Documentary Street Photography: Bill Cunningham New York

[maddoc]

Originally Posted by ZlatkoBatistich

I recently saw the film on Netflix. It's a great story with some wonderful moments. Well worth seeing! And Bill is apparently now shooting digital:
http://www.thesartorialist.com/photo...r-story-paris/

... now where can I get that blue jacket ?

[Jamie123]

Originally Posted by maddoc

... now where can I get that blue jacket ?

At a french convenient store

[Jamie123]

I enjoyed the movie and Cunningham is certainly a fascinating character. While it's great to see someone so passionate about what he does, I also thought the movie had a bit of a sad undertone regarding his personal life (or lack thereof).

[SuperUJ]

Originally Posted by ZlatkoBatistich

I recently saw the film on Netflix. It's a great story with some wonderful moments. Well worth seeing! And Bill is apparently now shooting digital:
http://www.thesartorialist.com/photo...r-story-paris/

Saw Bill in action on the 5th Ave over the weekend and confirmed that he is shooting digital. And, BTW, what a great documentary!

John

[DamenS]

It's a pity in that documentary that there were depths which went unexplored - or rather that Bill "breaking down" in the questions re: his sexuality and whether he has ever had partners ("friends") and whether his presumed abstinence was in some way related to his parents' opinions (they would have found fashion photography to be "effeminate" or not "manly") and a shame he carried in respect to this. As he was - at times - a seemingly unwilling subject, it may have been impossible to push harder for an explication of these issues ... but I felt it was one of the most important questions about Bill and how he - whilst lovely - DID obviously keep people at a distance. Obviously the filmmakers felt similarly - leaving it until they had built a relationship and garnered enough footage to complete their documentary, before even attempting to ask such questions, but I felt there were unexplored depths and unanswered questions which would have been obvious to any viewer, and which Bill didn't SEEM to have even asked himself. Great documentary where there was some disappointment that the main questions the viewer would pose went largely unacknowledged. The mystery may still have remained, and the questions wouldn't have been answered entirely - but damn, that was such an interesting 2 minutes in the documentary (so much more so than any preceding parts) and I would have liked a further exploration even if it led to no answers ...

[amateriat]

Originally Posted by SuperUJ

Saw Bill in action on the 5th Ave over the weekend and confirmed that he is shooting digital. And, BTW, what a great documentary!

John

Oh, my...it appears Mr. Cunningham has indeed "gone electric" (and I don't mean the hue of his jacket, eye-catching as it is).

Of course, for about 1/3 of my week here in Montreal, people have seen me in the street using nothing but my Nikon P6000. Scared the pants off a friend or two, I tell ya...


- Barrett

[CK Dexter Haven]

I just saw this last night. It's available on Netflix. I streamed it to my tv.

No negatives re: "production values." It was certainly not 'dark' or amateurishly produced.

I had known about this for quite a while, but really wasn't interested. I've lived in Manhattan for 20+ years — i don't think i've ever seen the man. But, i watched, and enjoyed and loved it. It's inspiring — his devotion. His boundless energy. I'm 44, and cringe at the thought of bicycling everywhere in NYC. Crazy. From an event in SoHo all the way up to the Museum of Natural History? Then, home, through the Park? Was that all in one night? Working in between....

I thought there was enough respect paid, with regard to the 'awkward' questions at the end, about his personal life. The interviewer 'asked' if he could ask those questions, and i have no doubt they would have been edited out if Mr. Cunningham didn't approve. It is an interesting thing, his responses. I know it has nothing to do with the work, but this was a film about the man and his life. I was curious about those matters. It's amazing to me, that a person could live so long without some type of romantic entanglement. He admits he's "human," but seems to have decided to suppress those human urges. I would love to know WHY, but that's just the Psych major in me.

His working 'technique' is peculiar. All throughout, i wondered how he could get a single image in focus and without blurring it. He jerks the camera up, and then back, seemingly as he's exposing the frame. All manual focus, even though, later, he's got an AF 50/1.4 lens on his FM2. I don't see him focusing. Not sure how he does it when he's holding the potato masher in the left hand. Maybe it's all just preset ranges? But, he does seem to employ somewhat shallow DOF, so... i dunno. Magic, i suppose.

The man is engaging and delightful. I hope to see him sometime. I will certainly approach him, just to shake his hand.

[amateriat]

Originally Posted by CK Dexter Haven

I had known about this for quite a while, but really wasn't interested. I've lived in Manhattan for 20+ years — i don't think i've ever seen the man. But, i watched, and enjoyed and loved it. It's inspiring — his devotion. His boundless energy. I'm 44, and cringe at the thought of bicycling everywhere in NYC. Crazy. From an event in SoHo all the way up to the Museum of Natural History? Then, home, through the Park? Was that all in one night? Working in between....

Ah, but I've been cycling the streets of Gotham for something going on 35 years now (with and without a camera). Not exactly for the particularly faint-of-heart, but a hell of a lot safer now than when I started rolling again as an adult.

I thought there was enough respect paid, with regard to the 'awkward' questions at the end, about his personal life. The interviewer 'asked' if he could ask those questions, and i have no doubt they would have been edited out if Mr. Cunningham didn't approve. It is an interesting thing, his responses. I know it has nothing to do with the work, but this was a film about the man and his life. I was curious about those matters. It's amazing to me, that a person could live so long without some type of romantic entanglement. He admits he's "human," but seems to have decided to suppress those human urges. I would love to know WHY, but that's just the Psych major in me.

I thought the interviewer was highly respectful, even saying "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." I realize how tantalizing it might be to speculate over Cunningham's most-interior life, but the guy has always held this stuff close-to-the-vest, which of course seems terribly out of step with the blab-it-all ethos of the moment. Yes, he is a celebrity of sorts, however a reluctant one. But it came about purely from his work, and work ethic, both of which blow me away.

His working 'technique' is peculiar. All throughout, i wondered how he could get a single image in focus and without blurring it. He jerks the camera up, and then back, seemingly as he's exposing the frame. All manual focus, even though, later, he's got an AF 50/1.4 lens on his FM2. I don't see him focusing. Not sure how he does it when he's holding the potato masher in the left hand. Maybe it's all just preset ranges? But, he does seem to employ somewhat shallow DOF, so... i dunno. Magic, i suppose.

I'm sure he has the hyperfocal thing down by now...it appears he's using an old-school prime on his current D-series Nikon. (Yeah, still a bit of a shock to see him packing a dSLR, but I can't see him slinging a big, zoom-endowed D700 or D3 like all the other Times cats and chicks are...if I ever do, I may need counseling.)

The man is engaging and delightful. I hope to see him sometime. I will certainly approach him, just to shake his hand.

I've (briefly) met him in the distant past (see early footage in the doc...about that period). Cool guy then, cool guy now.


- Barrett

[jsrockit]

The latest Aperture has an article on Mr. Cunningham as well.

[Jamie123]

I actually don't think it's a bad thing that he's switched to digital now. I don't see anything in his work that would greatly benefit from being shot on film and shooting digital certainly makes it easier to do the edit.

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by Jamie123

I actually don't think it's a bad thing that he's switched to digital now. I don't see anything in his work that would greatly benefit from being shot on film and shooting digital certainly makes it easier to do the edit.

Yeah, I agree... I always wondered why he didn't switch earlier... except maybe the fact that he doesn't seem to like to buy things.

[celluloidprop]

Caught this on Netflix last night (followed by Page One, the NYT doc). Thought it was pretty good, Cunningham is a very interesting character - but I could have done with fewer light interviews with rich fashionistas. Their take on the world/fashion is infinitely less interesting than hearing Cunningham talk about it himself.

The montage of puddle-jumping shots looked like it would make a strong body for a book by itself. Cunningham may not think of himself as a great photographer, but he definitely has an eye.

Felt much less bad about him losing his Carnegie Hall studio when I saw the apartment with a view directly on Central Park.

[finguanzo]

I just saw him yesterday... Hes always on 57th and 5th ave, see him a few times a week working... Ive even caught him chimpin...
He seems like a very private guy, dosnt make eye contact with anyone, always has his head down, the few times someone has recognized him, hes avoided it.. Everytime I walk by and see him, I take a shot, I have so many pictures of him, I might be able to make a behind the scenes book on him..

[Larry Kellogg]

Has Bill really converted to digital? I photographed him a few weeks ago on Fifth avenue but I did not get a close look at his camera. The guys at Sunshine Color Labs (West 31st street) told me that he has his rolls developed there. See: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sunshine-color-lab-new-york Great place, check it out.

Bill's blue smock is a French workingman's uniform that allows a person, such as a factory worker, to keep his clothes clean. When I worked part time in a woodworking shop in Brooklyn, I always wore an apron, for the same reason. I think Bill's uniform indicates that he his serious about his work. Plus, the uniform provides lots of pockets for film.

The thing that struck me most about the film was Bill's kindness and empathy towards his subjects. He once quit Woman's Wear Daily because they used his photographs to belittle women who were emulating the fashion of models they had seen in runway shows. Bill's work is about celebrating creativity in dress, and feeling good about one's self as a result.

I think all the people on New York's social circuit are comfortable with Bill because they know that he will not use the camera as a weapon to demean them. I loved how Bill eats Chinese food before he goes to one of those fancy dinners because he is working and sees it as a conflict of interest to take food in that situation.

Bill is a treasure. His series, "On The Street", in the New York Times, is wonderful.

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by Larry Kellogg

Has Bill really converted to digital? I photographed him a few weeks ago on Fifth avenue but I did not get a close look at his camera. The guys at Sunshine Color Labs (West 31st street) told me that he has his rolls developed there. See: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sunshine-color-lab-new-york Great place, check it out.

He's been seen and photographed around NYC with a Nikon digital...though I'm not sure if that is his tool of choice.

[JuJu]

Originally Posted by finguanzo

Ive even caught him chimpin...

He's been converted to the dark side!
I took a photo of him without knowing who he is a few years back on Governor's Island,
just thought this guy is kind of cool

Bill Cunningham by JuJu~~, on Flickr

[Larry Kellogg]

Here is a link about Alec Soth's work with an 8x10 camera: http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/20...0-film-camera/ Definitely check out the videos at the end. Now I want to shoot 8x10, LOL. Alec describes how he gains some distance from his subjects when he works under the dark cloth and, as a result, does not have to maintain eye contact but can look directly into their eyes on the ground glass.

I believe Paul Strand used to make a big production of fooling around under the dark cloth, making it look as if he were doing all sorts of adjustments. At some point in time, his subjects would relax, and he would get the picture he wanted.

[Larry Kellogg]

Originally Posted by PKR

You may be interested in the way Avedon worked with an 8x10 for his portraits. He had assistants do all the "camera work" (changing of film holders, etc) once the image was composed. He stood next to the lens with a cable release in hand. This way he had good contact with his subject. People work differently..

http://www.richardavedon.com/#mi=1&p...=-1&a=-1&at=-1

Very good point. I wonder if the difference in methods is related to the subjects. Avedon was photographing people many of whom were used to being photographed, while Strand was working with Mexican villagers and other people who were less comfortable in front of the camera, if I recall correctly. Just a thought.

Diane Arbus said that people knew you had an edge on them when you were holding a camera, because the camera somehow fixed them. I think that is true.

[Larry Kellogg]

How wonderful, Cezanne painted: "Peasant in a Blue Smock" in the 1890s. http://arthistory.about.com/od/from_..._pma_09_07.htm I'm sure the working class connotations of the garment do not escape Bill.

[Larry Kellogg]

Originally Posted by PKR

Avedon used this same technique while photographing the "public" for his personal work.

http://www.google.com/search?q=avedo...w=1283&bih=798

Note: Not all the photos in the above link are Avedon's or Avedon related. Google doesn't edit the phony stuff out.

I knew you were going to say that. ;-) Oh well, I suppose my argument doesn't hold up.

Never mind getting the blue smock, how does one get the domestiques to set up the camera, and hand you the cable release?

[Larry Kellogg]

Originally Posted by PKR

You pay them. A good photo assistant (west coast) earns $200-500/day depending on skills.

Avedon used much of his money to fund his personal projects.

I know, I was kidding. How long did Avedon work with the Rolleiflex before switching to 8x10?