“I never want to see another picture of ________.” Industry veterans share their pet peeves on themes in contemporary photography. In this series they present their “rule” along with five photographs that break the rule in an effort to show that great work is the exception to the rule."

Rule Setter: Hamidah Glasgow, Executive Director of The Center for Fine Art Photography
Rule Breaker: Charles Rozier

I never want to see another picture of a photographer’s family member staring blankly off into the distance. Yet, I am and have been, mesmerized by Charles Rozier’s image, “George, morning 2008.” This image sits above my desk at the office and on my bedroom wall at home. I can’t seem to get enough of George and his complex, lined, and thoughtful face. The random left over cereal in his bowl on the table in front of him leads the viewer to think that he has been sitting this way for a very long time. His grip on the coffee cup is steady and firm. The stacks of paper on the table in front of George suggest a sustained intellectual pursuit or perhaps a passionate musical affiliation. Either way, he is unaware of us and I suspect is comfortable in a world away from this one. Rozier’s series, House Music, is a prolonged study of a family and the ins and outs of family life. He has documented his family for 20+ years, allows us to experience the passage of time, the aging process, and for George, we experience the good and bad times. This series, which will eventually be a book, is much like being a part of this family and waiting for the reunion so that we can see how everyone is doing.

—Hamidah Glasgow

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