I’m embarrassed to say I hadn’t heard of David Bailey when I picked up this book by Jackie Higgins, aptly titled David Bailey, from one of the pay-what-you-want bins outside a going-out-of-business bookstore in a working-class/refugee haven neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Nice piece, Alex. Bailey is one of my all time favourite photographers. He was certainly innovative and pushed the boundaries of what was normal in fashion and portrait photography. One of my favourite quotes of his is, “Everyone will take one great picture. I’ve done better because I’ve taken two.” You got an absolute bargain with that book. You should try to get your hands on “Look Again” which is his autobiography. A fascinating read.
I’ve also been on a David Bailey kick recently. This is great, as is his astonishingly frank autobiography ‘Look Again’ and the junk shop purchase which kicked this off for me, a large format volume called ‘David Bailey on Photography’ or some such, which is absolutely great. Love his work, and he’s a remarkable personality…
Thank you, Robert. Several people mentioned his autobiography, which I definitely plant to read. I will try to get all books written about him. He seems like a fascinating person.
Great to see so many of Bailey's photos. He is very talented but I think one of the reasons he took such great photos was that he lived and partied alongside his subjects. He understood them because they were his friends, and he was like them.
It is always so hard to look back and appreciate the significant changes in art. How different the photographs in the 1960s were from previous decades. Of course, you can compare, but one can never understand the impact the changes made at the time.
Totally agree with you. The environment affects our art and creative output. No one is an artist on their own, no matter how much they like to believe that. It takes a village.
Nice piece, Alex. Bailey is one of my all time favourite photographers. He was certainly innovative and pushed the boundaries of what was normal in fashion and portrait photography. One of my favourite quotes of his is, “Everyone will take one great picture. I’ve done better because I’ve taken two.” You got an absolute bargain with that book. You should try to get your hands on “Look Again” which is his autobiography. A fascinating read.
Thank you, Mark! I will definitely get autobiography!
I’ve also been on a David Bailey kick recently. This is great, as is his astonishingly frank autobiography ‘Look Again’ and the junk shop purchase which kicked this off for me, a large format volume called ‘David Bailey on Photography’ or some such, which is absolutely great. Love his work, and he’s a remarkable personality…
Thank you, Robert. Several people mentioned his autobiography, which I definitely plant to read. I will try to get all books written about him. He seems like a fascinating person.
Interesting to read about David Bailey. I love his last quote on creative philosophy!
Thank you, Shital!
Great article. His approach has become so ubiquitous it's easy to forget how innovative he was.
Thanks for your comment! Yes, I'm about to start reading his autobiography.
He seems like a fascinating man and artist.
Bailey is such an innovator, love his work. Great post!
Thank you, Xavi! He is!
Great photos. Great piece.
Thank you, Professor Levenberg!
Great to see so many of Bailey's photos. He is very talented but I think one of the reasons he took such great photos was that he lived and partied alongside his subjects. He understood them because they were his friends, and he was like them.
It is always so hard to look back and appreciate the significant changes in art. How different the photographs in the 1960s were from previous decades. Of course, you can compare, but one can never understand the impact the changes made at the time.
Totally agree with you. The environment affects our art and creative output. No one is an artist on their own, no matter how much they like to believe that. It takes a village.