Antique Way

About The Photographs News

The photographs that are closest to home

It may be the toughest assignment for photographers: capturing those they know best.

By Mary Knox Merrill

A photographer often becomes famous for projects that turn a lens on unfamiliar people or events. But what happens when the camera faces those closest to the photographer?

Insight into the lives of famous and not-so-famous photographers is offered in Family: Photographers Photograph Their Families (Phaidon Press Limited, $39.95) From Alfred Stieglitz's portrait of his wife Georgia O'Keeffe, to snapshots of children and grandchildren taken by Dorthea Lange and Edward Weston, this collection of images dating from 1865 to 2003 reveals the individuals behind the masters.

They are quiet, seemingly insignificant moments - walks on the beach, lounging in the backyard. Most images capture members of the family, while others include family pets and contents of the home. And in these everyday images, a behind-the-scene glimpse into the photographer's life is revealed.

Highlights include: French photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue's self-portrait embracing his baby son; Czech photographer Vlado Bohdan's children in costume; and Cuban photographer Abelardo Morell creating the illusion of his children resting on his house by lying on pavement in the home's shadow;.

Comprised of images with brief captions, the book seems almost like a scrapbook or photo album full of pages of images from different stages in life. In the back are brief summaries of the photographers' lives and style of work.

Unfortunately readers do not hear the photographers' voices detailing the action, but they can read descriptions of how the pictures relate to the type of work the photographers pursued.

Photographing one's family is often a tricky affair. The photographer who documents strangers does so as a detached observer, he or she watches subjects and portrays ideas about who they are.

But family is so incredibly close. The photograph is a part of the action and an influence on the subjects. Familiarity sometimes becomes a liability rather than an asset because the photographer cannot help but bring to the experience preconceived ideas and deep-rooted emotion.

Whether scrupulously planned or photographed at a moment's notice, these images offer viewers a rare glimpse into the mind-set of the photographers behind the cameras.

Annie Leibovitz photographs of New York Times headquarters go on display

NEW YORK (AP) _ Dozens of photographs Annie Leibovitz's images documenting the construction of The New York Times's new headquarters go on display around the midtown Manhattan work site beginning Wednesday.

Leibovitz was commissioned by developer Forest City Ratner Cos. to chronicle the rising tower, which will be 52 stories when completed. More than 80 of Leibovitz's images, taken between July and November 2005, will be part of the free public display.

Hundreds of posters will be mounted on the walls lining the site at Eighth Avenue between West 40th and West 41st streets, across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and 14 giant banners will be hung above the pedestrian walkway.

Workers were expected to finish installing the images by 6 a.m. Wednesday, Forest City Ratner spokeswoman Jane Pook said.

Tenants are expected to begin moving into the building in early 2007.

The tower now stands at 25 stories, Pook said, and Leibovitz will continue to photograph it until it is occupied.

The ceramic-and-glass skyscraper was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. It replaces a row of rundown businesses that included an adult video store, a deli, a barbershop, an electronics store and a tavern.