Bruce Davidson - Photographer Research

Photographer Research - Bruce Davidson 

Bruce Davidson was born on 5th September, 1933 and began taking photos at the age of 10. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology and Yale University where he furthered his passion. He was later drafted into the Army and stationed near Paris. When he left military service in 1957, Davidson worked as a freelance photographer for LIFE magazine and in 1958 became a full member of Magnum. From 1958 to 1961 he created such seminal bodies of work as “The Dwarf,” Brooklyn Gang,” and “Freedom Rides.” 

Image 1

 

This image by Bruce Davidson is taken from the collection titled "The Brooklyn Gang". It was taken in New York, USA in 1959. This photo was taken of two members of the Brooklyn Gang and American writer Norman Mailer. Norman Mailer was a writer around the 40's and 50's in America, the photo series of the Brooklyn Gang was published in Esquire with text by Mailer and was later published as a book in 1998. The South Brooklyn gang were known as the Jokers as they usually hung around a candy shop. From this image I get the idea that Norman Mailer is talking to the young men to try and get and idea of what they are about so that he could accurately write about them without any misconceptions. The men seem to be interested in what he is saying and intently listening which is possibly not what people would expect from gang members. However the idea of Davidson's work was to show the other side to the gang not just what the outside world usually sees them as. 

Image 2 

The image above is also from the "Brooklyn Gang" series however this it mew just focusing on one member, Bengie. As I mentioned before the gang hung around Helen's Candy Store on Seventeenth Street and Eighth Avenue which is where this image was taken. The comment that Bruce Davidson made about this photograph was the he was taking a revealing image of Bengies anger and rage which he is very much aware about. We can see the facial expression of Bengie as true being full of anger and rage as he has a harsh scowling look on his face that looks as though he'd been in an argument or fight and was not to be messed with. However, despite his fearful expression Davidson still took the image of him, showing a kind of mutual agreement that he was allowed to show the fragile and wound up side if the gang. This, unlike the image above, does shops the side to a gang that people stereotype. The anger and scary nature of Bengie reflects why people may fear them although Bruce has taken the image in a way that almost makes his anger look fragile. 

Image 3 

This image by Bruce Davidson is from the series "The Dwarf" which focuses on a man called Jimmy Armstrong who suffers from dwarfism. He was a dwarf-clown in the Beatty Circus and labelled the "little Man" on flyers to attract visitors to come and watch the shows. From stereotypes we have of people in the circus we assume them to be happy and always cheerful and playful however Bruce shows a different side to Jimmy Armstrong and said when talking about him that he "stood before my camera sad and silent". This links into the image above which shows Jimmy Armstrong dressed as the clown at one of the circus performances but looking sad and depressed when meeting a small child who is reaching out to him. Even when performing and being the clown Jimmy isn't happy and doesn't put on a show, it seems hat no matter what he's doing he is fed up of being the 'freak-show' that everybody stares at. This is why Bruce Davidson's images of him are so powerful because it shows a completely different man to what we would usually expect. 

Image 4 

This image ties in perfectly to what I have said before about the sad and depressed nature of Jimmy Armstrong. In this photo it appears that he is in the trailer perhaps waiting to perform in another show. I can tell this is the case due to another man who looks like he has a costume and make-up on in the bed area in he background. This photo focuses solely on the expression and body language of Jimmy who is cowering away from the camera and looking passed the lens. He appears to be wrapped up in a jacket and holding an object close to his chest, this could show fear and a need to protect himself. The look on his face makes him seem vulnerable and scared, with his eyes focused on something on the floor past Bruce looking very disconnected from his surroundings. His small build adds to the vulnerability we see in him and the loneliness he must feel, he appears small in his bed compared to the man in the background showing a bigger space around him and his personal space empty. 

Influence - These images by Bruce Davidson have influenced me in my own work because I really like the closeness of them. All of the images are really personal and up close to the models, he has managed to do this by getting close to the subjects and knowing their personal lives in order to capture the real side to them. I was able to do this in my work because the people I photographed were my family therefore I know what their normal personalities are like. I also really like how Bruce Davidson has played hugely on emotions and shown them in his work, I would like to be able to do this in my work to give them a personal edge.