Behind the Strip: Lara Harris Playboy Test Shots by Stan Malinowski
From my archives: original 35mm Kodak Safety Film negatives of Lara Harris—test images photographed in studio by Stan Malinowski.
Lara Harris: model and actress
Lara Harris worked internationally as a fashion model before moving into film and television. Her modeling résumé included marquee designers and beauty campaigns; later, she built a solid list of screen credits through the late 1980s and 1990s. Notable appearances include No Man’s Land (1987), The Fourth War (1990), The Fisher King (1991), Too Much Sun (1991), Demolition Man (1993), and All Tied Up (1994). Harris’s career reflects range—commercial fashion, runway, beauty work, and feature films.
The nude decision: why these tests exist
These are studio test shots made for Playboy. Test sessions like this were a standard step: photographer and model explore lighting, pose, and comfort level to determine whether a full assignment makes sense. Harris was open to nude work within clear boundaries—here, a long skirt and simple poses, topless, lit with restraint. It reads as a study: measured, collaborative, and professional.
Reading the strip
- Multiple frames show small changes in angle, gaze, and shoulder line.
- The long skirt maintains modesty while focusing attention on posture and form.
- Neutral background and soft light emphasize tone over spectacle.
These frames aren’t pin-up theatrics. They function like contact-sheet notes—quiet, systematic, and purposeful—showing how Malinowski worked when refining a concept with a subject he respected.
Why it matters in my collection
Stan Malinowski’s name is central to late-20th-century fashion imagery—Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Town & Country, Playboy, and Penthouse. Original negatives from his sessions are scarce. This strip connects Harris’s acting profile with her modeling life and documents that professional moment when a performer considers nude work on her own terms.
Notes on provenance
Medium: original 35mm Kodak Safety Film negatives. Photographer: Stan Malinowski. Subject: Lara Harris. Studio test session for Playboy. The negatives are preserved as part of my ongoing archive and collections work.
If you’d like to see more rare and original photographs, negatives, slides, and ephemera, take a look at From My Collections (Cultural & Erotic) — an ongoing gallery of pieces spanning decades of visual culture.
https://www.secondfocus.com/gallery/From-My-Collections-Cultural-Erotic/G0000h1LWkCCepcc/
“Trump was amazing in bed”
This original slide transparency features Sandra Taylor, also known as Sandi Korn, Penthouse Pet of the Month in March 1991. She famously said, “Donald Trump was AMAZING in bed’: Former Penthouse Pet reveals the presidential hopeful had his secretary track her down after spotting her in a sexy magazine spread… and he didn’t disappoint”. Along with Trump she is said to have had relationships with other high profile individuals. Following her modeling career, Sandra transitioned into acting, with roles in films such as *Batman Forever*, *L.A. Confidential*, and *Runaway Bride*. This transparency is in my collection acquired from the archives of Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse Magazine archives. Uncensored in the first showing of my collection at https://secondfocus.com/index/G0000h1LWkCCepcc More will be added. Thanks!
Test shot
When I was a kid, my eyes were opened to the naked women of Playboy. But then along came Penthouse! Decades later, ‘Centerfold’ has just been published about the world of Penthouse and its creator, Bob Guccione. Guccione was also a photographer, and with these early editions comes an original slide from his archives. This is a scan of the one I’ve acquired. Kodachrome, no name, just marked ‘Test shot.’ There are more in this limited collection from his archives, and I have three on the way that are very relevant to current affairs. They are also much more revealing. I’ll share them when they arrive. Until then you can see my own nude photoshoots on my website at http://SecondFocus.com Take a look! Thanks!
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