I just read that photographer Harry Gruyaert turned 80 recently. I’ve always enjoyed his work in a general sense, and I have a couple of his published books here in the studio. As a side note, it is a real pleasure to be surrounded by my pile of photo books (I hesitate to call it a collection). The thing with photo books though is that many choices about presentation are outside of one's control. We’ll just leave it at that for now. Fortunately, thanks to Magnum’s annual print sale, I can afford to own a couple of Gruyaert prints. They are small, certainly, but I can view the photographs the way I want.
Overall, I think the body of work that resonates the most with me is the TV series from the 1970s. All photographers respond to their cultural milieu and most of us have probably engaged photographically with the little and big screens that have come to dominate our lives. It’s hard to believe that the long slouch toward Bethlehem started over 50 years ago.
Have you ever made photographs while watching TV, or better, a film in a theater?
