Larry sultan

The influential photographer died of cancer Sunday. He was 63. In remembrance, we listen to a 1989 interview with him about his Pictures from Home, a decade-long project in which he observed the effects of his father's job loss on his family — a poignant topic once more.

Larry Sultan’s photography is imbued with both the traditions of documentary and staging, and captures suburban life often in his hometown in the San Fernando Valley. _Pictures From Home_ is a project that spanned a decade featuring his mother and father as primary subjects.

Sultan’s 80s portraits of his parents are both artful and authentic

All the World's a Stage in the Oeuvre of the Late Photographer

Thanks to Jeremy Davis, I've recently been familiarizing myself with the photographic works of Larry Sultan. He passed away in 2009 but he published a body of work that spanned 30 years. His Pictures From Home have a quiet sweetness to them, while his Swimmers have a real mysterious vibe. There's so much to see on his site, I recommend picking one set and sitting with it for a bit and then returning later. The gift that keeps on giving.

Canal, San Rafael, by Larry Sultan. Dark grey storm clouds coalesce in the sky as Mexican day laborers trudge across the abandoned fields behi…

For the past two years, I have been hiring day laborers as actors in the landscape photographs I make on the outskirts of the suburbs. I drive to lumber yards and big box hardware stores where, every day, from dawn to early evening, hundreds of men wait nearby to be picked up for hourly work. […]

Larry Sultan, Chandler Boulevard, 1999. Chromogenic print, sheet: 40 × 50 in. (101.6 × 127 cm) Image: 38 1/4 × 48 in. (97.2 × 121.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Jeanne and Richard S. Press 2003.462

Capturing composition is easy to learn but a challenge to make unique. Drawing inspiration from classic photographers is helpful to elevate your photos.