![]() However, he says, “In the early days of my career as a cinematographer, my focus was exclusively on my film work and I rarely carried a still camera.” Before the children take over, Weston – Super – Mare, 2019. One of his first jobs was as a still photographer for the Beaford Arts Centre in North Devon, England. It was only a chance conversation that led him toward motion pictures. I have spent almost half a century enjoying my life as a cinematographer, during which time I have photographed both documentaries and something like seventy feature films.” Having said that, though, he admits his first career inclination was toward still photography. In the introduction to the book, Deakins says, “I am not a still photographer and I won’t pretend to be one at this stage in my career. Byways are the scenic routes, the slow routes where dust kicks up behind the car, the ones where you stop often and get out, just to be present in the scene and moment, and all you can think about is how you wish the trip would never end. But this book is not meant to be a collected works. There is what Deakins claims to be his very first picture, from Bournemouth in 1969, and there are pictures from the last few years. In some ways, the book is a retrospective. These are not portraits, but contextualized fragments of larger stories. A man peers through an opening in what appears to be a construction site wall. A stern-faced older couple walk through an amusement park. And they are set in environments which hint at subplot or history. A woman swims away from a pier, framed by a railing, a wisp of something left behind. A replica of Michelangelo’s David stands in a recess at the end of a forlorn alley, above some trash cans. The people are always in motion, always have something to do. There is a fine sense of narrative and complexity in these images. This gull is confused by a new addition to the sea front, Paignton, 2015. There is, however, a keen sense of light and line and how a scene can go beyond its simple components to become resonant. ![]() This book is all documentary photography. The result is often profound and illuminating. This is the work of an artist picking up a slightly different camera and working in a slightly different genre. Although there are a couple images that have some connection to the films (one is a shot of James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin db5 sitting on a Skyfall location in Scotland, parked next to a folding chair that says “Artist” and pair of black high heels – Judy Dench’s?) and there are a few images from a documentary film when Deakins was aboard a sailboat taking part in the Whitebread around the world race, this is not a series of outtakes or test shots. The lady wondered why I took this photograph, Weston – Super – Mare, 2004.īyways is not a collection of production stills, though. Add to this the BAFTA awards, the 20/20 Awards, and all the others. He’s done music videos for Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, and others. He won Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Cinematography for 1917 and Blade Runner 2049. His work includes the films 1917, Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall, No Country for Old Men, A Beautiful Mind, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and so many more. IMDb lists 88 credits for Deakins as Cinematographer. Byways, by Sir Roger A Deakins is a book of black and white still images from the man whose visual imagination and talent have been thrilling us for decades. We are all trying to create a visual experience that opens some heart-chord or mind-race. The scope and pace and, frankly, the budget don’t allow for much crossover. And while you would think it would happen more often, it’s actually somewhat rare to find someone working in both fields. Still photographers and cinematographers do very different work but share a foundation. When it’s done well, we fall into it and perceive almost instantly it’s intended effect as well as its borders and nuances. There is something huge about an image that is huge. I’m talking about the simple beauty of the image in front of us. I’m not talking about car chases or romance. I’m not talking about plot, action or characters. We’ve all had that tremendous, visceral feeling of sitting in a theater, watching a movie, and it’s just so damn beautiful – and I don’t mean pretty – we cannot breathe. I imagine if I were to make the claim that every photographer secretly wants to spend some time as a cinematographer, very few people would disagree with me.
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