Samiul Bashar Samin
Decades before Instagram and iPhones, Bill Cunningham was the godfather of street-style photography.
The longtime fashion photographer for The New York Times who died Saturday at the age of 87 didn’t care about celebrity for celebrity’s sake. The latest movie and TV stars in the front row at fashion shows held no interest to him.
He just cared about style, and anyone could have it.
Even when he became a celebrity himself, after the release of Richard Press’ 2010 documentary film Bill Cunningham New York, he dodged the spotlight, covering his eyes when people asked to take photos or selfies.
Cunningham’s legacy and work ethic continue to reverberate among internet-savvy street-style photographers of today, including Garance Dore. “Some legends walk by you and you hardly notice them because that’s exactly what they want,” the street-style photographer and blogger posted Saturday to her Instagram.
“Bill Cunningham was like this, and all his life he was able to keep that fire and the perfect distance from his subject, distance that allowed him to do the work that he did. … He is a role model for many photographers, and definitely for me.”