An eye for beauty.

Last night I watched the film, Bill Cunningham, a fascinating documentary about the quirky photographer, Bill Cunningham, who says, “The best fashion show is on the street. Always has been, always will be.”

Originally a hat designer and then a fashion writer, he was given a camera by a friend who told him to the camera as he would a pen to take notes and document life. He has taken that advice and become a photographic note taker extraordinaire. Cunningham is in his eighties and still producing his weekly photo essay in the New York Times, On the Street. 

Wearing his trademark blue jacket, the same one worn by Paris street cleaners, Cunningham rides around New York City on a basic Schwinn bicycle (without a helmut), stopping to photograph what people are actually wearing on the street.

It's incredible that he still shoots using 35mm color negative film, has it developed at a lab and then has the New York Times scan his best frames. The film brings us into his living quarters - a tiny room filled with filing cabinets, fashion books and a few hangers for his clothes. He has never "stayed in" (no kitchen) and the bathroom is down the hall. He values his independence and strives to remain objective in his work; you'll never catch him accepting a drink or a bit to eat any any of the events he covers. 

It is sure this man has a passion for fashion and an eye to find beauty.


Check the trailer: