Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-12-14)

30 14 December 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

ThebookDuffybyChris

Duffyis publishedby

ACCArtBooks,£45,ISBN

9-781788-840088.To find

outmore,visitwww.

accartbooks.com

Toseemoreof Duffy’s

work,gotowww.

duffyarchive.com.

steppedin.Duffy’sthenstudio

managerFrancisNewman

recalls,‘Pierrestartedtoapplythis

tinylittleflashandwhenDuffy

sawit hesaid,“No,notf******like

that,likethis.”Heliterallydrewit

rightacrossthefaceandsaidto

Pierre,“Now,fillthatin.”’

Pushingtheboundaries

WhenaskedaboutDuffy’sapproach

toshoots,ChrisDuffyexplains,‘He

hada veryeclectic,openmind,

absorbedinformationveryeasily,

hada massiveappetiteforit and

wasincrediblywellread.His

approachwasverymuchif you’d

say“that’sblack”,he’dsay“that’s

white”.Hetriedtoprovokea

conversationbasedonanopposite

position.Thatprocess,particularly

whenphotographingpeople,is

quiteinterestingwhenyoulook

atthecontactsheetsbecausehe

would engage people. I think that

it wasa productivewayofgetting

interestingportraits.’

Hecontinues,‘I alwayssaidout

ofthethree[Bailey,Donovanand

Duffy]ofthem,Terry[Donovan]

wasthejoker.If Baileywasgoing

tophotographyouhe’dcomeupto

you,brushyourshoulderandgo,“is

thatdandruff?”He’dputyouonthe

backfoot– thatwashiskindof

technique.WhereasDuffywasthe

intellectandsoheengagedpeople

onanintellectuallevel.’

WhenattemptingtosumDuffy

up,Chrisconcludes,‘Justwhen

youthoughtyou’dgothimsussed

out,hewouldalwaysdothe

opposite.Hekeptpeopleontheir

toes.Hedidn’tsufferfoolslightly.

He’sgota reputationofbeingbad

tempered,butI don’tthinkhewas

badtempered.I thinkhejustdidn’t

likestupidityormediocrityand

hewasalwaystrying to push

the boundaries.’

Below:Duffy

lookingatcontact

sheets in 2009

Above:Aladdin
Sane,contact
sheet, 1973