XtremeCamera

Some photographers spend years working on a style that befits their work, their passion, their true selves, while others simply pick up a camera, learn how to use it, and a unique style is evident from the first click of the shutter. Mary McCartney falls into the latter category, based on what I have seen of her amazing photography.

Please note* – Mary McCartney was not contacted about this profile and as such we would be presume to grab some of her photographs off the web and display them here. If McCartney hears about this profile and sends us word that it would be fine to show you some of her work we will create an exhibit and show them.

McCartney is a photographer with indelible taste and ‘almost royal’ elegance. It was not happenstance or her “name” that provoked Tony and Cherie Blair to choose her to create the very first photographs of their newborn son, Leo. It was something that seemed a natural choice for the Blair’s after they became familiar with McCartney’s work.

I suppose that what it comes down to is this; Mary McCartney’s photographs, and Mary McCartney the person, seem to be a natural fit. There is no pretense here, only honesty. Looking at photographs created by McCartney you’ll liable to nod your head as if you’re saying to yourself, “These fit perfectly with whom the photographer seems to be.” Despite this shooter’s remarkable lack of pretense, or perhaps because of it, I’ve not seen a self-portrait in all the years I’ve studied her work.

To find out if I was right about what I believed I showed two friends, both photographers in their own right, photographs taken by Mary, but I did not reveal anything about the photographer. After half an hour or so both friends were asked what they thought of the photographs and to tell me if they could sense anything about the person that created the photos. If I were right they would see it as well.

Both friends were, first of all, impressed over this “new find”. Neither had seen any of the photographs, both thought whoever it was, well, was excellent. Asked what they could discern about the photographer both proceeded to tell me that there were certain ‘things’ in each photo that was a ‘tell’ about the shooter. Although neither had time to rehearse anything, both were telling me that there was a certain ‘elegance’ in the lighting, that the composition was ‘classic’ without being mundane, and the portraits seemed to be both complicated character studies, yet affectionate. Hitting on the word affectionate I pulled out three photos of Stella McCartney and asked specifically about them. Both told me that without question they were photographs filled with love for the subject. One thought the photographer was photographing his girlfriend or wife, the other agreed but also put out the possibility that the subject was someone’s sister because although there was much love for the subject there was no hint of sexuality, just honest reveling for the subject.

When my friends found out that the photographer was Mary McCartney both said, “Who?” I explained and it still didn’t seem to mean much, which is nice I think. When told that Stella was Mary’s sister there was a good sense of knowing, a slight smile on their faces, which seemed to say “Naturally”.

After this experiment they wanted to see what else I had by McCartney and with each new photograph they kept repeating the central theme of the evening, that this shooter was elegance personified.

Portraiture


Mary McCartney has photographed some of the most famous celebrities in the pop culture including Sienna Miller, Dennis Hooper, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Elvis Costello, Jude Law, Bono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and Liam Neeson. This very short list barely scratches the surface. The portraits, I would argue, are some of the best photographs of these celebrities that I have ever seen. Somehow McCartney is able to pierce the veil that most celebrities have and show us the real person beneath. Because celebrities, especially actors, have the ability to take on new personas whenever they need to, the job of creating an interesting portrait that is honest to the art and the subject is a difficult job that McCartney seems to handle with ease and grace.

Looking over the personal photographs in her exhibitions I found her most telling and honest photographs are those of her sister, fashion designer Stella McCartney. It’s easy to see that some of the photographs with Stella are an honest sister to sister photo shoot, yet in every photograph there is a certain grace and elegance that communicates a lot about the subject as well as the shooter behind the lens. One photograph in particular would be something I would spend a lot more than I could afford to have a print of it; it is of Stella McCartney and a spotted horse. In every sense of the word, this intimate portrait is truly remarkable.


Commercial Work

Mary McCartney has worked with corporations that benefit well from the style she has developed over the years. Companies like Mandarin Oriental, a 5-star hotel chain, Adidas, AGA, and Stella McCartney, are perfect clients for McCartney because they all seem to be on the same page when it comes to presenting a certain image to the public.


Editorial and Exhibits

Mary McCartney has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar and Interview Magazine, among others. Her exhibits include the 2004 “Off Pointe – A Photographic Study of the Royal Ballet After Hours”, where she was invited into the very private world of the Corps De Ballet. The result was a series of black and white photographs that showed the grueling work these dancers go through to put on the very best show they can. Her work ripped through the illusion of what the audience sees on the stage and what truly happens behind it. It is a powerful exhibition.


The Future

There is a book scheduled for publication in September 2010, which will surely win over an even wider audience. If Mary chooses more video production over photography I am sure she will find tremendous success in that field as well (watch the Wingspan DVD and you’ll understand), but I am hoping that McCartney will keep photography in the Number One position, with video production and direction as secondary creative outlets.


Why should you care?


It is evident that Mary McCartney knows the mechanics of photography. You simply cannot create the images she has without knowing exactly how light can be used in conjunction with the aperture, shutter speed, film speed, and digital postproduction without having a deep understanding of your craft. At the same time McCartney has such depth as an artist that the sheer power of her images are such that you can be left breathless, mesmerized, and longing for more. Mary McCartney has the power to create photographs that will stay forever young. No matter what the latest “in” style might be, no matter where the attention of the public goes, the level of elegance and the extraordinary honesty of McCartney’s work will last many lifetimes.

If you love great portraiture, or if you want to see how honest elegance is displayed in photography for both personal and commercial work head over to Mary McCartney’s website and have a look. Notice that even in the commercial portfolios McCartney has remained true to her beliefs and created work that succeeds on a commercial level and stands as art on another level.


McCartney actually has two working websites. I’m not sure why, but below are links to both. Might be worth checking out both of them. – jm


Mary McCartney Dot Com


Mary McCartney Dot Net


John Manzione