Douglas Kirkland has just passed away. His photographs are a tribute to beauty and will live on forever. His death has been widely documented, as he is a true legend of this industry. Below, a story in DP Review. The banner photo above is a group shot from the book, A day in the life of Hollywood, which is of course Douglas’s home ground. The formidable and kind photographer Henry Groskinsky was given the difficult task of taking another 75 pictures, all of whom were repulsive and impatient.
In the late seventies, I was a copy kid at the NY Daily News. Lots of petty and unfounded hopes of becoming a “new Yawk photographer”.
Bob Clive was the art director at The Sunday Journal of the News and saw the sparkle somewhere in my mostly student portfolio, and gave me a few assignments, which ultimately , over time, I got my first cover of a real magazine. The Daily News has over 50 staff members taking pictures regularly, and the fact that a copy/apprentice kid knocks down the cover of the legendary Sunday News Magazine makes me dislike them. Except for the confident people who congratulated me and told me to keep pushing. Those possessing weak skills and small spirits looked at me sideways. A threat.
I was on vacation on the west coast. No money, cheap airfare, couch surfing while I was there. Clive called me several phone numbers to introduce my work. One of them is Douglas Kirkland. I researched his work in school. Summon the guts and give him a call. My opening line is something along the lines of “Mr. Kirkland, my name is Joe McNally and I work at the New York Daily News. I have always admired your work and I would love to come and show you my portfolio. ” (At this point, “stalk” is still not used in the common vernacular.)
He told me to come here.
He has a gorgeous home in the Hollywood Hills, and his walls are decorated with gradient prints of some of the most legendary actresses in the movies. He sat with me, and, once a gentleman, told me my furniture was wonderful. He was extremely positive about my efforts, and described a bright future. I was very elated.
Later that day, I had an appointment with Con Keyes, then the LA Times’ director of photography. He bluntly told me I would never make it through.
I recall driving on the Pacific Highway wearing a t-shirt and sitting on a rock staring at the ocean. I know of no assessment that is completely true, and the answer lies somewhere in between. I also know that the devastating review I received at The Times was really about the egoist power of the reviewer, and therefore not so much about me. Later on that trip, I drove north to San Francisco, and once again showed off my stalker personality and called the legendary Magnum photo, Paul Fusco. He gave me a critical, overview of where it was called, but in the wasteland of my early work he found seeds of hope and a hint of promise. He told me to embrace those little positives and work on them.
But Douglas, at the height of his righteous acclaim, with magazines and giant film companies slamming his doors, took the time to meet someone and encourage him. No pretensions, no barriers, no merging of the ego. Just a “Let’s go.” I remember I walked on the plane out of his house. His assessment of my work really reflects his attitude about this whole endeavor.
“I have a true philosophy. I don’t want to create negative images of people and so I do everything I can to help them feel comfortable in front of the camera. That’s what will control your photo, because you are alone if your subject is not with you. And that’s the simple answer to getting a good photo.” Kirkland said in describing how he was able to bring out the personalities of his subjects.
The power of mentoring. The power of simply taking the time. Pleasure to look at pictures. The soul-healing effect of interacting with someone with an open heart and soul, and living happily. And, fueling this, an unwavering confidence in one’s own skills, confidence enough to pass it on, and encouragement rather than destruction from above. He gave me a life lesson that day. He will be ignored. Definitely his eye, and his boundless enthusiasm for the next photo or next mission. But other than that, his polite way. We won’t see him like it again.
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