Photographer Joel Meyerowitz, famous for capturing everyday life on the streets of his native New York and elsewhere, has no qualms about now sharing the stage with hordes of phone-wielding amateurs.<\/p>\n
“The problems of the world and the joys of the world are visible because everyone has a camera,” the 88-year-old told AFP.<\/p>\n
The pioneer of colour images and so-called street photography is happy modern technology has given nearly everyone the chance to use the medium “as a means of expression”.<\/p>\n
“Nowadays… there are billions of people every day making photographs and there’s a culture of imagery that is teaching people values about photography, about humanity, about dignity,” he said.<\/p>\n
Meyerowitz spoke at London’s Somerset House, where photographs from his decades-spanning career go on show for 18 days from Friday as part of this year’s Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.<\/p>\n
It has also honoured him with its annual “outstanding contribution to photography” award.<\/p>\n
“It’s thrilling to be recognised,” he said, standing near his iconic pictures shot during a 1966-67 tour of Europe while a video projection presents a playful self-portraits project from 2020.<\/p>\n
“When I began, it wasn’t about a future in which I might win an award. It was about just doing the work… so I’m grateful.”<\/p>\n
– ‘My city was hurt’ –<\/p>\n
Meyerowitz started his career as a painter and graphic designer before discovering photography just as colour imagery was emerging.<\/p>\n
“The world is in colour — it didn’t even occur to me that I should use black-and-white,” he recalled.<\/p>\n
That budding photographer of the early 1960s also immediately embraced the urban environment.<\/p>\n
“When I went onto the street, I never looked back,” Meyerowitz said.<\/p>\n
“The energy of life in the street, the way people carried themselves, the interactions between people, instantaneous events happening and disappearing — photography is about that.”<\/p>\n
Street pictures aside, Meyerowitz is equally well known for documenting Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 attacks — the sole photographer to have continued access to the site in the year after 9\/11.<\/p>\n
He spent several years creating an archive comprising 8,500 images, some of which were exhibited and feature in a book, “Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive”.<\/p>\n
Twenty-five years on, he recalled how the “life-changing” experience began from a desire to help — as well as an act of defiance after then-mayor Rudy Giuliani\u00a0barred photographers from the site.<\/p>\n
“I’m a native New Yorker. My city was hurt. I needed to help in some way. I didn’t know how… and then I figured it out,” he explained.<\/p>\n
“I thought ‘screw you, buddy. We need this. This is history here. This is happening in America, in New York City, and you’re saying no photographs?’<\/p>\n
“So I just decided I’m going to go in there and do the work that was necessary that he was trying to ban.”<\/p>\n
Meyerowitz initially forged a worker’s pass, before eventually befriending detectives on-site and securing a police department access badge.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to get in bad enough… I’m glad I did it.”<\/p>\n
– No to AI –<\/p>\n
Meyerowitz noted a constant hallmark of his career has been embracing technological innovation, from the adoption of colour at the outset to digital cameras decades later.<\/p>\n
But he has opted against exploring AI’s growing reach.<\/p>\n
“I’m not at a point in my life where I want to go into the artificial intelligence route,” he said.<\/p>\n
“You might say (it’s) lens-less photography. We’ll know in the future what this means right now. I’ve chosen not to use it.”<\/p>\n
Despite that, London-based Meyerowitz, who is also editing all his unseen work for two new books, is still innovating.<\/p>\n
The celebrated octogenarian is currently working on a project “very unlike anything I’ve ever done” that involves “not just making a straight photograph”, he said.<\/p>\n
“I’m not going to talk about it because it’s, first of all, very risky — culturally risky, I think — and I haven’t fulfilled it yet. I’m at work on it.”<\/p>\n
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