The Decisive Moment

I was having a bit of a browse around the web today, looking for something inspiring to write about, when I came across Murray Garrett’s website.

Even if you’re not familiar with the name Murray Garrett I’m certain that you’ll recognize at least a few of his photographs.  His shots of celebrities in 40’s, 50’s and 60’s Hollywood are legendary. To call them merely iconic is to do them a disservice.

Though his posed shots are stunning, I’m particularly fond of his candid work. His portraits are beautifully elegant and portray the subject in such a way that, even if you didn’t know who they were, you would be sure that they were a star. Somehow he maintains their glamorousness (I’ve checked and apparently that’s not a made up word) while managing to peel away a layer, allowing us a brief glimpse of something more than just the public persona of the celebrity, something deeper, real. What’s more, every picture emanates a real sense of reverence - something that in this era of paparazzi and in a culture where we’d rather see celebrities at their worst is really refreshing to see.

Garrett started his photographic career as a teenager, working after school as an assistant to the famous Broadway photographer, Eileen Darby. His first professional assignment was to cover Eleanor Roosevelt and Phillip Murray, president of the CIO, attending a play in New Jersey. Since that impressive start he has photographed literally hundreds of the most famous names in show business, sports, politics, the arts and sciences; often becoming the photographer of choice for the celebrity in question.  Perhaps most interestingly so for the legendary Bob Hope. In Hope’s words, “His photographs were so great that from then on I didn’t leave home without him. And for 25 years he not only covered all my radio and TV activities but, he laughed at all my jokes. Now, that’s a major talent.”

In 2000 he published his first book, a collection of his photographs accompanied by an anecdotal commentary, Hollywood Candid, A Photographer Remembers. This was followed up in 2002 with Hollywood Moments. Both books are published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. and are available to buy from Amazon.

I simply love looking at his photographs and If you haven’t already visited his website I strongly urge you to:

http://www.murraygarrett.com

You can see another, larger collection of his work here:

http://www.photographersgallery.com/by_artist.asp?id=12

Enjoy.

I have been swapping a few emails with my new buddy overseas, Dražen Štader, since he commented on one of the articles here on TDM. As you do, I followed Dražen’s link to his website and took a look around. Now, I have to say (sorry, mate) his site is not the easiest to navigate, but I found this little essay entitled “New York Twins” and I really like it.

There’s really not much more I can say, except take a look and see what you think.

I hate him!

His photographs are fantastic, his client list is phenomenal, his work has been published everywhere and he has photographed everyone who is anyone! Here is the “Brief Intro to Lionel’s History” which I have lifted direct from his website:

“Lionel Deluy was born in the South of France, where he was first introduced to photography. He migrated to Paris and started his career as an assistant at Daylight Studio, and…

…Lionel has since photographed the hottest celebrities, most recently, Jessica Alba, Adrian Brody, Kevin Bacon, Ashton Kutcher, Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Fiona Apple, Dita VonTeese, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Hefner, Jessica Simpson, Michelle Rodriquez…

His work has appeared in magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Arena, FHM, Harper’s Bazaar, Premiere, In Style, Flaunt, The Source, Elle, Pavement, Atomica, The Book LA, Variety, Vogue, Ink, French Photo, GQ…

Lionel has shot advertising campaigns for clients such as Zoo York, Haagen Dazs, Dita Eyewear, Reebok…

His client list extends to music giants like Disney, Warner Brothers Records, Sony Music, Thrive Records…

Lionel currently resides in Venice California.”

There is little more I can say except please do yourself a favour and visit Lionel’s website. Brilliant!

This is a tricky one! I can’t tell you anything about this photographer, other than their name. I don’t know if they are male or female, what nationality, age - nothing!

What I can tell you is that this photographer has a real talent. The photographs have a deep, rich quality and they are beautifully and thoughtfully composed. Each image is a story which immediately absorbs you.

Stunning. Someone, please tell me more!

Matt Stuart describes himself as a “street photographer”. He has a wonderful talent for spotting and capturing people inadvertently interacting with their surroundings. Some of his images are quite surreal, many are amusing and most are thought-provoking.

I personally like his black & white work the best. I don’t know if he works with film or digital, but his black & white images have that fabulous look of perfectly exposed film, expertly printed onto Ilford paper.

I’m going to have to find out more about this photographer. I thoroughly recommend a visit to Matt’s website, although you will need to have Flash installed first.