You have likely seen the album jacket of The Beatles walking along a crossroad in a row. A woman photographer captured the natural moment as they prepared for filming. The woman not only captured The Beatles, but also lots of other musicians famous in the 1960s such as The Doors’ Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Her name is Linda McCartney. She is the photographer who successfully captured the natural moments of famous musicians, wife of Paul McCartney, and a committed social activist. Her photos highlight her perspective on life, which is natural, simple, and warm.
Photographer and Friend
Linda as a photographer shared music history in throughout the 20th Century. Linda, a single mom raising her daughter, made her living by taking pictures. One day, she just happened to take pictures of Rolling Stones’ party on a boat in 1966. At that time she gained artists’ attention and really begin her career of photographing great musicians in the 1960s. What made her photos special was their simplicity. Musicians in her photos rarely did “vogue” poses. Rather, Linda paid attention to musicians’ unpretentious looks captured during laughter and relaxation. While others were not interested in shooting Jimi Hendrix yawning, McCartney found delight in those types of moments. Surprisingly, Linda didn’t stealthily catch those kinds of moments. She merely caught the moment while people were engaged in conversation. Many musicians felt she was more like a friend than a photographer snapping their pictures. This feature has resulted in making her photos famous, and she also becomes the first woman photographer to grace the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine in 1988.
Love for Family and Life
Linda married Paul McCartney and the couple had two daughters and a son together. The 1970s was the hardest period for Paul McCartney because he decided to leave The Beatles at that time. Paul was depressed and eventually moved to Scotland with his family. However, Linda and the children turned their hard times into precious moments. She recorded her family’s natural daily life by capturing regular moments like Paul McCartney hugging their daughter in his coat, taking a shower with his son, and enjoying the cool air outside with the children in a field. Because McCartney treasured natural life moments, she took random snapshots and rarely photographed the same moment repeatedly. Through her photos she expressed love for family and herself. Stella McCartney, Linda’s daughter, said “Every image is a reflection of her way of seeing life and how she viewed every day with fresh eyes. Her lens was her way of expressing herself.” Linda’s simple photos and lifestyle influenced her children’s decision to become artists, and restored Paul’s confidence.
A Way to Protect Lives
Linda admired Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, documentary photographers who captured natural aspects of society. Influenced by their photos, Linda became not only an artist but also a social activist taking reality pictures. McCartney was an animal rights activist and strict vegetarian, so she never ate anything with a “face.” She often showed the plight of animals being slaughtered in meat houses and fish displayed for consumption. She considered the horse to be one of her best friends. In addition, she was interested in depicting the various lives of people. She captured tired miners and immigrants’ faces to express human alienation in industrialized society and provoked awareness of the importance of lives. Also, she was quick to shoot people from unique perspectives like a couple’s imaged being reflected in car mirror or a man on passing truck. Through these photos, Linda showed the boundary between the past and present in order to make people realize the value of each moment in life.
Life is a collection of Permanent Moments
Linda pursued life’s joy and always paid attention to moments that others did not concern important and that were rarely photographed. Linda said, “If you discover something moves your heart, press the shutter and save the moment.” Life is full of countless moments and each moment makes life valuable. Linda captured her precious moments by shooting simple and natural photos. As a result, people are impressed by her photos and they are referred to as records of warm days in life.
To truly appreciate Linda McCartney’s photos, arrive at the museum as early as you possible because many people arrive in the afternoon and the wait to enter is long. You are free to take photos inside the museum; also, there are even places where people can take pictures of themselves alongside McCartney’s larger size photos. The museum provides a docent service at set times, but if you wish to view the exhibition leisurely, listen to photo explanations with the ‘Daelim Museum’ application.