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Gordon Parks

Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks was a well renowned His genre` of photography ranged from landscapes, cityscapes, por-
African-American Photographer, Film Director, Writer and Composer. He traits and documentary photography. The equipment he used after the Voit-
was born on November 30, 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas, the youngest of 15 lander were the Graflex Speed Graphic Press Camera that uses medium to
children. He was named after Dr. Gordon who saved his life at birth due to large format used by press photographers, the Rolleiflex that is a twin-lens
being stillborn. reflex camera that incorporates two lenses, one for viewing and one for picture
He was told by his white school teacher that his class would end taking (Rolleiflex) Later he used 35mm cameras although he waited a while
up being either porters or maids but he was determined to prove her before using them but when he did, he loved them. (Oral History Interview with
wrong. At the age of 14, his mother passed and he was sent to live with Gordon Parks (1964)).
his older sister and her husband in Minneanapolis, Minnesota. Within a During the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s Parks took on filmmaking and
years time, conflict came between he and his brother-in-law thus kicking noted for works as The Learning Tree (which is one of his books), Shaft, Shaft’s
him out of the home. Big Score, Half Slave, Half
Between periods of homelessness, he earned money playing the piano in Free and the biography of the bluesman Leadbelly. These films he was the Di-
a bordello, worked as a busboy, a Civilian Conservation Corpsman and as rector on and the first African-American to direct films for Warner Brothers. He
his teacher predicted, a porter and later a waiter on the transcontinental also was an author and composer to include A Choice of Weapons, To Smile
North Coast Limited (Notable Names Database). in Autumn, A Poet and His Camera and a ballet called Martin in honor of Dr.
While working the railroad, he took an interest in photography. He martin Luther King.
bought his first camera, a used Voitlander Brilliant for $12.50 in 1937. At I feel that he was very successful in his craft because of his interest,
this time he was around 25. He took his first pictures on Seattle’s water- drive and determination. His mother told him as a child to not make an excuse
front falling off the pier while photographing sea gulls for your downfalls and failures or what you can and cannot do because you are
(Gale Cengage Learning). After a while he began working as a freelance black. His black and white photos make a dynamic statement with his use of
photographer. In 1942 Parks came to Washington, DC, was awarded a lighting, contrast and shadowing and he captures the very essence of what is
fellowship by the Julius Rosenwald Fund to study photography and to happening around him. A good example of this is the photo-essay about a child
work for the Farm Security Administration, a branch of Federal Govern- from the Brazilian slums that expanded into a TV documentary in 1962 and a
ment that helped farmers suffering from the Great Depression. In 1944 book of poetry in 1978 both entitled Flavio (Gordon Parks Biography)
Parks got a job as a fashion photographer for Vogue Magazine and be- Parks passed away in March 2006 at the age of 93. He was a true
came their only black photographer. In 1948 he became the first black pioneer in photography and that opened many doors for African-Americans.
photographer for Life Magazine. Life sent him to places like France, Italy,
and Spain as well as stateside. He was known for his photo documenting
the Civil Rights Movement (Gordon Parks Photographer).

Course Title: Digital Photography Project: Student: Janet M. McPhatter Instructor: Ms. Penny Shaw Term: January 2010