When I was working, there was more commercial photography work being assigned in a single building in Manhattan than in entire cities anywhere else.I should probably just STFU at this point but your reduction of it all to greed bugs me. Can you not appreciate the concrete advantages that NYC bestows upon artists? You need to add a light or buy film: You can go to B+H or Adorama in a few minutes. Don't want to buy the light? Plenty of places rent lights. Not able to process color? Drop your chromes at Duggal. Need studio space? There are dozens of spaces for hire. Same for darkrooms. How about a model? There are hundreds, from internet amateurs to Wilhelmina pros. Camera break on set? Have an assistant run it down to Nippon Photo Clinic on Broadway. Printing in alternate media? Talas has every paper you could possibly need. And plenty of stores that sell inks and orther printing needs. Hoping to get a show? There are dozens of galleries and exhibition spaces available for new work. Wanna shoot fashion? NYC is the center of the fashion world. Wanna learn how to shoot fashion? Sign up for courses at Fashion Institute of Technology. Or sign up for classes at ICP.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. If you are serious about your craft, there are few places in the world that offer the kinds of support that NYC offers. And yeah, it's easier to monetize your work there too. But if you're there for that, you missed the point.
So is The Night Watch. The painting was commissioned by rich townspeople to show off their wealth and importance. And from your comment, I can only assume you are not familiar with all of Ms Liebovitz's body of work. Does her portrait of John and Yoko celebrate excess?I don't find her work uninteresting because her subjects are celebs. I find it tedious because it's self referential to a time and moment in culture, is highly repetitive, and celebrates excess for its own sake - both in the subjects and in the photography. I'll grant you she was an effective documentarian of the time, it's just not a durable work product IMO.
Does her portrait of John and Yoko celebrate excess?
And how would that be?Yes.
And how would that be?
Since no one saluted my suggestion of Bunny Yeager, how about Lillian Bassman? Granted, another parochial New York photographer, but I like her.
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The Mistress of the Darkroom – Lillian Bassman
Lillian Bassman (American, June 15, 1917–February 13, 2012) was a photographer, art director, graphic designer and painter best known for her work in fashionartanddesigninspiration.com
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Lillian Bassman
Photographer Lillian Bassman's work is featured at Jackson Fine Art - a gallery that supports fine art photography including Lillian Bassman photography.www.jacksonfineart.com
she was Richard Avedon's mentor at Harper's Bazaar
Can you imagine what it must have been like, to be a young photographer in the Harper’s Bazaar world with Lillian Bassman, Diana Vreeland and Alexey Brodovitch?
Since no one saluted my suggestion of Bunny Yeager, how about Lillian Bassman? Granted, another parochial New York photographer, but I like her.
![]()
The Mistress of the Darkroom – Lillian Bassman
Lillian Bassman (American, June 15, 1917–February 13, 2012) was a photographer, art director, graphic designer and painter best known for her work in fashionartanddesigninspiration.com
![]()
Lillian Bassman
Photographer Lillian Bassman's work is featured at Jackson Fine Art - a gallery that supports fine art photography including Lillian Bassman photography.www.jacksonfineart.com
Did you know that Nicholas Vreeland is the Monk with a Camera. He lived in the same building as Irving Penn and Richard Avedon , I met him a decade ago , showing him work of a Danish Photographer who's work is totally recorded in Tibet.
Some of my favorites:
Evelyn Hofer
Latoya Ruby Frazier
Donna Ferrato
Judith Joy Ross
Tish Murtha
Susan Meiselas
Lois Conner
I don't think Dickey Chapelle has been mentioned yet.
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