Terry Richardson Bashing

[Al Patterson]

guys bashing twitter is old get over it. just because you don't know how to use it or what it can be used for doesn't mean you have to bash it.

I know how to use it, and a large number of fawning followers doesn't mean the tweets are worth reading...

Most of twitter is just recycled garbage. There is some decent stuff there if you can shovel through the huge piles of manure that twitter spews every minute..

In general, RFF has a lower signal to noise ratio than twitter or Google+.

 

[Roger Hicks]

guys bashing twitter is old get over it. just because you don't know how to use it or what it can be used for doesn't mean you have to bash it.

What has the highlight -- I reproduce it for your convenience -- to do with bashing Twitter?

"He's pretty famous but I wouldnt say he affects peoples views on what photographers are like."

You don't read what people write. Get over it. Or better still, learn to read what they write, not what you want them to have written.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Also, addressing the question:

My trusty assistant was asked to help out with an Albert Watson shoot. Watson was in town for many days at $30k/day. My assistant worked directly under Watson’s studio manager and they talked a lot over the days worked. It seems that Watson’s studio manager had been Annie Leibovitz’s 1st assistant until he quit. The quitting is the story: Annie was working in her studio with her full crew – I’m guessing 6 or 7 people. She was photographing someone famous. Well, things weren’t going well for Annie and as usual she began a tirade on her 1st assistant. He had had enough of this telling her that he had put up with her angry comments for 2 years - whenever she had a creative problem and that he was leaving the set – and he walked. Cooling off outside the building, he found that her entire crew (having witnessed these tirades against him) followed him out the door. Annie was left alone with her portrait subject.

Well, yes. Similar arguments are the main reason I came to be aware of Leibowitz's name. Several of my friends worked with her as assistants. I never did, thank God, or I'd probably still be in prison for murder. Richardson sounds as if he has a similarly charming personality.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I read "The Black Swan", and need to read "Fooled by Randomness", it should be interesting.

That and of course "Antifragile", the third in the trilogy. I can heartily recommend all three -- and like you, I read Black Swan first.

Cheers,

R.

 

[bonatto]

Well, yes. Similar arguments are the main reason I came to be aware of Leibowitz's name. Several of my friends worked with her as assistants. I never did, thank God, or I'd probably still be in prison for murder. Richardson sounds as if he has a similarly charming personality.

Cheers,

R.

Interestingly enough, I don't care much for the work of either, however, I'd work for a guy like Meyerowitz in a heartbeat.

 

[FA Limited]

What has the highlight -- I reproduce it for your convenience -- to do with bashing Twitter?

"He's pretty famous but I wouldnt say he affects peoples views on what photographers are like."

You don't read what people write. Get over it. Or better still, learn to read what they write, not what you want them to have written.

Cheers,

R.

you got me on this one, my bad roger 😛
i just find twitter can be very useful at times ...

 

[Roger Hicks]

you got me on this one, my bad roger 😛
i just find twitter can be very useful at times ...

I've no doubt of it. But surely it must be hellish time consuming.

Cheers,

R.

 

[FA Limited]

^^
twitter is great for live news when you NEED to know right now

really interested in your stories PKR
i don't know much about fashion photography but you stated some of the "bad guys" who are the "good guys"?

 

[fireblade]

Gents, there is a line you dont cross, Richardson crosses it, the agents know it, they send the girls....so a bullet in his head and the agents head wouldn't go astray....and as for the models, a lot of them are young and vulnerable and are exploited...thats the way the industry has been for years...Sharks at the top feeding nicely.
some one mentioned Araki...now there is a fcuking waste of time.
and Gaga..lol...isn't she a fine specimen for what women stand for.

 

[PKR]

^^
twitter is great for live news when you NEED to know right now

really interested in your stories PKR
i don't know much about fashion photography but you stated some of the "bad guys" who are the "good guys"?

I don't work in that world. I did assist in it for several years in the past, so I'm not current .. but here are a few past and present: Penn, Avedon, Newton, Norman Jean Roy, Sarah Moon, Watson. More good ones than bad I would think. But with the press, the bad boys get the ink.

 

[tunalegs]

In any event he's got enough money and time to take care of those thousands of lady gaga photos. He can whine about inconvenience when he makes few million less.🙂

 

[Contarama]

Not to change the subject but what about the reputation of David Bailey? The movie Blowup is said to be loosely based upon him and the scene he was in and I think the flick shows him to have been a little randy with the models. Was he different than TR maybe a little more discreet?

 

[tunalegs]

Sigh. Frankly I find the "well other people are creeps too" tack more than a little tired.

Lots of people are murderers too. Obviously that doesn't make murder ok or normal or acceptable.

 

[Contarama]

It's a theatrical movie by Antonioni and Ponti. How would you know how much or little of Bailey is there? If Bailey talks that's different.

I said "loosely based upon" and you fellows seem to know a lot about these fashion photographers than me that is why I asked. Reputation of Bailey any information? If he did or didn't abuse his position does it really matter if he does or does not talk about it?

 

[Contarama]

I guess he did talk...and apparently the feminists in the 70's did too.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Yes-I-slept-lot-women-choice--wasnt-rape.html

It was the swinging 60's free love and all that... 🙂

Personally DB is the best of them all IMO...good photography...TR is a poor copy cat version of him.

 

[PKR]

I guess he did talk...and apparently the feminists in the 70's did too.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Yes-I-slept-lot-women-choice--wasnt-rape.html

It was the swinging 60's free love and all that... 🙂

Personally DB is the best of them all IMO...good photography...TR is a poor copy cat version of him.

He's a poor copy of Bob too..
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/12/arts/12richardson.html

I don't know how many of these are Bob Richardson's
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/bob richardson

 

[Jamie123]

These stories are very common. Female models are constantly hit on by both male and female members of the store’s executive staff. If you don’t play the game, you will be replaced by one who will.

It's not just female models that are constantly hit on, it's also male models. And lots of male models who are straight are often talked into engaging in homoerotic activities (to put it lightly) on and off camera. There's always a fair amount of exploitation in any area where there are tons of beautiful young people trying to get to a point that only a select few will ever reach. It's not just the fashion industry. Not for nothing there's the cliché of the young actress trying to 'make it' in Hollywood and sleeping with people to get roles.

It is of course true that if you don't play the game you will be replaced by someone who will but that doesn't absolve anyone for taking responsibility for their actions. Nobody's entitled to making money with their looks. My guess is all of Richardson's models are at least 18 simply due to the nature of his photography and the fact that he'd probably be in quite a lot of legal trouble if he had sex with underage girls even if it was consentual. Especially since all his actions are photographed. The fact that he hasn't had a big lawsuit yet means he's probably quite aware of what lines he can and cannot cross. So if the models are 18 then I'm sorry to say it but they're responsible for their own actions and mistakes. Young men go to jail every day for minor offences and the "I was young and needed the money" line never seems to work in their defense.

 

[tunalegs]

The fact that he hasn't had a big lawsuit yet means he's probably quite aware of what lines he can and cannot cross.

I can't say it is the case here, but I do know that money is often a good way to keep people quiet. :angel:

So if the models are 18 then I'm sorry to say it but they're responsible for their own actions and mistakes.

To a point. But if a photographer is too dense to understand how intimidating the whole situation can be for a model, and that simply saying "no" isn't actually all that easy to do - then frankly they shouldn't be working with models at all in my opinion. A good photographer will be sympathetic to their models. 🙂

 

[Jamie123]

I can't say it is the case here, but I do know that money is often a good way to keep people quiet. :angel:

Often there's quite a bit more money in it if you go public first and then make the defendent pay for you to shut up.

To a point. But if a photographer is too dense to understand how intimidating the whole situation can be for a model, and that simply saying "no" isn't actually all that easy to do - then frankly they shouldn't be working with models at all in my opinion. A good photographer will be sympathetic to their models. 🙂

Sure, but there's still a big difference between being a [creep?] and being a rapist.
Also, while I would agree that it's difficult to say no for the models when they're in that situation, it's much less difficult to stay out of that situation. Everybody knows TR's kind of photography and everybody knows that there will be nudity involved, probably on both the model's and the photographer's part. When the agency calls the model and tells them to drop by Richardson's studio for a go-see they can just say no. Sure, the agency might not be happy about it but I'm sure they'll get over it quickly, probably more so than when the model goes and makes a bad impression.

Everybody loves to bash Richardson because his photography is 'dirty' but at the end of the day with him it's pretty much YGWYS. He's basically worked all his career to promote himself as a nerdy perv with a camera and people are still are surprised that he acts like a nerdy perv with a camera. He probably thinks "Hey, everybody knows what I do and who I am. Don't come by my studio if you don't want to play."

 

[Roger Hicks]

^^
twitter is great for live news when you NEED to know right now

really interested in your stories PKR
i don't know much about fashion photography but you stated some of the "bad guys" who are the "good guys"?

How often do you NEED to know any news, let alone RIGHT NOW? What will happen if you don't?

Cheers,

R.