed both Larry Flynt and Hugh Hefner, men known for publishing "men's magazines" that border on pornography.

    Many of Newton's subjects were anonymous, and a good number of them were strikingly tall blonde women in various environments and various states of dishabille. "Any photographer who says he's not a voyeur is either stupid or a liar," he said. Elsewhere, he added to this, "I love vulgarity. I am very attracted by bad taste..."

    Newton made quite a career on "vulgarity." Some of his photos were sold at auction during his lifetime for over US$26,000. Naturally, images have been sold for much more since his death.

    Now, about that name. Newton was born into a rapidly-changing Germany, with Nazism on the rise. As the son of a wealthy Jewish button manufacturer, he found it prudent to leave in 1938, planning to go to China. He ended up in Singapore, but was sent to Australia as an enemy alien. There, he joined the army for several years, and became a British subject after the war. It was then he changed his name to Newton. Working with his wife, a model, he began shooting fashion, and moved to London, then Paris, where he worked for magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Marie-Claire.

    Vocabulary: Which word above means:

    1. having a strong sexual component

    2. body of work

    3. behavior that is rude or shows poor taste

    4. one who gets enjoyment from watching, especially sexually

    5. a sale of something to the person who offers the most money

    6. people with unusual personalities

    7. thing that made someone famous

    8. causing a strong reaction

    9. images with an unacceptable amount of sexual content

    10. partially clothed, especially in a disorganized way

    ANSWERS: 1. erotically charged 2. oeuvre 3. vulgarity 4. voyeur 5. auction 6. characters 7. claim to fame 8. provocative 9. pornography 10. dishabille