罗尼·史密斯(Rodney Smith)Rodney Smith 1970年毕业于弗吉尼亚大学,之后在1973年,他在耶鲁大学取得了神学硕士学位。在耶鲁时,他师从Walker Evans研习摄影,之后,以纽约为大本营,他开始了商业摄影和摄影教学生涯,并获得耶鲁大学副教授的职位。
在商业摄影方面,他服务过的大客户不计其数:其中有American Express、 I.B.M.、H.J Heinz、 Merrill Lynch、 the New York Stock Exchange、 B.M.W.、 Starbucks Coffee、VISA、 Ralph Lauren、 Ellen Tracy、 The New York Times杂志和W 杂志。 1975年,Rodney得到一笔奖学金,这笔钱足以资助他在耶路撒冷呆3个月,耶路撒冷的三个月是充实的。之后,他把在这三个月内拍的作品集结成册,在这本名为“光明之地”的画册里,充满了白沙覆盖的墙、脸庞瘦削,眼神迷离的男人和拥有棕色眼睛,挂着迷人微笑的妇女和小孩。这本作品集取得了空前的成功,甚至到今天,我们在很多时尚摄影作品里还可以找到些许Rodney似的风格。
如今,Rodney已是时尚摄影界中的翘楚,不过和同时代的摄影师不同的是,他的作品总是用黑白直指本源,古典的黑白调和拥有奇特神情和姿态的模特营造出一种截然不同的风格,这有点像Helmut Newton,从一堆五颜六色的时尚作品里,你总是可以毫不费劲一眼辨别出“Rodney风格”的片子。他自己也说:“我想我能为时尚做的就是提供一种古典、怀旧同时又高贵和协调的感觉,找出入时的,并能持续许久的那种东西,而不是追求每一刻的变化。” 我们来看看这种所谓的“典型Rodney风格”——一个典型英国绅士打扮的男人(英式贴身西服,绅士帽),置身于一望无际的田间,灰色天空劈出一道淡白的光,抑或同样是这样打扮的男人,不过场景转换到城市露台或者爬满藤蔓的高墙。所有这些男人都背对观众,你看不到他们的表情,然而你似乎能够从画面中感受到他们的情绪,这样的情绪甚至比他们直接面对你还来得强烈。而为数不多的几个露面男人肖像表情也是出奇地木讷,好像被催眠一样懵懂,这样的表情加上大片留白的素色背景,好像真正地凝固了时间,给人无尽地想象空间。从这些画面中我们可以看出Rodney在环境和主题之间的精妙协调。关于这样的一种风格是如何形成的,他给我们的解释是:“我父亲本来就是位和时尚行业有很多关系的商人,在时尚行业里,一切都是围绕‘外表’运转的,我就是在这样一个处处在意东西看起来怎么样的家庭环境中长大,这也在我心里种下了最初的审美种子,处处注重细节,衣服的质地细节,建筑物的细节,一切一切的细节,对细节的苛求在日后影响到我对所谓时尚、比例、高贵和美的看法。”
年鉴
Rodney Smith Biography
Rodney Smith graduated from the University of Virginia in 1970. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity in Theology from Yale University in 1973. While at Yale, Rodney also studied photography under Walker Evans. Mr. Smith is a photographer based in New York with years of teaching experience, including a adjunct professorship at Yale University. He regularly teaches a workshop at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshop in New Mexico.
Along with his personal work, Mr. Smith has been commissioned to do assignment work for clients such as American Express, I.B.M., H.J Heinz, Merrill Lynch, the New York Stock Exchange, B.M.W., Starbucks Coffee, and House Beautiful Magazine, MCI Worldcom, VISA, and The New York City Ballet. In addition to this corporate and advertising work, his fashion include Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Ralph Lauren, Ellen Tracy, The New York Times Magazine and W Magazine.
In 1975 he received a Jerusalem Foundation Fellowship which enabled him to live in Jerusalem for three months. This work resulted in his first book, In the Land of Light, published by Houghton-Mifflin Company in 1983. His second book, entitled The Hat Book was published by Doubleday in the Fall of 1993. Currently, Mr. Smith is working on his third book. He lives with his wife and daughter in Snedens Landing, a small community on the Hudson near New York City.