Wynn Bullock

I had to complete an interview last night, and one of the questions was influential photographers in my life.  Wynn Bullock is one of them.  I used to stare at his images in one of his books at art school, over there in Paddington. There is one image I can still remember thirty years later, so I have included it here.  The included short slideshow is a beautiful watch and only goes for 6 minutes... Beautifully edited and conceived.. The fade outs work perfectly, though are a little slow for my taste. 

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Child in Forest © 1951 Wynn Bullock

Wynn Bullock (April 18, 1902 - November 16, 1975) is a recognized American master photographer of the 20th century whose work is included in over 90 major museum collections around the world. He received substantial critical acclaim during his lifetime, published numerous books and is mentioned in all the standard histories of modern photography.

Midway - Chris Jordan

Peter Dombrovskis

"The pursuit of photography and the experience of wilderness are uneasy companions. We go to the wilds to reaffirm our place in the natural scheme of things, to be rejuvenated by contact with elemental forces and to be reminded that the civilised bagage with which we complicate our lives is perhaps not so important to our happiness as the advertising man would claim.

Therefore, when my rucksack is already straining at the seams with the essentials of food, shelter and clothing, is seems folly indeed to add a metal box crammed with mechanical, optical and electronic gadgetry. How then do I justify my vocation? For wilderness demands answers from all who travel there.

Photography is, quite simply, a means of communicating my concern for the beauty of the Earth; and making images is a need which sometimes borders on the compulsive. But without the opportunity for communication that photography offers, my journeys into the wild would perhaps lose some of their motivation. And here lies a paradox, because the more preoccupied I become with photography and with producing 'results', the less productive becomes my vision. The more open and receptive I am to find those objects of beauty that are symbols of the mysterious and unknowable. The search is always more important than the goal. When the images of nature become more important than the experience of wilderness it will be time to leave my camera at home."

- Peter Dombroviskis, Author's comment, from Peter's 1985 Wilderness Diary

Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus's photographs are more about her inner psychological workings than her subjects.  She reportedly manipulated the subjects until she found the look she was looking for. The account by Germaine Greer is telling of a deeper and more wide spread approach that she used. She would put her feelings into the images. She would manipulate, intimidate and coerce the subjects until she got what she wanted. Perhaps not in all her photographs, but she clearly used this technique on a large number of her subjects. For a detailed account of her inner workings I would recommend the book Emergency in Slow Motion: The inner life of Diane Arbus by William Schultz

In his book Schultz refers to this particular shoot with Germaine Greer and in her own words we can hear her side of the shoot.

"She set up no lights, just pulled out her Rolleiflex, which was half as big as she was, checked the aperture and the exposure, and tested the flash. Then she asked me to lie on the bed, flat on my back on the shabby counterpane. I did as I was told. Clutching the camera she climbed on to the bed and straddled me, moving up until she was kneeling with a knee on both sides of my chest. She held the Rolleiflex at waist height with the lens right in my face. She bent her head to look through the viewfinder on top of the camera, and waited.

In her viewfinder I must have looked like a guppy or like one of the unfortunate babies into whose faces Arbus used to poke her lens so that their snotty tear-stained features filled her picture frame (eg, A Child Crying, NJ, 1967). I knew that at that distance anybody's face would have more pores than features. I was wearing no make-up and hadn't even had time to wash my face or comb my hair.

Pinned on the bed by her small body with the big camera in my face, I felt my claustrophobia kick in; my heart-rate accelerated and I began to wheeze. I understood that as soon as I exhibited any signs of distress, she would have her picture. She would have got behind the public persona of Life cover-girl Germaine Greer, the "sexy feminist that men like". I concentrated on breathing deeply and slowly, and keeping my face blank. If it was humanly possible I would stop my very pupils from dilating. Immobilised between her knees I denied her, for hour after hour. Arbus waited me out. Nothing would happen for minutes on end, until I sighed, or frowned, and then the flash would pop. After an eternity she climbed off me, put the camera back in her bag and buggered off."

Germaine Greer - The Guardian 8th October 2005 - Read the full article by Germaine Greer here

In portraiture do you think it is ok to put your own agenda into the image of your subjects. If there is a line between manipulating the subject and not, where is it for you?

Germaine Greer

Germain Greer by Diane Arbus

Germaine Greer by Diane Arbus

Psychobiography of Diane Arbus

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