The Cracked Conquistador. Tucson, Arizona, 2013
Yesterday’s blog entry, which discussed the possible future use of video, leads me to talk about a currently active photographer who may actually be better known for her documentary motion film work: Lauren Greenfield. One wonders if this might be the future of photography–the melding, criss-crossing, cross-breeding, and cross-polination of both still and moving imagery within the the body of work of a single artist. Could be.
Lauren is considered by many to be one of the top photographers in the country and is very much in the prime of her career. If you don’t recognize her name, perhaps you have heard of her very successful documentary of the construction of the largest and most ornate single-family home in the U.S. (during this past recession), The Queen of Versailles. In 2012, she won a Directing Award at the Sundance Festival for her work on this production.
With her interest in the sociological, the effects of popular culture on the individual, and the nature of our cultural values, she has touched on some hugely important and underreported issues with her documentary films. For example…body image, values, and self-esteem in Girl Culture…eating disorders in Thin…how teenagers relate to materialism and money in kids+money…the nature of beauty in popular culture with Beauty CULTure. Lauren has created still photographic exhibits that parallel and build on these film versions–more accurately, the still photography typically preceded the films.
Essentially a story teller, Lauren says she works to portray the person “in a moment that reveals our cultural values.” The intention is not an indictment of the individual, but rather an analysis and spring board for discussion of the cultural context surrounding the subject. (And the subject is the collective us!)
For those of us who aspire to do something serious with our photography, I think there is a big lesson here. With her photography, Lauren Greenfield followed her inner voice, her passion, her very, very personal interest in the nature of society and culture. She followed her own personal foot path and she became quite successful. The technical side of things–type of camera, megapixels, print sharpness, which lenses, and so on, lags way behind in second place in terms of importance in all this. Her photography is all about her passion in revealing a message or story–her vision of the world…that is where it has to start.
It may not be your passion (or mine) to photograph anorexic girls, fancy mansions, or Hollywood adolescents, but the point is, once we move beyond the apprentice and imitation stage, we each need to follow a foot path that is true to our own personal vision, passions and interests. That, is how to be a successful photographer–not by having more lenses than the next gal.
Below, I have linked a great 50-minute interview with Lauren Greenfield to give you more insight into her philosophy and work, AND to get you thinking a bit more deeply about the effects of popular cultural values in this country. So, here ya go…
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