The photographer’s signature large-scale portraits show the secret world of the haute bourgeoisie—and the way certain poses are handed down across generations.
In decade in which we obsess over change, be it catastrophic or fortuitous, the photographs of Tina Barney continue to remind us of that which is constant. Beginning the 1980s, she has captured the world, her world, in large-scale analogue photographs, laying bare the push and pull of tension and familiarity that run beneath domestic life. Since then, her imagery has invited us not only into private interiors of life for affluent New Yorkers and elite New Englanders but also into the palatial homes of European aristocrats and small town American communities. Throughout it all, she has returned time and again to the family, to the home, and to the ubiquitous and essential need to belong.
In decade in which we obsess over change, be it catastrophic or fortuitous, the photographs of Tina Barney continue to remind us of that which is constant. Beginning the 1980s, she has captured the world, her world, in large-scale analogue photographs, laying bare the push and pull of tension and familiarity that run beneath domestic life. Since then, her imagery has invited us not only into private interiors of life for affluent New Yorkers and elite New Englanders but also into the palatial homes of European aristocrats and small town American communities. Throughout it all, she has returned time and again to the family, to the home, and to the ubiquitous and essential need to belong.
Tina Barney’s celebrated photos of her friends and family appear alongside street photography, editorial and fashion projects, and portraits in a new book.
For more than three decades, Tina Barney’s large-scale family photos have opened a window to a world beyond most people’s imagination — an idyllic dreamscape of sunny days in well-appointed houses filled with quintessentially dressed, all-American elites. It’s no wonder they are among her best-known works.
Today, I am sharing an interview that photographer and blogger, Ken Weingart conducted with photographer Tina Barney. Ken has been producing interviews for his Art and Photography blog, and he has kindly offered to share a his interviews with the Lenscra
Today, I am sharing an interview that photographer and blogger, Ken Weingart conducted with photographer Tina Barney. Ken has been producing interviews for his Art and Photography blog, and he has kindly offered to share a his interviews with the Lenscratch audience.
No, believe me, I am not a fly in the wall. I started directing very slowly, and the photos are taken in combination of directing. Directing the “come over here”, “walk over there”, and what happens while you are doing that — while they are talking with each other. So there is this fine line — you see that in film today too, especially the movie Boyhood. There’s a fine line of add lib, impromptu, and directing, all in one.
