Size: 29,7 x 21 cm / 222 pages
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19/08/2025
We have decided to publish this book to highlight James Payne's project. A series of portraits of Americans, single individuals, couples, families, from 1977 to the present and beyond. Friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues, with the aim of creating a visual record that reflects their geographical, economic, professional, and lifestyle choices.
The project originated as 3D portraits. In 1838, Sir Charles Wheatstone proposed a method for capturing 3D photos, which is still used today. Payne uses a standard 35mm camera with a wide-angle lens for interior shots, as most 3D cameras lack full-frame sensors or have standard focal length lenses. Because 3D photos require two images approximately 2.5 inches apart, subjects must remain still while he slides the camera. He designed a device on his tripod to keep the camera level during quick captures; it's simple, inexpensive, and has been effective for nearly 50 years, as he told us. Payne started with a wooden platform with markings, but now uses a metal device made from a closet door runner to prevent the camera from falling.
“When Robert Frank (1924-2019) dedicated himself to documenting his subjects for The Americans, the masterful Edward Steichen (1879-1973) stressed the importance of getting to know “the soul of man.” Steichen thought it would only be possible for Frank to do this by spending more time getting in-depth with the subjects that he captured, to get to know the small nuances and what made his subjects unique.
Payne has succeeded superbly in getting to know “the soul” of his subjects. Through his stark and unfiltered style, Payne offers what William Burroughs described as a “naked lunch,” with reality stripped of its comforting artifice, allowing him to present a fuller picture of the American socio-economic classes.
In a sense, Payne’s Stories of American Portraits 1977 – 2025 is a perfect blend of documentary photography, photojournalism and social anthropology. The story of any culture is the story of individuals made significant, and it includes the title of Sergio Leone’s classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – the story of every life.
Payne’s photographs depict America at a crossroads, and his ability to freeze the moment without artifice is a record for the ages that goes toe-to-toe with some of the best contemporary essays by Gore Vidal and Christopher Hitchens. Payne’s use of color in the late 1970s reveals both his mastery of the medium, and his boldness for breaking from the norm of Tri-X. These are remarkable images, and an important record of Americans from all walks of life.”
From the introduction by Michael Kennedy
Payne’s work warrants a notable exhibition, featuring headsets and prints on plexiglass mounted to highlight the three-dimensional aspect. Please share this book, which, due to mondial policies, is very costly in some countries because of shipping expenses.
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