“The way a subject reacts to the camera can create a kind of happening. Why pretend the camera isn’t there? Why not use it? Maybe people will reveal themselves as violent or tender, crazed or beautiful. But in some way, they reveal who they are. They’ll have taken a self-portrait.”
~ William Klein
(1926-2022)
With today’s obsession with personal grooming, this photograph feels especially timely. William Klein had an uncanny ability to capture cultural habits before they became trends—one of the many reasons I continue to love his work. His energy, his emotional quirkiness, his “I don’t care what you think" attitude. He was a photographer that shaped the art of 20th Century Photography. Long may his legacy thrive.
