Unlike TV news reporters, we rarely see the faces of most newspaper journalists, especially photographers, who want to be anonymous eyes for us readers. And unlike most people whose pictures get in the news because they were up to no good — that’s not the case if they were photographed by New York Times photojournalist Bill Cunningham, who passed away on June 25.
For years most Times readers just took Bill Cunningham’s photo-layouts for granted. “Sunday Styles” and “Evening Hours” were entertaining. Most didn’t know the pictures of society events and fashionable people on the street were all taken by the same man in the blue windbreaker.
I had met Bill Cunningham on a few occasions at fashion shows and press events.
One cold Saturday evening in 2001, my little daughter and I attended a First Saturdays event at the Brooklyn Museum. That’s when the museum is opened to the community for live music, performance art, lectures, book readings, workshops, children’s activities and dancing. First Saturdays are a tradition in my family. As my daughter and I danced, Cunningham recognized me as a model and someone from the beauty industry he had met previously. He complimented my little daughter and… well, you see the result here.
We had the picture mounted and framed.
Nobody had the eye Bill Cunningham had. I wonder if we’ll ever see anyone as gifted as him come along again?
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