Photography by David Yarrow “Don’t Worry Darling” Alessandra Ambrosio. Limited edition
The desert resort of Palm Springs – nestled in the Coachella Valley in California – is not just a city, it is also seen by some as a metaphor for how to live life. The mere name conjures up images of “modern desert architecture”, Slim Aarons pool parties, retro style and endless boring leisure time. Hollywood found a sister location in this resort and was drawn to the shared values of celebrity, health, new wealth and sex.
Palm Springs is the opposite of America’s industrial ‘rust belt’ and has become a haven for those looking to escape their past or enjoy a better life because of their past. It is perhaps no surprise that much of the Chicago mob’s money from the 70’s found its way to Palm Springs.
My idea was to make a single image that encapsulated this hot and colorful utopia. But there was no room for seriousness, I just wanted to avoid parody, color and symbolism. Too much wealth, leisure and shopping can bring empty qualities.
Like filmmakers before me, I focused on the style of the 1950s, as I felt that was the era that defined the growth of the resort after the war. I had the Ferrari and the police cars and from the first day of exploring Palm Springs, we knew where we were on the road and we knew when we had driven about an hour after sunrise.
Our leading lady was the celebrated Alessandra Ambrosio -the super-smart Brazilian model who can play any role attributed to her. She “killed it” that morning and took the picture. Who knows who’s getting arrested in the background, but it doesn’t look like it’s particularly disrupting her morning.
This photo is deliberately saturated in color to evoke the gauzy, saccharine delights of the city. Is it really paradise or a parody of itself?
Yarrow's evocative and haunting photography is highly distinctive and has earned him a growing following among art collectors. His large monochrome images, created in Los Angeles, are exhibited in leading galleries and museums throughout Europe and North America. He is now considered one of the best-selling photographers in the world and his limited edition works regularly sell for high prices at Sotheby's and other auction houses.
David Yarrow was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1966. He took up photography at an early age and at the age of 20 worked as a photographer for the London Times on the pitch of the World Cup final in Mexico City. On that day, David took the famous photograph of Diego Maradona at the World Cup and was subsequently asked to cover the Olympics and numerous other sporting events. Many years later, David established himself as a photographer, documenting the natural world from new perspectives, and the last nine years have been formative in his career.
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