The
DVD People * Love * Photos is a documentary about four young
female photographers; Tanyth Berkeley, Rose and Olive (Traci Matlock
and Ashley MacLean) and Elinor Carucci. It's also about what is
described in the title, people, love and photographs, about exploring
those two inseparable ideas.
The film itself builds on a certain theme, with the three segments moving from the rather distanced work of street photography, through the chronicling of friends to the intimacy of the family. Yet all of the artists seem to use their photography to examine the relationship of human to human.
Berkeley is the most formally educated, and works in a more detached, traditional method of street photography, as well as using some of the people she meets there as models. She works with those who are not considered traditionally beautiful and her images are regularly compared with those of Diane Arbus.
The film brings up some concerns with exploitation which could be expected from Berkeley's choice of subjects, but interviews with the models and the artist herself quickly dispel any such notion. As Berleley explains, she is most interested in how people deal with their environment
 | Tanyth Berkeley was born in Hollywood, California, and currently lives and works in New York, NY. She received her MFA in photography from Columbia University in 2004 and holds a BA from CCNY in photography and creative writing. |
 |
Traci Matlock and Ashley MacLean were born in Texas and both now live and work in Houston. For four years they published daily work at nerve.com, which was their first major combined project and a frank and visual discussion of sexuality. |
 | Elinor Carucci was born in Israel and lives and works in New York. Her initial photographs often depicted her mother and now as a mother herself she frequently depicts her own children. |
The film itself builds on a certain theme, with the three segments moving from the rather distanced work of street photography, through the chronicling of friends to the intimacy of the family. Yet all of the artists seem to use their photography to examine the relationship of human to human.
Berkeley is the most formally educated, and works in a more detached, traditional method of street photography, as well as using some of the people she meets there as models. She works with those who are not considered traditionally beautiful and her images are regularly compared with those of Diane Arbus.
The film brings up some concerns with exploitation which could be expected from Berkeley's choice of subjects, but interviews with the models and the artist herself quickly dispel any such notion. As Berleley explains, she is most interested in how people deal with their environment
"Rose and Olive" have been favourites of the online photo sharing crowd for several years and from the film it would seem that they have a great time with their shoots. In fact I was struck with how the two would be described as "guys with cameras" if they were of the opposite gender. They are delightedly examining the joys of sexuality and youth.
While they had a hard time keeping a straight face when saying it, they did explain that they were using their photography as a way of examing the world, and the body as community.
The last segment was on Elinor Carucci who shoots self portraits, whether of herself or of her family.
Once more the artist seems to be using photography to work out her own life, her relationship to her mother and father, her partner, her children or just her own post-birth body.
Three different ways of working, four different artists, one concern, the relationships between people.