The Democracy of Photography: Photographer Dorothy Handelman

Cameras have become an everyday tool in our society; they are attached to cell phones, computers and are now formatted into small digital cameras.

The average person with minuscule means can operate as a street photojournalist and capture others at their best and worst moments. The devastation in Haiti, the tornadoes in Mississippi, or the all too often teenage violence—with one click and the use of social media like Facebook and Twitter, we can witness these events real time.

Still there is an art to photography, something that lives between the every person's photography and the prestige of Magnum Photography. Dorothy Handelman's photos live in this realm. At her kitchen table in Sleepy Hollow I sit to talk to her amidst a busy household with family members coming in and out during our talk. 

Dorothy's interest in photography came about when she was girl. Interested, but fearful of the camera Dorothy, started taking photos in photo booths.

"I started photographing myself in photo booths," she said. "I photographed myself a lot — like years… I would act things out — sort of storytelling. I figured out you could re-execute to get a better quality of imagines. I was learning how to perfect a kind of message."

As Dorothy matured, her subject matter moved to other people. She purchased an instant camera while in art school at Sarah Lawrence. There she experimented with conceptual art. She also found her voice and discovered she preferred stand alone photos, like those in magazines.

After completing graduate work at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, Dorothy wanted to take a shot at making a living with her pictures. With a call from a friend, Dorothy became the principle photographer for HUE – the leading designer and manufacturer of women's legwear, sleepwear and socks.

"We developed the pictures to put on the packages. [At the time] it was really novel in hosiery," she said. "Nobody else did it. Then we started naming the products sort of like the cosmetic industry names lipstick colors. It was really interesting. HUE got lots of attention, big display spaces in Bloomingdales and Urban Outfitters, so for about twelve years I was the exclusive photographer for the brand." 

Over the years Dorothy's commercial side has subsided. And like many artists Dorothy grapples with the desire to use her talents to earn a living while creating art that will give back, maybe even help.

"I never really liked doing commercial work," she said. "I mean I liked it, but since my parents came from such a humanist slant I felt the whole premise of advertising is to want it because somebody else has it.  It's like you are triggering desire all the time."

These days, Dorothy's photography practice has slowed with family life. Still she takes portraits that capture the moments of being. There is a lively quality to the faces she captures. And though the portraits stand alone, the story can be told in the eyes of the subjects.

Dorothy is also working on mixed media collage series with fellow artist Rada Dada.

At the end of our conversation Dorothy says something that catches my ear.

"Photography and democracy are alike."

"How?" I asked.

"For four quarters in a photo booth, I could create something."

I get that, and for all the bombastic ways people use photography these days there is something great and simple (then and now), even democratic about the ability to create instant pictures that hold a moment in time forever.

You can contact Dorothy Handelman and view her photography and projects on her website http://www.dorothyhandelman.com/portraits.html