I love him…. from a distance. Bruce Gilden is completely the opposite of me in most ways. I’m a more introverted, shy street photographer who takes a more reserved and distant approach to street photography. Bruce Gilden, on the other hand, is a very in your face, want of a better word ‘aggressive’ photographer. Neither way is better than the other or the right way to photograph the streets, it's about what's personal to you.
As a child your easily impressionable meaning it’s no surprise that Bruce Gilden’s style is so direct and intrusive when you consider that he’s grown up with a father who was a gangster. His shooting style, as well as subject matter, is merely just a reflection of his character. His style of shooting has been criticised as been invasive and predatory but in an interview with Martin Parr he raises a great point saying ‘ There is a misconception that if you work close and work flash its any more aggravating than having your picture taken’, before later adding that having your picture taken from a distance also have these similar connotations as sneaky and predatory.
Bruce Gildens Interview with fellow photographer Martin Parr
Whilst Bruce does have this hard exterior, his loving and more sympathetic side isn’t impenetrable. In a past shoot for the British Photography Journal, he visited Derby for a project entitled ‘Head On’. In iconic Gilden style, he began shooting with a camera in one hand and flash in the other violently dropping to his knees when he found a ‘character’. Understandably one woman questioned his intentions, to which Bruce offered to delete the picture. After some convincing and a little hesitation she let Bruce take another photo, before engaging in a pleasant conversation. Once the woman departed Bruce says that he ‘would love to get one [shot] of her legs with her shoes’ but restrains from doing so out of privacy and decency. This is one of several occasions where we see the more emotional side of Bruce Gilden, one that is polarised from his Gung-ho media representation. There are other stories of him being sympathetic to new photographers who come to his class, for a desire for them to showcase their story and their vision.
Bruce Gilden's 'Head On' project in Derby
Bruce Gilden has always been criticised for his intentions when he’s shooting these ‘characters’ that have been battered and bruised by life. In an interview with Martin Parr he explains where his desire to shoot this subject matter came from, ‘I like characters. I always have. When I was five, I liked the ugliest wrestler, so it was easy for me to pick what I wanted to photograph’. This has come under a lot of criticism most notably by Guardian writer Sean O'Hagan who says the subjects he shoots ‘perceived ugliness is paraded as a kind of latter-day freak show.’
For me, his intentions aren't obvious in a single photo, the breath of his portfolio in which he displays a consistent vision is where his credibility lies. It’s very easy without previous knowledge of his background and personality to think that Gilden is demonising and disregarding common ethics when it comes to shooting his subjects. Yet with context and a vast portfolio I have faith that he’s shooting his subjects for the right reasons.
In one of his most recent books Faces, similar to earlier work such as A Complete Examination of Middlesex, showcases portraits that fill the frame of people who have been pained by life; with some being driven to alcoholism and extreme addictions. Taken over two years [2012 to 2014] during Bruce’s travels in America, United Kingdom and Colombia, the pictures show the ‘characters’ scars, bruises, crooked teeth and physical deformities yet surprisingly Bruce got permission from all those included. Even with this in mind, people including Sean O'Hagan see this as dehumanising and insensitive.
Images from Bruce Gildens book Faces.
However, for me, in an age of narcissistic photography where social media feeds are littered with peoples idealised visions of themselves and their lifestyle, these photos provide a startling and slightly uncomfortably guilty relief. In my opinion, this is what photography and in particular street photography is supposed to do. Photography is meant to challenge whilst street photography is meant to document. For me, Bruce Gilden is merely documenting and challenging our current perception of what he describes as ’the common man’.
Additionally, I think there is a slight misconception that Bruce thinks he’s better than the subjects he photographs and wants to parade them as ‘freaks’ but anything but the opposite could be true. These are the people he likes, finds interesting and relates to. In an essay by Chris Klatell In Gilden’s most recent book Faces, he notes ‘Here are Bruce Gilden’s people, his family. He shares their teeth, their stubble, their scrapes and blemishes, their fear of death. In the women’s scowls, in their sternly ambitious glances, he sees his own mother’s face, before she killed herself…’
Challenging, Unique, individual, uncompromising, honest and original are all the qualities I love about Bruce Gilden. Very often photographers try to imitate without understanding themselves and how they like to shoot, Bruce Gilden is one of the exceptions. Whilst it may be perceived that the images he captures don’t take too much photographic talent, the uniqueness and individuality about his body of work elevate him above so many other street photographers. There is a danger in the modern world that everything is becoming homogenous and people are losing their individuality due to a fear of being themselves; Bruce Gilden, fortunately, isn’t.