Visual poet

Last night I watched this half hour interview with Joel Meyerowitz from the mid-80s. I think if things had shaken out differently, Meyerowitz could've been a poet instead of a photographer. He has a very eloquent manner which becomes even more noticeable when set side by side with the stiff deer-in-headlights questions of interviewer Barbara Lee Diamonstein. There are no ums and ers, just forthright description which in a way mimics his photography. The clip shows a brief range of his work including one or two early b/w images which were new for me. For someone so closely identified with color it's interesting to note that his b/w work is just as strong. Visual poetry runs all through his work no matter the format or chromatic property.

Warning: The clip is long and takes a while to load. Imagine you're on a busy corner watching pedestrians. Wait for it...wait for it...things are falling into place, not quite yet....Now! See? Told you it was worth it.

More Diamonstein interviews with photographers can be found here including one with Winogrand.