Michael James O’Brien : All about perceptions
Known for his humanistic approach and ability to capture the beauty within the diversity of human experiences, Michael James O’Brien is also a teacher, curator, poet, and activist. After studying art at Yale University, he collaborated with renowned magazines such as Vogue, GQ, and The New York Times Magazine, while also working with influential designers like John Galliano. His work, both artistic and commercial, explores a wide range of themes, from fashion to gender identity, as well as intimate portraits and advertising imagery.
O’Brien is particularly celebrated for his commitment to immortalizing marginalized subjects, notably through his famous project Girlfriend, which honors drag and LGBTQ+ culture. His work is distinguished by a unique sensitivity toward his subjects, highlighting their vulnerability, strength, and humanity in each portrait. Through his photography, he invites viewers to challenge societal norms while discovering beauty in its many forms.
Currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, he serves as Chair of Photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
Furthermore, his work is exhibited globally, with many of his photographs included in the permanent collections of major museums.
www.michaeljamesobrien.com
www.scad.edu
Your first photographic trigger?
Michael James O’Brien: I was already in grad school, Walker Evans was my professor/mentor. I was photographing the house where I lived with 5 other people in Woodmont Ct. on Long Island Sound. Marie Boroff, my brilliant English professor looked at the B&W photos and said, “This is how the world would look if there was no one here to see it.” I decided then and there to lean into photography for real.
The man or woman of image who inspires or inspired you?
MJO: Brassai. I have an indelible memory. I was in Chambre Clair in St Sulpice in Paris in 1984 when he died. The headline on Liberation said, “LA NUIT EST TOMBEE SUR BRASSAI”. I still have that newspaper.
The one that moved you the most?
MJO: Peter Hujar’s portrait ‘Candy Darling on Her Deathbed’ (1973).
And the one that made you angry?
MJO: Too many to name.
Which photo changed the world?
MJO: Too many to name.
And which photo changed your world?
MJO: Chris Killip, Father and Son Watching a Parade (1982).
If I was not a photographer already, this portrait would have made me want to become one.
What is the last photo you took?
MJO: I photographed Gilbert & George in May of 2024 at their house in Spitalfields in East London. I first photographed the duo in 1987. I did the recent portraits in the same room. It looked as if nothing had been dusted or moved since my first visit 37 years ago but G&G are as brilliant as ever. And even more relevant. When I told them my idea to do the exact same photo from all those years ago, George said, “What was wrong with the first one?”
A key image in your personal pantheon?
MJO: My B&W portrait of celebrity corsetier Mr. Pearl, NYC, 1994. My dear friend, the writer Wendy Goodman, said of this portrait: “It is as formal and timeless as a Renaissance painting of a feudal lord.”
Mr.Pearl, Corsetier, Studio, NYC, 1993 © Michael James O’Brien – Courtesy of the artist
A photographic memory from your childhood?
MJO: Sitting in a baby carriage on the roof of the brownstone in Park Slope, where I was born, when I was 9 or 10 months old, surrounded by three female Norwegian relatives of my grandmother Marie. My mother believes that I could not have remembered this, but I confirm it. Nabokov claims to remember his life before he was born so, my very detailed memory of the women and the sky in Brooklyn is not so improbable.
According to you, what is the necessary quality to be a good photographer?
MJO: A deep interest in looking and really seeing, which are two different things.
What makes a good photo?
MJO: As I tell my students at SCAD, where I teach, a good photograph must be both subjective i.e. why the photographer made it, as well as objective i.e. why I should care.
In other words, it appeals most deeply if it is both timely & timeless.
The person you would like to photograph?
MJO: Ian McKellen.
An indispensable photo book?
MJO: Nothing Personal by Richard Avedon & James Baldwin.
I carried this book with me for years to each & every photo session.
The camera of your childhood?
MJO: I did not take photos as a child.
The one you use today?
MJO: Pentax 6×7.
How do you choose your projects?
MJO: I photograph people or places that I feel deep connection with.
How would you describe your creative process?
MJO: I might get a flicker of an idea from music or from a film or from a visit to an exhibition and when it surfaces, I do research and think a lot, plan, un-plan, try to lose any preconceptions and see every angle literally and conceptually. I am not afraid to navigate access.
An upcoming project that’s close to your heart?
MJO: In 2022, I started re/Construction, a collaboration with Ying Chen, who had been a grad student of mine at SCAD and who makes brilliant collages. I realized there are many images that I keep going back to that are sitting in my archive — good, but not exceptional, perhaps — so, I gave Ying access to everything, and she takes my photographs apart and puts them back together. We are doing a new series that includes recent photos and even more random iPhone snaps from my recent trips to Venice & London of people and statues and flowers.
Your favorite drug?
MJO: Yoga with my exceptional instructor, Jules Thine @yogawithjul.
The best way to disconnect for you?
MJO: Swimming and yoga, 7 days a week.
Who would you like to be photographed by?
MJO: Duane Michals.
An image to illustrate a new banknote?
MJO: James Baldwin.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a photographer?
MJO: It is important to be obsessed with photography in ALL its manifestations, from cyanotypes to AI and everything in between. Care deeply about the world around you and everything happening in it.
Your greatest professional extravagance?
MJO: Books.
The city, the country or the culture you dream of discovering?
MJO: Chile.
The place you never get tired of?
MJO: London. Paraphrasing Samuel Johnson, “When a person is tired of London, they are tired of life.” Also, I am obsessed with Venice. I have been going since I was a teenager and I was just there for the 2024 Biennale and it was more magnificent and the water was more alive than ever.
Your biggest regret?
MJO: Not knowing James Baldwin.
In terms of social networks, are you more into Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok or Snapchat and why?
MJO: I abhor them all, but I know they are necessary to communicate in the worlds we currently inhabit. It is a distraction but occasionally you learn something. I utilize Instagram most frequently. Since my recent TikTok debut, I am now an honorary member of Gen Z!
Color or B&W?
MJO: B&W.
Daylight or artificial light?
MJO: Daylight. I work in natural light 90 precent of the time, even for commissioned projects. If I am photographing inside, I use available light. Years ago, inspired by Kubrick’s brilliant film Barry Lyndon, I did an entire fashion editorial using only candlelight.
Which city do you think is the most photogenic?
MJO: Everyone says Rome but, for me its Istanbul. The light on the Bosporus is incandescent.
If God existed would you ask him to pose for you, or would you opt for a selfie with him?
MJO: I would ask her to pose in the studio with a fog machine and a lot of glitter.
If I could organize your ideal dinner party, who would sit at the table?
MJO: David Bowie, James Baldwin, Cher, Nick Galitzine, Jalaluddin Rumi, Elizabeth Taylor,Frank O’Hara, Quinton Crisp, John le Carré, Claude Cahun, Shirley Bassey, Jean Genet, Tilda Swinton, Ian McKellen, Jean Cocteau, Elaine Stritch, Malcolm X. I just don’t want to be the one to arrange the seating!
The image that represents for you the current state of the world?
MJO: Chris Killip, Helen and her hula-hoop, Seacoal Beach, Northumberland. Though this photograph is from 1984, to me it reflects the infinite balance of struggle and hope. (See Chris Killip 1946-2022, published by Thames & Hudson, 2022).
According to you, what is missing in today’s world?
MJO: Drishti, which is Sanskrit for “vision” or “point of focus.”
If you had to start all over again?
MJO: I would do it all exactly the same way.
What do you like people to say about you?
MJO: That I was listening.
The one thing we absolutely must know about you?
MJO: That I am listening.
A last word?
MJO: Onward!
