Peter Turnley, Ile Saint-Louis, Paris, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
CNN this morning is featuring a small portfolio of pictures taken over the years in Paris by Peter Turnley, of lovers kissing. Peter's been collecting these pictures recently under the working title "French Kiss" for an upcoming book. Here's the link to CNN.
As you know if you're a regular reader of TOP, my friend Peter has been a working photojournalist for more than four decades, with more than 40 Newsweek covers to his credit. Although we're not primarily a picture site, some of his most recent work saw its original publication here on TOP— to date the only original photojournalism we've published, something I'm proud of. You can see a collection of Peter's entire life's work, including the high points of his photojournalistic work, in a new portfolio at his website entitled "Moment of the Human Condition, 1972–Present."
A photojournalist necessarily has to see humanity at its worst, regularly confronting scenes of death, destruction, violence, and human suffering and pain. Like policemen or soldiers, photojournalists see things most of us don't have to see—it's their job. And this isn't trivial—for some, aftereffects like PTSD and depression can be very serious.
For Peter, quiet, lyrical photographs of love and romance amid the famous beauty of his adopted home city have been an essential counterbalance that has helped to nourish his positive, affirmative, and hopeful outlook on life.
Have a nice day today. And remember the flowers.
Mike
Send this post to a friend
Please help support TOP by patronizing our sponsors B&H Photo and Amazon
Note: Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. More...
Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.
I followed the link to the portfolio on Peter's website and I am in awe. We all pursue photography for personal reasons. I am pulled by the concept of photojournalism - recording life. Leading my day-to-day life here in the Midwest US and pursuing a career that can actually put bread on my table, I am mostly relegated to recording life in my small circle of family,friends and community. Seeing a body of work by a skilled photojournalist who has recorded life in the midst of earth-shaking events worldwide just puts me in awe. Peter can be proud of producing such a body of work and we are all privileged that he enables us to share in the emotion of events most of us only read about. Well done and thanks Mike for the link.
Posted by: Pete F | Tuesday, 14 February 2012 at 11:50 AM
Yes a nice collection but that first shot with the brunette in the cafe is absolutely captivating. Pete must be a world class photographer because that is a world class shot IMO.
Posted by: MJFerron | Tuesday, 14 February 2012 at 01:18 PM
How many people read the title of this post and thought of a camera or lens?
Posted by: Mandeno Moments | Wednesday, 15 February 2012 at 01:51 AM
Valentines Day: Humbug!
Posted by: Dean Forbes | Wednesday, 15 February 2012 at 08:50 AM