To: pml1@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [PML1] Classic Centerfold: Sally Sheffield
From: Mark Tomlonson
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 21:06:32 -0400

Some of the Classic Centerfolds I've discussed here on the List have 
been complex compositions with simple themes, some have been simple 
compositions with complex themes, and even a couple have been complex in 
both composition and theme. The May 1969 Classic Centerfold of Sally 
Sheffield by Pompeo Posar is simple and extremely direct in both.

Pompeo has Sally standing in the shallow end of a swimming pool, and has 
angled his camera so that the only thing we see in the background is the 
dark water. This provides a reason for Sally to be in a swimming suit 
(well, she's more or less in the suit) and also makes for a simple, 
formless background. Its simplicity doesn't detract at all from the feel 
and mood of the centerfold, but adds immeasurably to it. Richard Fegley 
used this same water effect a generation later in Corinna Harney's 
centerfold.

Sally's costume is also extremely simple - the bottom half of a bikini. 
There's no jewelry or other distractions. Pompeo has added a sidelight, 
however, that turn the drops of water on her torso into sparkling 
highlights.

Sally has her weight on her left hip and she is leaning slightly to her 
right. This forms the major geometry of the photo with the smaller 
triangles of her arms and the bikini bottom adding one of the few 
complex technical elements of the photo. But the real complexity of the 
centerfold, and what makes it a Classic, is the attitude that Sally has 
taken, as indicated by her pose and her facial expression.

Sally is standing in a way that used to be described as "jaunty", 
projecting an air that in a man would be described as "cocksure". This 
is a young woman who knows exactly what she wants and has a definite 
idea of how she's going to get it. And by the fact that she has removed 
her bikini top, and has just hooked her thumbs into her bikini bottom as 
if to remove it as well, I think it's fair to say that at the moment 
she's not interested in discussing the finer points of Keynesian Economics.

But maybe that's all we'll be doing with her. As is often the case with 
a Playboy model, the set of her head, the way her eyes are angled to the 
camera, the slight lifting of her upper lip all indicate that the 
question at hand is not whether she pleases us, but whether we can 
please her. There are a couple of other centerfolds where the Playmate 
is projecting this same attitude, but I think Sally's is the most 
successful in maintaining the balance of a challenge while still 
retaining a basic sense of attraction. It's as easy for me to read into 
her expression "Are you man enough for me?" as it is to read "Are you 
sure you want to do this in a swimming pool?" and I think that us what 
makes Sally's attitude different from, say, Teri Peterson's. And I 
consider Teri's to be extremely off-putting, so much so that hers is one 
of my least favorite centerfolds.

I wonder if this centerfold were produced today, would the photographer 
have the courage to leave Sally's bikini bottom in the same place? Both 
by hooking Sally's thumbs into it as if it's about to be removed, and by 
having it play the role of a fig leaf, the "Will I or won't I?" attitude 
stated in her face and pose if further re-enforced. If the bikini bottom 
were positioned so that it no longer was a fig leaf, would it tip the 
scales towards the "Will I?" and lessen the impact?

Sally's figure also plays a role in the appeal of this centerfold. She's 
not "spectacular" in the sense that Steve Sullivan uses the term, but 
neither is she built along the lines of Kate Moss, or more 
appropriately, Twiggy. It's a very attractive example of a natural, 
feminine body. And for this viewer at least, a woman who is as 
self-confident about her looks as Sally seems to be is one I want to 
investigate further. The female body doesn't have to be "perfect" if it 
makes the owner (and me!) happy.

It's not enough for a photographer to be I command of all the technical 
details of taking a photograph, he must also be in command of the 
subject matter. Pompeo Posar shows once again in his Classic Centerfold 
of Sally Sheffield his mastery at eliciting just the right expression 
from the beautiful women on the other side of his lens.


Mark Tomlonson
Kalamazoo MI