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October 13, 2008 |
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Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
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Columns |
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“My father loved photographs,” Douglas Kirkland said softly. “Every Friday Life magazine would arrive and we would go through each issue together. My father had the deepest respect for photography and what it told us about the world.” “I had an uncle,” he continued, “A tall, good-looking gentleman who served in the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force). He brought a Contax camera and a collection of Kodachrome slides back home with him from World War Two. I remember we set up a Kodak projector and looked at the slides—he had all sorts of images from far away places. Now, that was exciting!” So it seems inevitable that Douglas Kirkland was destined to become one of the world’s most famous and successful photographers. His career has spanned more than fifty years—and is thriving today stronger than ever. We caught up with him for a short conversation just before he left on his way to exhibit his photographs in Australia, Moscow and Bratislava.  Douglas Kirkland and Jessica Capshaw © Douglas Kirkland
“I found my way around in the world of photography by taking a series of small steps,” he told us. “And by never wasting any opportunity. I respect where I am and what I’ve been able to learn. In those early days I really grew up. I’m 71 years of age now. I have to continue working at least until I’m 93. That’s how old Gordon Parks was when he passed away.” Born in Toronto, young Kirkland helped out at his father’s clothing store in Fort Erie, a small town of 7,000 on the Canadian side of the border opposite Buffalo, NY. He describes his early days as “a Tom Sawyer type of life.” Then at age 13 he got a job in a photo studio, shooting portraits and everything from passport photos to baby pictures and weddings. After the stint in the photo studio, Kirkland went to work for the Fort Erie Times Review. Later he studied photography in Canada and in New York.  Audrey Hepburn © Douglas Kirkland
“My first camera was the family’s Kodak Brownie,” he said with pride. “It used 116 roll film—eight exposures to a roll—and every roll lasted for a month or two. Photography was different back in those days—each picture was regarded as being important. I remember when I was five or six, how the whole family lined up for a picture. My parents had great, glowing respect and love for every picture they took.” “I remember rocking the developer tray and watching in amazement as the first print came up,” he said, recalling the first time he’d ever printed a photograph. “I made a darkroom in my bedroom at home. I bought the chemicals from a mail order catalog, read a book, and set up a card table. I built an enlarger using a coffee can to hold the light bulb. I had an old Argus A2 which had a removable back. I locked the shutter open and used the camera lens for the enlarger. It was crude, but I was enlarging pictures. That was back in the late 40’S. It was the biggest thrill when I rocked the tray for the first time and saw that first print come up. I thought I would never experience anything as thrilling as that moment.” “But then, forty years later in 1991,” he continued, “I visited the Center for Digital Photography that Kodak had set up. I used a Mac computer and Photoshop—I think it was version 2.1—and I felt that same exhilaration all over again when I saw my images on the screen. I just couldn’t believe what I could do on that computer—I had expected it to look like a dot matrix or something worse. Soon I was using a Kodak dye sub printer—which was quite expensive but delivered extremely high quality.”  Grace Jones © Douglas Kirkland
“I wasn’t trying to be clever,” he explained. “But I had been using computers for a long time. I had an Osborne. Then I got my first Mac in 1985. And I had a DOS computer. Computers provided another way of handling my images. “I love taking pictures,” he went on, “I love taking them, but making them—handling them—that’s a very special part.” The difference between “taking” pictures and “making” pictures? He explained it as follows. “Taking an image is just the first part,” he said. “After you acquire the image you must get into the next generation of work—you carry it to another stage, another level. This used to be done in the darkroom but now it’s done on a computer. Taking the picture with a camera is Part One. Then Part Two is the editing and selection process and finally making it complete using your computer and printer.”  20th Century Shoot © Douglas Kirkland
In between his late 1940’s experiments with a homemade enlarger and his 1990’s experience with Photoshop, Douglas Kirkland enjoyed an exciting career as a photojournalist. He has the unique distinction of having been a staff photographer for Look and later under contract with first Look then Life. “In 1960 the door for new staff photographers was closed, but I was extremely lucky,” he said. “We were living in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, and I was an assistant to Irving Penn. In January 1960 I got a call from Arthur Rothstein [director of photography for Look magazine]. They hadn’t hired any new photographers in 12 years. But the push was on for them to add some young blood—and younger and fresher faces—and I was young so I got a call. I did some freelance work for them at first, and then on July 1, 1960 I was hired and became part of the staff. They hired two of us— me and Jim Karales, who had been a darkroom assistant for W. Eugene Smith.”  "Twentieth Century" © Douglas Kirkland
“It was real on-the-job training,” he continued. “I savored it so much. We learned so much from that experience. I was with Look from 1960 until 1964, on staff and then under contract until Look folded in 1971 at which time I went under contract for Life. I worked for Life for two years while it was still a weekly magazine, and then continued to shoot for most of their monthly specials.” Can any other media ever have the visual impact of the 1960’s photo magazines?  Jack Nicholson © Douglas Kirkland
“Those magazines were the window to the world,” Kirkland explained. “In the ‘60s there was little television. We got our visual information through the magazines. The pictures in the magazines truly were informative, exciting art.” Never content to pursue just one kind of photography, Douglas Kirkland has worked on the sets of over 100 motion pictures—a staggering number (which by actual count exceeds 140). “Including some which will never be heard of again!” he’s quick to point out. But among those that will live on forever are Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moulin Rouge, Out of Africa, and many, many others, including Titanic, about which Kirkland produced a book: James Cameron’s Titanic. His book remained on the New York Times Best Sellers list for more than half a year. “Working on the set of Out of Africa was the most amazing experience,” he exclaimed. “We were on location in Kenya for 45 days. It was like being on a safari for one-and-a-half months, except the accommodations were a lot better.  Antonio Banderas © Douglas Kirkland
Kirkland is famous for so many categories of image making—from photojournalism to portraits of celebrities—so we asked about his favorites. “I know this sounds lame or like I’m trying to duck the question,” he replied, “But my favorite is usually the one I’m working with at the moment. My taste is not limited in any way. I work in the moment. I fall in love with the images I’m working with or looking at. I just love all photography!” More than any other photographer, Douglas Kirkland’s work makes people say: “I’d give anything if I could take pictures like that. How does he do it? How does he get people to look so relaxed?”  Angelina Jolie © Douglas Kirkland
“You have to start by truly caring about photography,” he said. “It’s important to know your equipment extremely well. Your camera should glide through the air in your hands and be held like a magician would hold something—I don’t ever want to be at odds with my equipment.” “I use Canon digital 1Ds Mark II cameras,” he confided, “And I love the EOS 5D. I also love the Canon 20D. I can work at ISO 800 without noise. We used to call it “ASA” and “grain” but we could never get such good results with film. Now it’s “ISO” and “noise.” Anyway, this is a great value. I can shoot at smaller f/stops and use more zoom lenses. It simplifies everything. But for certain clients and projects I still use film generally shot with my Mamiya 6x7cm and occasionally my ancient 8x10 Deardorff” “As far as printers go I’m very happy with my HP Photosmart 8750 printer as well as the 130 Design Jet which I really, really love. They both work very well for me. The 130 makes prints two feet wide by and as long as you want on roll paper. I have some on exhibit that are 2 by 10 feet. I prefer HP printers because of the brilliance of the colors, and the excellent definition in the prints. All my shows today are printed using HP printers. People can’t believe how brilliant the colors are.”  HP Designjet 130
 HP PhotoSmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer
“HP has a new model that I have been testing—the 9180—coming out in a few weeks. It uses a pigment system whereas the 8750 and the 130 are dye based.” “But the equipment is only part of the equation. When you’re photographing people, you must concentrate on the subject. You shouldn’t be fumbling around with a button on the camera or confused by something on the menu. Every photo you take will only be as good as the relationship you establish with the subject.” “Part of your job as a photographer is to make people feel comfortable. Even celebrities are sometimes uncomfortable in front of the camera—imagine how ordinary civilians must feel. My job as a photographer is to have what doctors refer to as ‘a good bedside manner’ to help people relax. You must allow people to feel totally comfortable. Don’t allow distractions to happen. Give people the respect they deserve and don’t rush—take your time.”  Grace Jones and Douglas Kirkland © Douglas Kirkland
“If you want a beautiful woman to smile and look seductive, look into her eyes—project the feeling—and whisper. I do that. But if I’m photographing a Rocker I might be screaming at the top of my voice. Your character is set in that image, and the subject becomes who you are yourself at that moment if you have the proper relationship with them. If you are silent, seductive or quiet you will get that kind of picture. That’s what’s most often lost—what’s most often misunderstood by photographers.”  Jessica Capshaw © Douglas Kirkland
“Some people,” he said after a short pause, “Some people make photography unnecessarily complicated. Some photographers feel only as good as the number of lights they use during a portrait session. That’s not my style. I like to keep it simple and connected. That’s the secret to my success.” Witness some of the world’s greatest images at Douglas Kirkland’s website www.douglaskirkland.com.
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