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B+WColorado, USA, 1955.determined to become a professional
photographer. Having secured some
prestigious commercial jobs he then
met Robert Capa who had recently
co-founded Magnum. He helped Elliott
make good contacts which led to an
assignment in Pittsburgh, which was
his first major photo-essay.
At the outbreak of the Korean War he was
drafted and assigned as a photographer
based in France where he continued his
personal work, winning competitions and
picking up assignments from US newspapers.
On his release from the army he returned to
New York and became a member of Magnum- the rest speaks for itself.
E
rwitt is characteristically modest and
reticent about his work and has
a reputation for being difficult to
draw on the subject. With this in
mind I spoke to him by phone at his New
York studio. This was our conversation:ELIZABETH ROBERTS You have been
phenomenally successful in your long and
varied career, but this success must stem
from an immense personal drive – a hunger.
Do you think your early life, fending for
yourself at the age of 16, to some extent
fuelled this hunger?ELLIOTT ERWITT I don’t know how to
answer that. I suppose so, yes.ER Can you say more about what has driven
you all this time?
EE I don’t know whether I’m driven, I just
like what I do. I suppose that necessity is
the mother of invention and I didn’t have
many choices.ER How important has being a member of
Magnum been to you?
EE At the beginning it was vitally important.
It was my shelter, my home, my agency, my way
of making a living. And it meant associating
with people I respected and wanted to
emulate, at the very beginning, that is.ER Were other Magnum members
influential on you?
EE Well certainly they were influential.
Henri Cartier-Bresson especially, artistically.
And as people and friends.
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