Helmut Newton's was best known for his fashion work and  female photographs, often done in shocking locations or involving stark props. He was an photographic inspirations, for the surreal nature of his magazine advertising photos. Helmut Newton was born in Berlin, Germany the son of a Jewish garment factory owner.

His mother was American. Newton attended the Werner von Trotschke Gymnasium and the American School in Berlin. Interested in photography from a young age, he worked for the German photographer Else Simon known as Yva. He left Germany in 1938 and worked briefly in Singapore as a photographer for the Straits Times.