December 6, 2009
Peter Turnley: Moments of the Human Condition – 1972-2009: Photographs by a Renowned International Photojournalist
I’m not usually a crier, but the passion and heart that Peter Turnley puts into his photographs and the way he explains the very Human moments when photographs were taken had me choking back the tears. When I walked into the room, I saw a middle-aged man, jeans, basic jacket and shoulder length blond hair and glasses. Not assuming. Reading this book by its cover certainly would have been deceiving.
It was the basic famous photographer’s lecture, to start off with. He reviewed how he started in the business and who inspired him and showed some pictures from his earlier work. The work was good….community based stuff during the civil rights era. I laugh that I even have the nerve to judge. This man’s work has graced the cover of Newsweek Magazine 43 times! Truthfully, I didn’t know who he was before I walked into the room. I do now and his work and heartfelt passion and experiences are indelibly marked in my photographers experience.
He noted that he had never spoken for a full two-hour lecture and diligently checked his watch every so often to be sure that he was talking long enough. Luckily for his captivated audience, he was forced to share some stories of danger and human moments that occured while capturing some the worlds best photographs. He has visited more than 90 countries and has photographed uncountable political figures such as Obama, Gorbatchev, Yeltsin, Putin, Mandela, Arafat, Schroeder, Chirac, Clinton, Reagan, Bush Sr, Lady Diana, and Pope Jean Paul. He has dead bodies and crying faces in his photographs, power, fallen power and devistation. He was one of the very few photographers to capture the scene right after 9/11 and told us the story of how he was in Boston when the towers were hit and then he immediately felt that he had to travel to Manhattan to photograph. The story was particuarly touching when he told us of a phone call from his twin brother’s girlfriend saying that the brother grabbed his own camera equipment and dashed off to the World Trade Center to photograph and that she hadn’t heard from him since. Peter thought he may have lost his twin that day. Later we find that, being one of perhaps three photographers to make it into the restricted area, he was walking out after a long morning of photographing and saw a group of photographers waiting to get in … among them… his brother. That was only one of the touching tales.
What strikes me often when sitting through lectures of truly accomplished photographers is that they often will go back and try to find the people in their photographs…. years later. Peter had several stories of finding people and of people finding him. It seems as if much of the satisfaction is to, someday, learn what the people in the photographs were thinking at the time the shot was taken. Once the story is known, some of the pieces of the mystery of the Human Condition can then the put in their proper place.
I was very pleased I attended this lecture. I will attend again, if get the chance. Peter gives photography workshops all over the world. So, I’ll have to pay attention to catch him. Here is his info, if you’re interested.
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