A page from 'Portrait of an Age' by photojournalist Dr. Erich Salomon, who was killed by the Nazis at Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944. Before that, he was the pre-eminent low light photographer in the world, coaxing natural light (no flash) and fast film with his Ermanox camera in high places. Read his suggestions for "access," as true today as they were in 1933 when he wrote this: his remarks about photographers' "fights" to do their job remain timeless. I was influenced by him without even knowing it initially,
r.e. his fait accompli deductions.
Above, his photo with British Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald and Albert Einstein. Below, Mussolini and German diplomats in 1931.
Selfie: Dr. Salomon and his Ermanox camera.
Disastrously, he chose the Netherlands, his wife's homeland, as would-be haven to flee the Nazis: that's exactly where they grabbed him. His sons who fled to England survived, including photographer Peter Hunter-Salomon who searched out and kept his murdered father's legacy alive for posterity, thankfully. Even beyond Salomon's low light technical achievements, he is remembered for documenting the candid mechanics of those in power rather than the posed smiles and faux dignity.
No comments:
Post a Comment