Let the Subject Show
This is a portrait of George Ancona. I’ve known George for 70 years. We were in the Art Squad together at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY.
We lost contact with each other for a while. When I started teaching at the Santa Fe Workshops, he called me and said, “Hey Jay, this is George. I live here. Let’s get together.”
Since then, I have been photographing him every year. Most of the pictures have been about me and color, some extreme close-ups, some wonderful playing with light.
This picture, which took about 10 seconds to do, is all about George. It has his gesture in his environment.
I am minimally present, minimally invasive.
It’s good to forget about yourself once in a while.