Peter Hujar Behind the Camera and in the Darkroom

In 1975, Gary Schneider moved to New York City, becoming an enthusiastic part of the downtown theater scene. He soon met and was hired as a darkroom assistant by Peter Hujar (1934–87), a photographic artist with a particular gift for portraiture and a key figure among the artists, performers, and writers in the downtown scene of the 1970s and 1980s. What started for Schneider as a technician gig in time expanded into an essential role as protégé and trusted friend to Hujar, right up until the artist’s untimely death of AIDS-related complications. This slim, handsomely printed volume, with its fine paper stock and superior photo reproductions, explores in detail Hujar’s approach to black-and-white printing, as understood and practiced by Schneider, and offers an intimate portrayal—there are photographs of male nudes and frank language about sex—of Hujar the photographer, fine printer, and man. Of particular interest to readers learning the technique of black-and-white printing, this title delves into the specifics of Hujar’s method. It also explores Hujar’s style of portrait photography, using one portrait session to illustrate his improvisatory, questing technique.