Thursday, March 24, 2011
Liz and me
The news today is that the great actress Elizabeth Taylor has passed away.
I first saw her live at a White House function she was attending with her husband Senator John Warner, during 1980. I was working at the White House as a staff photographer and was posted on a scaffold in the back of the East Room along with the press corp for the event. I was scanning the crowd and couldn't believe it when I spotted Taylor as she turned to talk to someone. I lifted my camera with a 200mm lens and focused in on the back of her head. At that instant, she turned fully around and her face filled the viewfinder. She flashed a big smile to whoever it was she was talking to, I snapped the photo, and the sight of her, literally, took my breath away! I was never a person who was overly enthralled with beauty, thinking that what lies within is much more important. But I realized that day that I had never come face to face (and so close up!) with such beautiful perfection in the form of a human face. It was a surprisingly powerful encounter and, as a photographer who enjoys visual surprises, just a delightful experience.
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I didn't know you were a staff photographer at the White House. How cool! I've never seen Taylor in person, so I envy your experience:)
ReplyDeleteI wish you could post that photo here!
ReplyDeleteSooooo, where's the photo????
ReplyDeleteAre you crazy??? OK.. I guess you don't have enough to do. I was just commenting to Dolores Ross how beautiful she is/was. It was a random comment at the time. Then the next day she passed away. She was always one of my favorites to watch on the screen along with Natalie Wood.
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