I realized a few days ago that I am officially at the age where I need diffusion on the lens!  Indeed, shooting through a veil resolves a myriad of problems, as any student of Old Hollywood lighting and cinematography well knows.  If you’re young, like Gloria Swanson was when Edward Steichen shot her through a veil back in 1925, it just adds mystery and texture.  If you’re not so young, it allows you to bypass photoshop or fancy lighting kits.

If you find yourself bored in a hut in the Nagev Desert without electricity like I did a few days back, I say give it a whirl!

More Gloria Swanson:

Gloria Swanson Recalls the First Screening of Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Eating With the Stars: Gloria Swanson’s Potassium Broth

Gloria Swanson Standing in the Rubble—“that’s what’s playin’ at the Roxy!”

More about photographing aging stars through veils:

What Is the “Ricky Martin Effect?” and 5 Suggestions on How to Avoid It When Posing with a Star