The essay is titled, "Elizabeth Taylor Through the Lens of Hollywood Photo Legend Bob Willoughby." Willoughby, a famed photographer, took dozens of candid shots of Elizabeth Taylor over the years. The photos range from Willoughby taking a photo of Taylor being photographed by another photographer (a very interesting shot) at the tender age of 19 to candid shots on the set of Raintree County.
Enjoy!
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| Taylor, Willoughby and Eva Marie Saint on the set of Raintree County. Photo Credit |
I don't think that "photo essay" is the appropriate term to describe this set of photos, slideshow seems a better. To me, what makes a photo essay a photo essay is the hybrid of audio and image. This collection of photos of Taylor offer beautiful images that give us a peek into the reality of Taylor. We get to see Taylor when the camera is rolling and when it is off, and in doing so we get a better understanding of the late icon. But I think that the photos would have had a much more significant impact if there were some sort of accompanying narration. Taylor's essence is a bit mysterious, her career is often shrouded by her personal life, yet still she is iconic and respected the nation over. So if there were someone close to Taylor who was speaking about her personality as we looked at images of her personality then we would get a much better chance to understand her. I am not trying to say that this slideshow does not accomplish what it is trying to do, it might, but I think that photo essays offer another dimension of storytelling that photos cannot do on their own
ReplyDeleteAll that being said, I do think that some of the photos in this collection are nice. The one that struck me the most was the one in which Taylor is peering through the window shade and you can only see one eye clearly. Something about the photo is piercingly beautiful and captivating, but it is difficult to put your finger on why exactly. Much like the subject.