One camera lens — Two very different photographers

Bill Cunningham at work (and play)

Two photographers, one living, one no longer with us, documenting our world, brilliantly.

It has been some time since I have blogged on photography. It has been however one of my priorities since launching takenote.ca. Today however, I return to photography.

Two recent news articles highlight the work of two important photographers who have given us important images showcasing our world, its people, its animals, its culture, its natural beauty.

The first, is the late Bill Cunningham (d. 2016), a New York-based photographer and one-time photo journalist with the New York Times. His archives have now found a permanent home in a New York museum that will make access possible for scholars and enthusiasts, and facilitate the assembly of entertaining exhibitions. Writing in The Smithsonian, Christian Thorsberg describes the acquisition.

Tens of Thousands of Stunning Images have been acquired by New York Historical (museum). The museum will house photographs, negatives, and slides belonging to the renowned photographer, who captured life in New York City for decades before his death in 2016.

Beginning in the 1960s, Cunningham became famous for capturing New York City fashion, culture, and candid street scenes. To honor his prolific presence among the city’s glitterati and everyday public, the New York Landmarks Conservancy even named him a “living landmark” in 2009.

The photographer became known for the blue French workman’s jacket he always wore and the bicycles he used to travel to photography gigs across the city’s boroughs.

Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New York Historical, says in a statement. “Bill, who famously turned fashion photography into cultural anthropology, is unique among American chroniclers of social life in New York.”

A video summarizing Cunningham’s approach to what might be called Fashion/Street photography is worth watching.

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In a very different place and time, Vancouver Island photographer Ryan Tidman was recently granted a two-year fellowship to study and protect B.C.’s sea wolves.

Photo by Ryan Tidman

[Mina Kerr-Lazenby CTV news] With his striking portraits, Vancouver Island wildlife photographer Ryan Tidman has made strides in the work to raise awareness of the sea wolf species that litters B.C.’s coastline – and yet he’s only just beginning to scratch the surface.

Last month Tidman was named as the inaugural Audain Wildlife Conservation Fellow, a two-year appointment established by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and supported by the Audain Foundation, that will enable research into the at-risk species.

Tidman will split his time between Vancouver Island and the Great Bear Rainforest, the 6.4 million hectares of rugged temperate rain forest on British Columbia’s north and central coast.

“It’s so exciting to be able to commit some serious time to working with these animals,” says the photographer and cinematographer, describing the primary objective for the project as reshaping the public’s perception of the species.

“Wolves have been given a bad name and reputation” Tidman says. He hopes to shift the public perception of the creatures to something that represents “strength and wilderness,” and celebrates the “highly intelligent and social” qualities of the species.

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Two very different photographers whose lives overlapped but whose subjects are unique and distinct. It’s a long way from Park Avenue to Northwestern British Columbia, geographically, culturally, and physically. There is life in both places; beauty flourishes in both city and wilderness; the photographer in each area of work must master their equipment and work hard to be in the right place at the right time. Both embody the old photographer’s rule: “f8 and show up.” Both are portraitists of the finest art.

Given that I have less interest in the fashion trends of males in urban culture than some, I doubt I will ever visit New York City especially in the era  of Trump and other gangsters. Given my physical limitations I will not likely ever visit the great Bear Rain Forest. Both these photographers however take me to both places effectively and enjoyably.

I am grateful for their artistry and dedication. They both deserve our attention and respect. See what you think.

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