WORTH WATCHING

Watch: 'What Gordon Parks Saw' Short Doc About His Photography

by Alex Billington
November 4, 2020
Source: YouTube

"I pointed my camera at people mostly who needed someone to say something for them… They couldn't speak for themselves." I love a good short film that makes me audibly gasp "wow" when watching – and this one did. What Gordon Parks Saw is a fascinating look at the photography of legendary artist / novelist / poet / musician / filmmaker Gordon Parks. It's only seven minutes long, but it covers his history and his legacy, and then dives into his remarkable eye as a photographer. You might already know his most iconic shots, but so many other photographs (a few seen in this video) are just as stunning, just as layered, just as beautiful. He clearly had an eye for capturing a humanity that few others can even see, and wanted to show everyone else how authentic and lovely African-Americans (of all shapes & sizes) are, too. A must watch doc.

Thanks to Kottke for the tip on this short doc. Their brief description: "Gordon Parks was a novelist, poet, musician, composer, painter, and film director, but he was best known for his photography. In this video, Evan Puschak takes a look at Parks’ photography, from his FSA photos taken in the 40s to his photo essays for Life magazine. What a life, what a career." What Gordon Parks Saw is a short by "The Nerdwriter", also known as Evan Puschak - follow him @TheeNerdwriter and see more of his videos on YouTube. "The Nerdwriter is a series of video essays about art, culture, politics, philosophy and more." The video is edited and narrated by Evan, featuring the work of Gordon Parks. You can also see / discover even more of Parks' photos via his online archive from The Gordon Parks Foundation. For more shorts, click here. Thoughts?

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