Bill Cunningham New York

Cunningham, an octogenarian, must be flattered that people are still interested in his sex life or at least want to know if he is gay or not.  As it turns out he is married to his work and is never romantically involved with anybody.  So I guess the answer is even he himself can't be sure if he is or isn't homosexual.  Sometimes I wonder why someone's sexual orientation weighs so much on one's life.  But it sort of always does especially if one is not heterosexual, it's like your whole life is defined by your sexual orientation, well I digressed.  There are a couple of things that surprise me.  The number one being, not the homosexual question, but about his religion.  Cunningham is Catholic and goes to church every Sunday and when asked about his religion he seems badly shaken and on the verge of a meltdown and for a few seconds he just keeps his head down and can't utter a word, which is unusual given his usual cheerful predisposition, at least on the documentary though the few times I saw him in real life he seemed seriously detached, not unfriendly but not warm or anything probably he needed to stay focused when he's at work which I am sure he was as he is at work twenty four by seven.  The second surprise is how jocular Anna Wintour is when talking about Bill Cunningham.  She is chatty and warm and doesn't hide behind her sunglasses.  I think Cunningham certainly suffers for his art though he says he enjoys it, his work ethics is next to none: he won't even allow himself to eat or drink a glass of water in those high society parties he covers as that would be inappropriate.  When nowadays people, like the Sartorialist, causally brag about pageviews, CPM and quarter million dollars ad revenue, Bill is decidedly humble and frugal and vows to never sell out.  As he says if you don't get paid they can't make you do things. Or something.

PS:  I think Cunningham shoots with some FE or FE2.  But the latest is, judging from a post/picture I saw from the Sartorialist, he might be shooting a Nikon D7000 with a manual lens attached.  Good luck with the focusing, CHILD.

Bill At Work

Bill Cunningham on 41st and 5th

I saw wild Bill speeding down 5th on his bike, sans helmet, in a turquoise blue cardigan, stylish as ever in his own unique way.  I was trying very hard to see what camera was hanging on his neck, with him paddling at 100mph about twenty feet away and my failing eyesight I think it's a black Nikon FE2 with a prime lens.  I waved and said Good Morning.  And he waved back too.  I was awe struck.  Bill made my day.

Bill Cunningham of The New York Times

© 2010 laichungleung.

Canon P, Canon RF 35mm with optional viewfinder. Kodak 400NC.
Shot outside the two tents in Bryant Park where Fashion Week 2010 was taking place.  It's an orchestrated mess.

UPDATE:
I like the picture.  It works on some level because Mr. Cunningham is the only one who is looking at the camera and all others are either on their backs or look elsewhere.  He looks in focus and I think I must have set the lens at hyper focal point at f8 and 1/125 of a second and composed through the optional viewfinder.  Mr. Cunningham seemed ill at ease being taken the picture and out of respect I did not come close to him.  The man was at work.