Newton, who has died aged 97, did not plan to be behind a lens. She had been married to the photographer Helmut Newton for more than 20 years, and was his art director and editor besides having her own acting career, when in 1970 he fell ill with flu on the day that he was due to shoot a Gitanes cigarette ad. She volunteered as his substitute to rendezvous with the model, and, after Helmut’s briefing on lens and light, “use the sun over your left shoulder”, filed some shots.
The ad agency sent the payment cheque made out to “Helmut Newton”, but her imagery was never in his style. In the ad and fashion assignments she soon picked up, beginning with Jean Louis David’s new, natural, coiffures, she showed women at home in their own identity; she emboldened Elle, Nova and Vogue models to have real fun on camera, cheeky in bare bum or wet shirt, rather than the aggressive sexuality Helmut sought.