Gregory Crewdson. Postcards from another world

This photographer is unlikely to be seen with a camera in his hands during a photo session, although there is an art director, lots of all kinds of assistants, decorators, constructors, lightning experts and technicians popping in and out around him. Every Gregory Crewdson‘s photo is like a shot from Hollywood film. Regardless where the picture is being shot, this photographer places every element scrupulously and enlightens it in a way, which seems most appropriate to him. No unplanned detail will hide from him; furthermore, the working on several subject photos takes longer than six weeks.



As you probably have already understood, G. Crewdson is an extraordinary photographer with extraordinary resources. Probably every artist at least once in a lifetime considers how he would realize his ideas, if such freedom would be provided. G. Crewdson has mastered and is firmly sticking to two methods of taking pictures: on the set prepared outside and in a gigantic studio, which can contain up to four different scenes at the same time. The photographer claims that every method is fundamentally different, but both of them award with a great joy. When taking pictures in the studio, G. Crewdson creates everything from scratch, having invented a strange world in his head, one moment from which is shifted into reality. When an image appears in the photographer‘s imagination, constructors, technicians and decorators throw themselves to work and replicate G.Crewdson‘s idea at maximum precision. While working atmospheric music is played in the studio, everybody is acting like one large family, attempting to achieve a perfect result. To my mind, they manage it perfectly.



In mother and child photo not only real snow had to be brought to the studio, but also a car, which is hardly seen in the photo. When asked why just a part of a car couldn‘t be dragged to the studio, G. Crewdson answered that till the end he didn’t know how much of it is going to be visible in the final shot. Therefore, he decided to place the whole of it at the studio with its engine removed. This proves again, that everyone obeys the photographer. G. Crewdson appreciates the depth in his works immensely; he creates it by skilfully placing mirrors, windows, doors and enlightening their vital parts. These elements single out the most important ground by putting it in the depth of the photo, by drawing the viewer in G.Crewdson‘s world and turning into its participant, not only an observer.



Although most freedom of fantasy is supplied in the studio, the photographer is fonder of taking pictures in the open spaces. This does not mean that the biggest part of directing is up to Mother Nature, G. Crewdson likes open spaces more, as there appear many more unsteady elements that have to be restrained or at least concealed (weather conditions, householders and their neighbours, search for an appropriate place, etc.). Outside there also are various constructions, floodlights built; it demands 14 hours of work on the set a day.



The majority photos’ plots contain motives resembling horror and thriller virtuosos Stephen King and Alfred Hitchcock. Frequent are mystic and gloomy views, depicting small towns or the suburbs of American middle class, with a lonesome figure in them. The photographer says that all of his pictures are like extracts from his own giant world-movie. Some of the photos are clearly related to one another, some of them not so obviously, but all of them have something in common, seems that all the characters from different pictures are acquainted, neighbors in the same town.



When looking at a separate G.Crewdson‘s photograph, the continuity of a moment, having neither “before“ nor “after” can be felt strongly. Everything visible, every cup, every tablet or shadow are frozen in the photographer‘s lens’ glass forever.

I think I always have been drawn to photography because I want to construct a perfect world. I want to try to create this moment that is separate from the chaos of my life, and to do that I think I create enormous disorder. And I like that craziness because I think that it creates almost a sort of neurotic energy on the set, and through that there is a moment of transportation. And in all my pictures what I am ultimately interested in is that moment of transcendence or transportation, where one is transported into another place, into a perfect, still world. Despite my compulsion to create this still world, it always meets up against the impossibility of doing so. So, I like the collision between this need for order and perfection and how it collides with a sense of the impossible. I like where possibility meets impossible.

You can get to know more about the author in the videos below. More of his works can be found here and here. Well, and I will probably open up a long unread S.King‘s novel.