Thursday, March 4, 2010

Juergen & Julia


Juergen Teller: Fergus Henderson, London. 2008.

One of the pleasures of the blogosphere for me is the synergy between commenters and commented. I always like to see the blogs of people who leave comments on YIP and often they show pictures and tell stories well worth passing on. Most recently, I checked into Phone With A Cord, a blog by Julia Wideman (who submitted the picture of three friends at Halloween I recently posted). It's a great round up of what interests her in photography, but what particularly caught my eye was the picture above by Juergen Teller. It's such a simple picture, but so dynamic. The pop of blue color against the browns, the intersecting diagonal line of the background, the circle of the glasses, and above all the cockeyed expression of the sitter. Technique is one thing, but a great eye to make something of nothing and the talent to engage a subject to perform and collaborate in such a spontaneous fashion is something else!

5 comments:

Martin said...

That's a nice shout-out. And the blog has been added to my feed. Thanks!

nina corvallo said...

Juergen Teller is very talented indeed, however it seems his work is often snubbed by the art world.
Just as Avedon's was and maybe still is.It seems such an antiquated idea to make such distinction between fine art and artisianl, between the published and the self-published.
Thank you for drawing from wide pool always.

Anonymous said...

I agree that Teller is a very talented photographer, but this image is more about the actual eccentricities of the 'sitter' - Fergus Henderson is a very unusual chap - he's a famous chef in the UK (he has a great restaurant called 'St John', where dishes include bone marrow, pigeon and pig's head) and and has a very particular "look" - I just don't feel Teller "made something out of nothing" in this image. This subject would have been willing to perform very easily!

The Year in Pictures said...

Dear Anon -

I beg to differ!

J.D.

zara said...

I'm totally with you on the technique v style thing; some would say that a lot of great photographs are lacking technically, but that's what making them charming and giving them what technically 'perfect' pictures don't have - distinct style.
I love how the man's glasses are askew, off center but yet right in the middle! very relaxed but exuding dynamics, as if he's just finished moving and sat down after completing somthing.