me·di·oc·ri·ty in Life versus Death
I wasn't surprised when I learned that legendary surf photographer Warren Bolster had committed suicide sometime last fall:
He had endured at least a dozen surgeries and many broken bones participating in and documenting the world of surfing , which had ultimately lead to a life in pain and an addiction to painkillers.
He shot himself in the head a week after a fateful car accident that exceeded the amount of pain he was willing to cope with, along with financial struggles and the bitter aftertaste of 2 failed marriages.
Would you rather be alive, incapable of doing what you love, crawling through mediocre, oxicodone-hazed days and nights or just die?
I don't blame him.
Do you?
A David Bailey quote from his bio:
"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer.
You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary."
Ps: I've learned that David Bailey was turned down when he applied at the London College Of Printing in the late 50's.
My rejection letter from LCP (now LCC) eventually motivated me to move to New York in 1998.
This sidenote is completely unrelated, of course, but being in the pool of LCP rejects gives me a little bit of comfort - in Bailey's case it sure wasn't a bad thing.
He had endured at least a dozen surgeries and many broken bones participating in and documenting the world of surfing , which had ultimately lead to a life in pain and an addiction to painkillers.
He shot himself in the head a week after a fateful car accident that exceeded the amount of pain he was willing to cope with, along with financial struggles and the bitter aftertaste of 2 failed marriages.
Would you rather be alive, incapable of doing what you love, crawling through mediocre, oxicodone-hazed days and nights or just die?
I don't blame him.
Do you?
A David Bailey quote from his bio:
"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer.
You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary."
Ps: I've learned that David Bailey was turned down when he applied at the London College Of Printing in the late 50's.
My rejection letter from LCP (now LCC) eventually motivated me to move to New York in 1998.
This sidenote is completely unrelated, of course, but being in the pool of LCP rejects gives me a little bit of comfort - in Bailey's case it sure wasn't a bad thing.
posted by Beatrice Neumann at 2:24 AM
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