Philippe Halsman's Jump Book

In honor of a quirky little photography book and entire personal philosophy born from a simple request.

» We commence to make you (jump, jump)
» The Mac Dad'll make you (jump, jump)
» Daddy Mac'll make you (jump, jump)
» Kris Kross'll make you (jump, jump)

Covering the gamut of movie stars, singers, authors, diplomats, painters, composers, scientists, and so on, Halsman collected these images and his thoughts surrounding the defining principles behind his jumpology theories and tucked them sweetly into this wonderful book.

"May I jump once more? I don't think that I have expressed myself completely."
— Romain Gary

I have long been fascinated with Halsman's work and specifically his Jump series — which caught my eye randomly, and I think from a photograph of Audrey Hepburn I had happened upon. His idea behind it, from an impulsive decision, developed into an entire theory for him. Not only did his own inhibitions disappear to be replaced with faith, but he realized that deep down, "people wanted to jump and considered jumping fun." Halsman felt that jumping had therapeutic value. And noticed that if his sitters were self-conscious and tense, once he asked them to jump, "the mask fell." Those same subjects became less inhibited and more relaxed — in other words, ultimately more photogenic.

"Often the photograph of a jump does not transmit its symbolic message immediately. A closer scrutiny will show, however, that every element in the jumper's body — his arms, his legs, the position of the body, the expression of his face — reveals definite character traits."

Yes, he was met with the refusals — those not wishing to jump for camera or at all, perhaps — but he estimates only one or two percent overall. But an overwhelming number of his subjects did, thankfully.

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Check out more at the links below.

• Philippe Halsman Archive

• Smithsonian magazine | When He Said “Jump…”

• Magnum Photos | Philippe Halsman

Happy reading!

—C.