So, This is my 1st post on the 2nd coming of Heather’s blog.(I’m quite delighted to share this with Heather and Myles!) Bear with me as i get my web-legs. And i’d love to know what you’re interested in seeing from us.
Being a new parent I thought I’d start with a subject that’s close to me. I’ve been noticing many photographer’s aiming the camera towards their children. (I’m not talking family snaps uploaded to your facebook page). The range of photographer turning the camera towards those near and dear to them is endless but what I’m seeing now is pretty exciting. As with any artistic medium – there’s a development that happens when you’re exposed to other artists doing similar work. I’m seeing a new generation of photographer that’s standing on the shoulders of such luminaries as Sally Mann, Larry Towell and Dan Winters.
The new generation’s world is urban, less idealistic/romantic, sometimes painfully intimate and shows us a new family identity. This new family vision is seen in the works of Cass Bird, Elinor Carucci, Edith Maybin and Robin Schwartz.
I just wanted to add a few images Dan Winters has photographed of his son Dylan.
copyright Dan Winters
copyright Dan Winters
copyright Dan Winters
Here’s an image of Sally Mann’s from 1989
copyright Sally Mann
And here’s a selection of images from Edith Maybin’s 2006 project – The Tenby Document. There’s a starting point that references Sally Mann’s intimacy with her daughter. But Maybin takes us to a point of questioning the mother/daughter roles and the unending connections/rituals that bind that relationship.
copyright Edith Maybin
copyright Edith Maybin
copyright Edith Maybin
In Larry Towell’s The World From My Front Porch we see images of his family from 1989 – 2004. Towell, a Magnum photographer documents his family’s rural Ontario life lived in and around his rustic farm. In seeing the everyday, we view the family dynamics and their connection to the natural world.
copyright Larry Towell
copyright Larry Towell
And here we have Cass Bird’s world. She lives in Nyc with her partner Ali and son Leo. She’s such a great response to Towell’s viewpoint. Their work has a similar aesthetic, yet Bird subverts the viewer with her modern gay urban perspective. I love the unsentimental simplicity and hopefulness.
copyright Cass Bird
copyright Cass Bird
copyright Cass Bird
Elinor Carucci’s work is the definition of raw intimacy. There’s such a vulnerability to letting the viewer see yourself with your children in the most private moments. We move past dreams and beautiful images of love. By exposing everything as upclose as possible we’re able to see the real, sometimes painfully flawed relationship between mother and child.
copyright Elinor Carucci
copyright Elinor Carucci
copyright Elinor Carucci
I was really excited to find the work of Robin Schwartz. Robin shares the image making process with her daughter. Together they create fantastical scenes with a mix of various animals. Schwartz pulls together documentary and fantasy to create a new, safe world full of possibilities. The Aperture Foundation just released Amelia’s World last year, edited by Tim Barber.
copyright Robin Schwartz
copyright Robin Schwartz
copyright Robin Schwartz
So there’s my not-so-little roundup. Would love to hear what you think. And don’t worry, I don’t plan on doing an essay every time i post….
cheerio.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post. You should check out Elizabeth Fleming’s work, too: http://www.elizabethfleming.com.
Also see: Elizabeth Flemming and Julie Blackmon.
Welcome back heather.
Guys shoot photos of their families as well.
Two you should know about are Raymond Meeks and Todd Deutsch.
Steven Rood | Photographer
Welcome Heather, et al. good to see you up and running again! Love Liz’s selection and just wanted to add Colin Pantall, whose sofa portraits of his daughter are wonderful, as well as Hendrik Kerstens’ portraits of his daughter which completely blow my mind. I found both through the National Portrait Gallery of London’s Photographic Portrait Prize, which is always full of great images.
Hello again all y’all. Glad yer back.
Another photographer who is shooting his kid is Timothy Archibald. His series, Echolilia, is swell, enigmatic and just melancholy enough to make you wonder.
http://www.timothyarchibald.com
Yes! Thanks for all the links. I’m happy to see a conversation going on about the photographer’s doing similar work. One of the great reasons for this blog!
Great post. Thanks for the mention Liz K. and Wes. I was also going to say T. Archibald, his work is amazing. Betsy Schneider has some great work too in her “Scenes series” http://www.betsyschneider.net and Tierney Gearon is another big one: http://www.tierneygearon.com. Some other people to check out too: Suzanne Revy http://www.suzannerevy.com, Todd Deutsch http://www.todddeutsch.com, and Shawn Records http://www.shawnrecords.org. Martine Fougeron is also incredible, though her work is about the teen years rather than young children: http://www.martinefougeron.com.
Love this post. Beautiful selection of intimate imagery.
One person who never hit the limelight but created absolutely wonderful photographs of his kids was Wayne Miller – he was Steichen’s assistant for the “Family of Man” exhibition.
I just whipped up a quick little gallery of my own nearest & dearest -
http://www.frankgross.com/temp/family/
Hope you enjoy !
I recently came across the work of Lillian Birnbaum at the Andrea Meislin gallery at AIPAD. She’s been making a series of pictures of her daughter called “Transitions”, that were interesting to me.
Looking to family for photographic inspiration has a long rich tradition, and each photographer’s approach is as different as each family it seems.
Perhaps that’s why I never tire of seeing such intimate work .
http://www.lillianbirnbaum.com/
I tried to leave a comment earlier but it looks like it didn’t go through, this is a great post. Wanted to say first off thanks Liz K. and Wes for the mention. I second T. Archibald, who also had an interesting post called “The Mom Photographer? The Dad photographer?” that you can see here: http://tinyurl.com/dc3qfl. Todd Deutsch is also another good mention. I’d take a look at Betsy Schneider, Suzanne Revy, and, of course, Tierney Gearon. I’m sure I’m forgetting someone major, will post again if I remember some others.
Right, meant to mention Martine Fougeron, her work is about the teen years but is absolutely amazing.
Elinor Carucci’s writhing toddler in the tub in just such a fresh spin on domestic intricacies. So poignent nailing the powestruggles of development. Todd Hido has been doing a touching series of human insights with his son.
The extraordinary Toronto artist Lindsay Page has recently made some of the best photo work I’ve seen in years. Check out her most recent work “Spawn” – a truly amazing series about new motherhood made alongside her beautiful daughter.
http://www.lindsaypage.com
It’ll stay with you for a very long time.
Oh, how did we forget Colin Pantall?!