With myself

David Schonauer has an interesting interview with French photographer Bettina Rheims over on the American Photo site. I hadn’t known of Ms. Rheims’s work before, but I checked out her gallery’s site, and found some portraits that I really like.

Copyright © Bettina Rheims

Copyright © Bettina Rheims

Copyright © Bettina Rheims

A few months ago, Alec Soth posted about artists doing editorial work, which sparked an interesting debate (should they or shouldn’t they?). Being new to this game, I thought maybe I was just being naïve in wondering why this was even a question: Why not do editorial work, or commercial work, or any work that interests you? I found Ms. Rheims’s comments on this subject pertinent (and helpful to someone trying to figure out where she fits in):

I have always believed that whether the work is my idea or a commission, it is personal work. When I do advertising jobs, I always think, “Will one of these pictures have another destiny? Will it become a lasting, important picture?” In the end, as my old master Helmut Newton used to say, there are only two kinds of pictures: the good ones and the bad ones.

And then this:

I’m proud that I can’t be categorized. I think a lot of artists find something and do everything in that way. They are careful not to change, and to make pictures that can be identified instantly. I would be happy to be recognized, who wouldn’t? I like it when someone comes up to me and says, “I like your work.” But I’m with myself most of the time and I want to be happy with what I am doing.