A Life of Dedication
When one looks at what cameras he employed throughout his career, and when he finally succumbed to digital, (well near the 2nd decade of the 21st century), one wonders if he ever gave much thought to any camera. This Harvard dropout started his photography soon after his millinery exploits were going the way of the dinosaur. His first camera was in fact the tiny Olympus Pen half-frame. A camera you could get 72 images out of with the standard roll of 36 exposure 35mm film. For an admittedly non-technical user,…that made perfect sense. Eventually, he went to the various incantations of the Nikon FM‘s with a 35mm lens. (probably 99% of his images) In fact, he seemed to favor non-Nikon thyristor flashes, (Vivitar, etc.), long after “TTL” was all the rage. So it made perfect sense that he never went full frame digital. First a Nikon D40x with 24mm lens, then a Nikon D5200 when he was already well into his mid 80’s. Now that’s a technological ‘hold out’!
Fashion Only, Please
I knew many fellow fashion photographers in NYC who couldn’t care less about fashion. Including me. But it always appeared Bill Cunningham never cared about the “photography” part of what he was doing. Just the fashion. Not even the people wearing the fashion. (he had no interest in celebrities) And since he had no TV and never went to the movies, for the most part, he wouldn’t know most celebrities if they came up and sat on his face. Point is, a paparazzi he was not. However, the down side to being an almost unknown photographer outside of the fashion and society world, (even with having his own columns in the NY Times), meant he was subjected to the same harsh slings and arrows as other NYC street photographers. Despite that, he seemed to be forever smiling.
Two Documentaries
Not one,…but two documentaries on his life! Most photographers, (who tend to be very private and technical), would be happy to just be “considered” for one. Both are absolutely fabulous. According to me,…and Rotten Tomatoes. The first was made when he was just turning 80. “Bill Cunningham New York“. The second was made just shortly before his death in 2016, “The Times of Bill Cunningham“. I’m unsure if that was suppose to be a play on words. (since he worked for the Times) Both are available on many streaming channels. (FilmRise, etc)
Retrospective
Multiple retrospectives are in the works. But the 2018 New York Historical Society museum retrospective is particularly interesting. While showing his work, it also displayed his many friendships with designers, magazine editors, NYC society, his bicycle, his Nikon camera, his signature blue jacket, plus some of his hat designs before he became a fashion trend spotter extraordinaire. Plus a short film by Josef Astor, “A Visit with Bill Cunningham”, was also shown. In fact, I think I could confidently state that he was less a photographer and more one of ‘the world’s greatest style authorities’ of the 20th century. His passion, love and kindness is a true inspiration, and attests to what is good about the human spirit.
We love you Bill, and may you forever remain in our hearts.
Enjoyed it!