Sundance photographer series

I missed Monday night but caught most of last night’s presentation focusing on Helmet Newton’s life. The thing that stood out most for me was the huge body of work Newton produced. Whether you’re a Helmet Newton fan or not you have to agree the the guy was prolific. He carved a unique niche for himself (often called elegant kink) and worked it.

The other thing that I’d forgotten I knew about photographers of his caliber is that despite his well-defined niche, no subject was off-limits. Newton took the old saw “always take a camera” and quadrupled it. He baffled more than a few nurses by taking a small camera with him as they rolled him into the operating room. Particularly revealing were the post-operative self-portraits as well as those of his wife (shot during different hospital stays).

What did I learn? Passionate pursuit of photography goals is a journey not a destination. If you ever think you’re there, you are completely missing the point. It’s OK if you can’t draw. Newton filled notebook after notebook with crude, stickman sketches and weird little lists. And, last but not least, always take a camera.

The Sundance Series continues tonight:

6-7:15 p.m. CST “Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye”

7:15-9 p.m. CST “William Eggleston/Real World”