Larry Clark

One photographer I have always been fairly interested in is Larry Clark. There is nothing too specific technically about his photographs that make him stand out over any other in my opinion. His shots are very nicely done black and white images, but nothing beyond that in a technical sense. The thing that really pulls me in with Larry Clark is the subject matter within his images, specifically in his book "Tulsa" (which the image above is taken from). The book consists of young adults from Tulsa, Oklahoma taking part in some very risky activities. Many of the photos show drug use involving needles as well as sex and violence (many photos with guns). What makes these photos even more interesting is the fact that Larry Clark did not just take the pictures from a third person perspective, but also involved himself in the activities. I guess you could say involving yourself in that probably isn't too healthy, but it makes for a good story! The fact that Clark did that brings a new feeling to the photos. You can tell that his subjects are very comfortable with him being around seeing as they are allowing him to take pictures of them doing some illegal things, and catching them in some very vulnerable positions. That comfort level is interesting because it brings you into the photographs and into an environment that most people wouldn't like to find themselves in. Clark's other work is all somewhat similar in content to that of "Tulsa". He published another book called "Teenage Lust" which is supposed to be representative of his teenage years through photographs of others. This book again contains pictures of the same types of things.

http://www.larryclark.us/