Norman Parkinson: Always in Fashion exhibition looks back on a pioneering career

The British photographer replaced static studio shots with exotic glamour

Norman Parkinson's 1980 photograph of Pilar Crespi on Trincomalee beach, Sri Lanka (Norman Parkinson Ltd/Courtesy Norman Parkinson Archive)

British fashion photographer Norman Parkinson is widely remembered for his innovative and often humourous collection of work.

For 56 years he thought outside the box, taking female models away from the static, soulless studios of pre-war photography and into the real world, adding glamour by shooting in exotic locations and making use of unique props.

New exhibition Always in Fashion will present a lavish portrait of Parkinson's influential career when it opens at Proud Chelsea next month.

His bold photographs follow the transformation of women’s fashion from the utilitarian World War II years to the swinging Sixties through to the Seventies and Eighties.

Parkinson's numerous photographs for publications including Vogue and Harpers Bazaar brought him worldwide recognition, but he always maintained that he was a craftsman rather than an artist.

He ended his life a household name, having served as the royal family's photographer. He was also awarded a CBE and was the subject of a large scale National Portrait Gallery retrospective in London.

He died in 1990 while shooting on location in Singapore.

Norman Parkinson: Always in Fashion runs at Proud Chelsea from 6th November - 7th December 2014, www.proud.co.uk