Learning about any artform means studying those who have done it or are doing it. No.1 in my Top Ten; Joel Meyerowitz
If I had 72hrs in every day, I’d be spending at least 24 of them writing content for this website. And a lot of that content would be introducing other photographers to you, as that is one of the best ways to learn how to improve upon what YOU do with YOUR cameras. I don’t have a lot of time to do in-depth exposees on all the photographers I could write about, so will endeavour – from now on – to at least do something small about them, to enable you to go off and find out more about each.
Thank-you to Charlie for kicking me in the arse about starting to do this……
Ten photographers who shaped the way I shoot, and why……
One of the best parts of my three years of studying photography was the photo history lessons; two hours a week of watching slide-shows and being introduced to the masters of the craft I was learning. Wonderful.
So, here’s the first in my top-ten… in order of me remembering them, rather than their importance:
Joel Meyerowitz: long before he became iconic for his series on New York at the time of the 9\11 attacks, Meyerowitz was shooting a variety of subjects with his 10×8 inch plate camera. His street shots first captivated me and then it was the subtlety of lighting in his New England landscapes which won my heart.
Meyerowitz has been documenting American life for decades and despite my own thirst for black and white photography at college [and rejection of the use of colour, perhaps spurred-on by what I regarded as the 'snapshot' style of people like Martin Parr], I found myself magnetically attracted to Meyerowitz’s colour work. Perhaps it was because he’d dedicated himself to using colour when there was significant resistance to the idea that colour photography was an art at all: young art college students like a bit of a rebel!
It might also be that, like me, Meyerowitz was inspired to get out on the streets as a young man by the work of Robert Fank, particularly that photographer’s series ‘The Americans’. Whatever the motivation, Meyerowitz’s work convinced me that colour photography was valid and that I should get out there and give it a try.
I find myself writing this with 20mins left before I have to leave the house to go teach some ladies in Roppongi. Consider this article, then, a work in progress and for now I will simply leave some information you can use to follow a path to Meyerowitz’s work yourself. But I will be back to add more about why I love the man…..
Stuff you must check out:
Cape Light – landscapes of people and light which astonished me for their eloquent composition, masterful exposure and for the fact that they were all shot on a camera that at the time I was trying to master myself: the 10x8inch view-camera. Beautiful renderings of everday life in the Capes of New England which, it has to be said, are best seen as big as possible.
The Joel Meyerowitz Photo Archive – the artist’s own site, full of great shots and which should keep your eyes busy for a fair while.
Biography – on his own site and well worth reading as a good intro to the man and his work.
Picturing Ground Zero – Meyerowitz had unprecedented access to the area after the attacks. Knowing him first for his more sedate pictures, seeing this series gave me a new respect for the man.
All images in this article: copyright Joel Meyerowitz.
