Paul Graham Interviews Richard Woodward (link)
Richard B. Woodward
RW: Did you realize that you could have a career?
PG: A “career”—god no! Sadly I belong to that naïve alternative culture of the 70s that rejected “careers.” I did what most UK musicians and would-be rock stars did: I went on the dole. Oh, and I worked Saturdays in an arts bookshop, which meant I could order anything I wanted. I stocked the place with these amazing books: New Topographics catalogs, Robert Adams’ The New West, early Ed Ruscha books, etc. We never managed to sell any of them—they were all remaindered for 50c!
RW: But if you’re going to travel to Europe and Japan you must have figured out ways to support yourself.
PG: You sleep on friend’s floors. I traveled in an old Mini—the original Mini—and I slept in the back of that for a long time. That was uncomfortable! I ate in truck driver’s cafes, and had a friend who found out-of-date film for me. Then you do some teaching and get a small grant. The documentary-style tradition is very strong in England. Eventually I met up with Martin Parr, Chris Killip, Graham Smith, John Davis.
A highly urbane, plain spoken guy. I remember this is one of the things that really attracted me to photography in the first place. That no matter how much bullshit people in the academies (or elsewhere) spin about it, in the end there are only the pictures. And it seems the best photographers have been amazingly straightforward in describing what they are doing. The authenticity is what is refreshing. That it felt real, and unfake.
Click the link in the title.
Posted 2 years ago
