10 20 July 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
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The latest and best books and exhibitions
from the world of photography
Brian Griffi n: Work and
Other Stories
MMX Gallery, 448 New Cross Road, London
SE14 6TY. mmxgallery.com
WHEN Brian Griffi n was 35, he won a Design and Art
Direction award for his work on the Depeche Mode
album cover A Broken Frame. Ever the eccentric, he
decided to collect his award dressed as the Royal
Albert Hall. Griffi n’s photographic career began in the
1970s shooting corporate portraits for Management
Today. Unsurprisingly, he had an unorthodox approach
to portraiture, and his work was often humorous and,
at times, surreal. His unusual depiction of men in suits
attracted the attention of the music industry, with
smartly dressed bands such as The Jam and Ultravox
requesting his services. In 2013 he received the
Centenary Medal from the RPS for his achievements
in photography. A selection of Griffi n’s pictures from
the 1970s and ’80s (many of them vintage silver
gelatin or silver bromide prints) is on show at MMX
Gallery until 3 August. Tracy Calder© BRIAN GRIFFIN, COURTESY OF BRIAN GRIFFIN & MMX GALLERY© DAVID DREBEN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDBefore They
We r e Fa m ou s
teNeues, £100, 200 pages, hardcover, ISBN 978-
T
he nature of celebrity
photography has shifted
signifi cantly. To this day, Terry
O’Neill has continued to lament
the shifts in the process that was, back
in the 20th century, more about intimate
collaboration than a simple PR necessity.
It used to be that a photographer would
spend real time with their subject, perhaps
visiting them in their homes or taking them
on location to shoot reel after reel of fi lm.
Now, agents and PR companies sit in the
middle of the process ushering the subject
in and out of the studio in minutes with
barely a word spoken.
This book from photographer David
Drebin is notable for the fact that it is
a collection that deals with artists and
cultural fi gures before they hit the big
time. As a result, we get a rare and
intriguing look at these people before the
machines of celebrity swallowed them up
and turned them into near-ephemeral
icons. Among the images we see are
captivating portraits and contact sheets
of Steve Jobs – who Drebin presents as
an isolated thinker – before the release
of the fi rst game-changing iPod. We
also see actor Charlize Theron, here
represented as a neo-noir femme fatale
dressed in red and placed within a
location that suggests mystery in its
interplay of light of shadow.
Drebin is adept at telling us a story
through his images using only the most
minimal means. Through light, location,
and simple costume he is able to create
a digestible narrative that emphasises
rather than obscures his subject. But this
lavish tome isn’t just about the celebrities
Drebin has photographed; it is about
Drebin himself. If anything, the book
functions as a career retrospective that
fi nds space to look at Drebin’s own career
before he was famous. It’s fascinating to
explore the growth of this multimedia
artist and look at his work beyond the
portraiture for which he’s become known.
The price of the book may be somewhat
excessive, but if you’re looking for a good
insight into how the world of celebrity
portraiture works, this is certainly
a volume to consider.
★★★★★Oliver AtwellBOOK
BOOK
By David Drebin
David Drebin’s archive includes this
captivating photo of Emily Blunt
EXHIBITION
Big Bang, Broadgate,
London, 1986Space Dogs: The Story of the
Celebrated Canine Cosmonauts
By Martin Parr and Richard Hollingham,
Laurence King, £12.99, 128 pages, softcover,
ISBN 9781786274113
THIS quirky book coincides with the
50th anniversary of the moon landings,
and tells the story of canine cosmonauts
who paved the way for their human
successors in space missions. Trying
not to dwell heavily on the fate of Laika,
Belka, Strelka and her ‘pioneering pupnik friends’,
these four-legged friends are immortalised in history,
and the book is a great way to thank them for their
services. It’s fi lled with images from Martin Parr’s
‘20-year obsession’ collection of space dog
ephemera, and the text by Richard Hollingham walks
you through the history of canine cosmonauts. It is a
fascinating read for anybody interested in space travel,
dogs, or both. I loved it. ★★★★★ Amy Davies‘The book functions as
a career retrospective
that fi nds space to look
at Drebin’s own career’
Contact sheet of a young Charlize Theron,
before she won an Oscar and became famous© DAVID DREBEN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED