CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 6/25/2014

Larry Fink on Composition and Improvisation

"George Plimpton and Devotees, Elaine's, New York City, January 1999" is reproduced from Larry Fink on Composition and Improvisation, the newest volume in Aperture's Photography Workshop Series. Fink writes, "This picture of George Plimpton was taken in New York City on a fashion shoot at Elaine's, which is now closed. The real secret of the picture is that Plimpton is looking straight at me, and he's pissed off. It makes you think, "something's wrong here" and adds tension to the scene. In a swirl of beautiful women, booze, and everything pleasurable that you can possibly imagine, the guy at the center is dead still. He has a secret in his eye: he's mad because everyone is having a better time than him, even the photographer at work—you can see me up there in the mirror. As you can see from the mirror, I'm not even shooting with the camera at my eyes. As the scene developed, I had to focus very quickly and clearly and then drop the camera down so I could be more involved with the scene. I've been shooting for a many years and have a good idea of how things will look in the frame, so I tend to move around with the camera slightly below eye level."