Albert Watson - The Story Behind the Image

Profoto never slows down in their quest to develop great educational videos with a wide variety of artists and topics. I love this short piece featuring Albert Watson and one of his most iconic images.

There's so much solid content in this 1 1/2 minute video.  Remember, this image was captured in 1973 - forty-five years ago! No digital image to "chimp;" shot on film and all in manual mode on whatever gear Albert was using at the time. 

Most of you probably don't remember the image when it first came out, but it's another iconic portrait and there a few things that I love about it. First, it's black and white. Second, is Albert's concept behind the image and why, which he talks about in the video and third, Alfred Hitchcock was photographed by one of today's most significant contemporary artists.

Albert Watson's work is timeless because he's made it a point always to stay relevant. 
 
"Albert’s visual language follows his own distinctive rules and concepts of quality. With their brilliance, urgency, even grandeur, his photographs stand out so clearly against the world of today’s images. His way of lighting subjects, especially the fetish objects and portraits, creates a nearly meditative atmosphere in the photographs. Without a doubt, Albert Watson is an artist who greatly enriches our perception with his unique photographic view."

Check out more of Albert Watson's backstory with a click on his image above. It's part of an outstanding post by Clare Gillsäter. And, while you're there, you'll find Profoto's Inspiration tab a terrific resource about some of the finest artists in photography today.

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