Finding inspiration - Part 1: Jill Greenberg

I have a very enquiring mind; if I don't quite understand something I'll generally do everything I can to turn confusion into sense. (God bless the internet!)

I do a lot of reading, and it amazes me that sometimes the smallest of articles can become an amazingly complex rabbit-hole of insight, where each question leads to another that needs answering. Sometimes the journey takes you to some amazing places, or provides you with a whole treasure trove of new ideas to explore.

Honestly, I don't know how people like me survived these burning questions before the internet became such a big part of our daily lives.

Sometimes these little searches yield some real gems, and open my mind to something else.
Sometimes it's just amazing to take stock of whatever revelation has been made known to you and then work your way back to the initial switch that set the whole process in motion.

The train of thought that got me acquainted with the work of Jill Greenberg is such a journey, and one that I thought would make a great blog post.

More info after the jump.


I had an absolutely fantastic birthday this year; I had a great day with a wife who I love immensely, and spent a great evening enjoying the company of good friends.

I also received an amazing book as a gift - Photo Wisdom by Lewis Blackwell

As a self taught photographer I will admit that I know very little about the big names in the field.
As amazing as this book is for the visual feast it provides, for me the real value lies in what each photographer has written.
I found it ironic that there were so many images that I remember seeing before, but had no idea of the photographer behind that image.
Sometimes the photographer's story - the passion and the motivation behind the image are just as inspiring as the pictures themselves.

I've also made the decision to start learning about the Photographic Greats and spend time looking at he work they've created.

And so it was that I got stuck on Jill Greenberg's chapter and the words she had written.
One particular paragraph stood out for me though, as it re-iterates a feeling I've had that I wish I could somehow express to potential clients; Photographers know that photography is not simply about arriving with a camera and taking images. There is work involved - lots of it!

"The actual shoot doesn't usually take that long. A shoot day is a few hours, but if you are shooting a celebrity you might only have fifteen minutes or an hour. It is more about the preparation - the pre-production is the most time, second is the post production, and the actual shooting is usually the least amount of time."

And so I decided to jump on the internet and learn a little more about Jill Greenberg and take a look at other work she has created.

What struck me immediately was, again, the fact that there were images I had seen before and been amazed by.
Prime example is the image of Michael C. Hall, T.V.'s Dexter Morgan.



I won't even try and deny the fact that I'm intrigued by anything sinister or creepy.
As such, Dexter is a show I've been crazy about ever since I started watching it.
If you've never watched Dexter you won't know what I mean.

As much as I love the series' storyline, I have to admit that it's the mixture of music and amazing visuals that captivate me.
I remember being thrilled by the opening title when I first saw it.



Talk about combining some inspired thinking with great execution.(pun almost intended!)

But I digress.

Jill Greenberg is herself no stranger to controversy.

She once landed in hot water after doing a portrait shoot of Senator John McCain for Atlantic Monthly magazine.

The following paraphrased off Wikipedia:

In August 2008, Greenberg was hired by The Atlantic to photograph John McCain for the magazine's October 2008 cover. Once the magazine hit the newsstands, Greenberg admitted to a photo industry magazine to shooting additional images, to depict McCain in a sinister light, so that she could create her own political art. Greenberg also posted to her website altered versions of photographs.

The Atlantic said of Greenberg, "we expected her, like the other photographers we work with, to behave professionally. Jill Greenberg has obviously not done that. She has, in fact, disgraced herself, and we are appalled by the manipulated images of John McCain she has created for her Web site."

Similarly, controversy arose after her "End Times" exhibition, which depicted child models in various states of distress and misery.
Questions were asked as to the methods used, and a lively debate was started.

Being new to the story I found quite a number of interesting pieces online.

It's interesting to see the how polarized the response to photography can be.
I'm reminded of a Facebook group I saw which denounced the work of Anne Geddes as tantamount to child abuse. Go figure!
I suppose, given the world we live in, it would be hard to find a subject or issue which the whole world would view in the same light.

Makes you think.
Not bad for a morning's reading!

So wherein lies the inspiration?
Firstly, it's always great to have beautiful imagery to be inspired by, and some of the portraits Jill Greenberg has taken honestly amaze me.

Secondly, controversy aside, it's interesting to catch glimpses of a photographer's emotions and beliefs resonating through their work.
Though I do feel sorry for John McCain, I'm astounded by the nerve it must have taken to create and display those images and the strength of the motivation behind that action.
I admire work with a message - though the fact that the message cannot always be separated from its method of creation is worth bearing in mind.

I hope one day to produce work that has a significant meaning to me, and that resonates within the consciences of my audience.

Bottom line for me today: Great pictures paint more than a thousand words.

I look forward to making a number of similar discoveries as I delve deeper into the book.