Under the Hood

Obviously film and photography are close relatives; both use film—or used to––and a camera to capture the world. But the way they tell stories makes all the difference. The absolute singularity and stasis of a photograph freezes a moment in time, while a film flows through time, demanding we use our memory as much as our eyes to see the story. So to see what photographers sees we asked five acclaimed photographers to tell us the five films that have influenced them most.

Interestingly each photographer intersects with film and the film world in very different ways. Amy Stein instills a mysterious sense of narrative in her work. Gregory Crewdson deploys a small army of production people to build, dress, light and shoot his photos, just like a film. Lauren Greenfield has not only chronicled with her camera the American teen, but has made two highly acclaimed documentaries. Larry Sultan’s behind-the-scene coverage of porn sets shows us what the magic of movies looks like from the other side. And finally, if you ask any cinematographer who influences his style, the name of William Eggleston will undoubtedly come up.