Philip Perkis is a photographer and educator whose work is little known outside of professional circles. Recently, one of his book, Teahing Photography, was published in Korea and getting famous as an educator. “The Sadness of men” is his first published collection in his 50 years work. He selected 500 photos out of 50 year work and then select 125 photos out of 500. He is my one of the most admirable photographer because of not only his work but also his attitude on it and even life. Followings are some excerpt from interview in “the Sadness of men”.
How did you end up in the air force?
I left Brandeis in 1954 at the end of my first year. I couldn’t do the written thing. I thought I was dumb. But whatever you want to call this learning difficulty, dyslexia or whatever it might be, I credit it with my becoming a photographer, because I had to solve everything by looking.
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When you’re there with the camera?
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When I’m photographing really well, I feel I’m just doing the job. I’m doing the physical work, to get it done, because something is coming through me that wants to be expressed. Now you can say that it’s the unconscious.But it’s definitely a feeling that I have to get this job done.
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How has your spiritual practice fed into the way you teach?
It’s taught me to be not judgmental. To see all students as being equal, to the degree that I’m able to. To see the student as a striving, alive, sentient being, whom I’m trying to help grow. It’s taught me to learn to listen. when you teach photography or anything for a long time, you pretty much know the questions. But can you listen to the person who is asking the questions? And get a sense of that person’s life? And a feeling for that person’s life? and answer the person?
