ALBERT WATSON FULL INTERVIEW - VENEZIA - ITALY

Estimated read time: 1:20

Summary

In an engaging interview, renowned photographer Albert Watson shares his journey from a young graphic design student to becoming a world-class photographer with over 52 years in the field. Watson's passion for photography sparked when he was gifted a camera at age 21, and he emphasizes the crucial role light plays in capturing the perfect image. He shares an anecdote about his nerve-wracking experience photographing Alfred Hitchcock, which taught him the importance of confidence in photography. Watson's multifaceted interests in art, music, and design influence his work, and he expresses admiration for Japanese designers. Despite having photographed many famous figures, Watson regrets missing the chance to photograph Madonna.

Highlights

Albert Watson's journey into photography started at age 21 with the gift of a camera and has continued for 52 years. 📸
The magic of photography for him lies in its ability to freeze time, capturing moments that are otherwise fleeting. ⌛
His first major shoot was with Alfred Hitchcock, an experience that taught him the importance of confidence. 💪
Photographing people, no matter their status, requires forming an intimate connection to put them at ease. 🤗
Watson's love for art, music, and fashion, especially Japanese designers, fuels his photography style. 🎶👗
Despite his many successes, he regrets not having photographed Madonna when he had the chance. 🤷‍♂️
Albert Watson is excited about future opportunities and the continuous evolution of his art. 🚀

Key Takeaways

Albert Watson's passion for photography began with a simple gift – a camera! 🎥
His first famous shoot was with Alfred Hitchcock, a moment that boosted his confidence immensely. 📸
Watson emphasizes the importance of mastering light in photography for capturing those magical moments. 🌟
Art and photography are deeply intertwined for Watson, with influences from his background in graphic design and direction. 🎨📽️
He has a keen interest in Japanese fashion designers, showing his diverse artistic tastes. 👘
Despite an illustrious career, he still wishes he'd captured Madonna's essence through his lens! 🎤
Watson stresses the importance of forming connections with subjects, be it a famous celebrity or a local market vendor. 🤝

Overview

Albert Watson's passion for photography ignited at the age of 21, transforming a budding interest in graphic design into a lifelong pursuit behind the camera. He discovered the magic of photos when his wife gifted him a small camera, and from that moment on, his destiny was sealed. With an impressive career spanning 52 years, Watson emphasizes how critical it is for photographers to master lighting, a lesson he learned early on.

An iconic moment for Watson came when he photographed Alfred Hitchcock, a nerve-wracking yet invaluable experience that taught him one of photography's core lessons: confidence. This encounter becomes a recurring theme in Watson's story, highlighting the necessity of establishing trust and rapport with subjects, whether they are internationally renowned figures or local vendors.

Aside from his photographic endeavors, Watson's diverse artistic interests profoundly influence his work. His background in graphic design and film direction adds a unique dimension to his photographs, characterized by a distinct style that merges art with narrative. He harbors a particular admiration for Japanese fashion designers and continues to seek inspiration in new challenges, including the opportunity he missed to photograph Madonna, a regret that fuels his longing for the next great capture.

Chapters

00:00 - 01:30: Art Passion and Photography Beginnings The author reflects on their passion for art that started at the age of 21. They realized that art was their calling while studying graphic design.
01:30 - 03:00: Understanding Light and Early Challenges The chapter explores the narrator's introduction to photography, which began when his wife gifted him a small camera at the age of 21. This sparked a lifelong passion for the art form, leading to a 52-year career in photography.
03:00 - 05:00: First Famous Photograph and Gaining Confidence In this chapter, the focus is on the art and science of photography, emphasizing the automatic nature of capturing images. The chapter explores the photographer's intent to create magical and sometimes mysterious visuals for both themselves and the viewers. It reflects on the idea of 'stealing a second of time' to create timeless pieces.
05:00 - 06:30: Making Connections in Photography This chapter explores the unique ability of photography to capture and freeze moments in time, allowing us to see a fragment of time. The author discusses early experiences with photography, highlighting moments of both disappointment and realization when comparing the anticipation of taking a picture with the actual outcome.
06:30 - 07:30: Passion for Art and Its Influence on Photography The chapter discusses the challenges photographers face in terms of lighting, emphasizing its crucial role in capturing images effectively. The narrator shares a personal anecdote about initially considering a photo a masterpiece, only to become dissatisfied with it later. This dissatisfaction led to discarding the photo, illuminating the importance of mastering the art of controlling and manipulating light to ensure that what is seen is accurately recorded by the camera.
07:30 - 09:30: Style and Artistic Influences The chapter titled 'Style and Artistic Influences' emphasizes the importance of mastering light in photography. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about their early career experience with photographing Alfred hcook, noting the nervousness felt at the age of 29 or 30. This highlights the significance of understanding and conquering lighting as a crucial skill for photographers to avoid disappointment and frustration.
09:30 - 11:30: Missed Opportunities and Future Aspirations The chapter titled 'Missed Opportunities and Future Aspirations' discusses the author's experience of arriving at a film school. The author describes the experience as overwhelming, particularly the psychological impact of going through security. The author vividly recalls feeling nervous and sweating, but was relieved when a kind individual arrived and offered support, making the experience less daunting. This chapter highlights the contrasting emotions of anxiety and relief in the context of pursuing aspirations.
11:30 - 13:00: Thoughts on the Pirelli Calendar The speaker reflects on their experience with the Pirelli Calendar shoot, considering it a significant event in their career. They mention how it boosted their confidence, which they view as a crucial element in photography, particularly when interacting with subjects. The speaker believes that creating a connection with people during shoots, regardless of their status, is a key aspect of their craft.
13:00 - 15:30: Upcoming Ceremony at Buckingham Palace The chapter discusses an upcoming ceremony at Buckingham Palace, emphasizing the universal techniques used to connect with people regardless of their status. The narrative draws a parallel between engaging with people in a market in Marrakesh and interacting with celebrities, highlighting the importance of making genuine connections and helping even well-known individuals feel at ease, as they can sometimes be nervous despite their public persona.

ALBERT WATSON FULL INTERVIEW - VENEZIA - ITALY Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 I was at Art passion started when I was 21 and I knew then that it was what I wanted to [Music] do we're studying graph design and then
00:30 - 01:00 uh when I was almost 21 my wife gave me a small camera and from the minute I had the camera in my hand the passion developed from there but never stopped to this day so now I've been a photographer uh 52 years from the very very beginning really
01:00 - 01:30 [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's almost to me automatic uh an automatic way of seeing and of course you're trying to create something for a viewer as well as myself something magical and something sometimes mysterious what you're doing really is stealing a second of time and freezing a second of time and sometimes of course a
01:30 - 02:00 hundredth of a second of time so you're freezing something in time and it's a wonderful uh thing that photography can do it really stops time it's the only device in a way that stops that one second so you really see a fragment of time early on I think I realized uh I had a lot of disappointments early on I would take a picture and I would look at the picture uh at the moment of taking
02:00 - 02:30 it and thinking it was a masterpiece then the next day it didn't look quite so good and the day after I threw the picture out so therefore there was a a problem there what is what why am I throwing out a picture that I thought was a masterpiece most of the problems resulted from light meaning that a lack of ability to make a connection to control the light and uh to manipulate the light and to make sure what I was seeing was being recorded by the camera
02:30 - 03:00 so conquering light is really the is one of the most important things that a photographer can do he he has to learn this early on otherwise it's always frustrating you're always disappointed unless you do this uh Alfred hcook was the first uh famous person that I photographed and of course for me at the age of 29 years old maybe 30 years old I I was very nervous I was just out of
03:00 - 03:30 film school so therefore coming from film school there was really a problem uh with that uh you other words it was overwhelming so I remember going and uh arriving at the place going through security and it was really a major major problem for me uh psychologically however and I remember sweating that's what I remember and then he walked in and I think he knew I was a little bit nervous but he was absolutely fantastic with me and he helped me with the
03:30 - 04:00 shooting so I was very very lucky so I always look back and say that this event was one of the most important to me because after the event I gained confidence and confidence is a main ingredient of Photography you have to be confident especially with people yes I think it's an intimate moment that you have this connection with somebody um and it really doesn't matter if it's a president of the United States or if it's a marker uh if if it's
04:00 - 04:30 a what you would say as a porter in a market in Marakesh which I've done um I make try to make the same connection so with somebody famous or not famous you make the same connection and also you try very hard to relax the person because sometimes even celebrities that are photographed all the time sometimes they're nervous and uh very often
04:30 - 05:00 they're nervous uh so what's important is to make the sitter the person you're photographing feel confident and not nervous I think I'm lucky because I found a passion for something in particular photography but beyond that immediately behind this is a passion for art music all aspects of art actually uh even dance uh I go to Opera go to ballet
05:00 - 05:30 um I spend a lot of time in galleries so therefore you I have almost an equal passion for art as I have for photography and I find of course art is very inspiring and can inspire you to better things style is uh quite important because with style comes a certain amount of recognizability so people recognize your style but when you look at my pictures there's a very easy way to uh to look at
05:30 - 06:00 the pictures because I was trained as a graphic designer so therefore in my work you see Graphics uh I was trained at film school as a director so therefore you see direction and you see film and uh the third is quite simply a combination of the first two graphics and film together so when you look at you can almost divide all of the pictures that I've taken into one of those three categories personally for fashion I like like uh I like the Japanese designers
06:00 - 06:30 but of course uh if I'm going to a special event or an awards or Buckingham Palace then I'm dressing a little bit more conservatively and I like very much the Japanese designer yuju yamamu I think he has um a lot of style consistency and he is a very clever guy so I've been in art I'm like anybody I'm always looking for the next peace you
06:30 - 07:00 know uh it's very nice early on as I did to discover uh you know baset in New York very early and and you knew he was I knew he was very good and accomplished so therefore it's you're always looking for the next thing I wish I had photographed Madonna early on and I was supposed to photograph her but the shooting was cancelled not for any other reason in journalistic and for some reason although I met her and spoke with her for an hour uh I never connected
07:00 - 07:30 with her and maybe now it's too late you know but um I'm sadry I missed that but apart from that uh I've almost photographed everybody I've you know wanted to photograph but of course I'm always interested in whoever is around tomorrow of course to me it's a mystery why I haven't done one already but uh of course it would be nice to do one of course I think we would do something very strong the perelli calendar I knew from the very beginning so there has gone through through many different
07:30 - 08:00 changes uh I think uh my favorite plli calendar was the helmet Newton one which is very early on and I like what he did he actually integrated it uh with some idea of what pelli was about it was a purelli was an industrial giant of a company and he somehow connected with the company uh and somehow then it just developed into pretty women sometimes nude sometimes not nude so a lot of them
08:00 - 08:30 seemed a little bit Anonymous to me uh and uh so therefore I prefer the calendars that have a definite Viewpoint or a concept rather than just pretty shots of women you know yes and in fact tomorrow we go to Buck and Palace tomorrow morning actually uh so we go at uh I think 10:00 I don't know the exact time because the invitation for the event is waiting for me at the hotel so but I do know it's in the morning so I don't know if it's 9:30
08:30 - 09:00 10:00 10:30 some about that time you know it's an award ceremony uh and the country invests something in you you know they give you a medal it's very you know it's a nice thing but it's called invested you but I know that the investure Begins the the ceremony begins at 11:00 two things you look at the person and you're looking at the person psychologically who is this person what he has achieved what are his his
09:00 - 09:30 abilities um or sometimes about someone you don't know you don't know if they're what they do or anything uh you look at the geography of their face you look at the the the mountains you know and The Valleys of the face you know so that's what you do for