Inspirations: Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks has been one of my favorite photographers for a long time. I’d been looking for way to discuss his work and its impact, when I came across this video from The Nerd Writer on Youtube and I think he does a stellar job of explaining Parks’ impact on photography and the .

A few summers ago, I got to view some of his work up close through an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. Incidentally, this was the same the day that I saw Mikki Ferrill’s work for the first time. The thing that’s perhaps most fascinating about Parks’ work is the level of intimacy he develops with his subjects. The exhibition I saw featured some of the work he did documenting the lives of Malcolm X and members of the Nation of Islam during the Civil Rights Era. Some of the images were definitely unsettling and really serve to highlight the internal and external stresses of the political landscape of the time.

Parks’ work is unflinching. It’s difficult to remain unchanged when looking at it. I truly envy the amount of trust he built with his subjects. It’s something I will forever aspire to.