Family by Lauren Dukoff
Wicked Indie Psych Folk Yearbook!
For many years Lauren Dukoff has been photographing close friend and
musician Devendra Banhart and an extended loose-knit international
family of artists who share inspiration variously from folk Tropicalia and
each other, as well as a range of other musical influences. This lovely
hardcover album collects Dukoffs striking portraits and candid images of
Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Bat for Lashes, Feathers, Espers, Vetiver, Bert
Jansch, Vashti Bunyan, and many others individually and together in
performance and more private spaces. The 150 full-bleed color and black
and white photographs are complemented by a foreword by Banhart text
and artwork by the musicians, artist biographies, and a digital download
featuring songs by some of the artists in the book. Read a Q&A with
Photographer Lauren Dukoff and Singer-Songwriter Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart: Do you see any connection between Photography
and Magic?

Lauren Dukoff: I remember the first time I looked through the lens of a
camera, it felt magical. I was about 11 years old and I was in Bali with my
family. I woke up really early one morning, due to the time change, and
found my father out on the balcony photographing the sun rising over the
ocean. He handed me his old 35mm camera and said “Lolo, take a look
through this.” I panned the camera across the horizon and then pointed it
at my father’s face and I got this overwhelming rush of excitement.
Somehow everything looked even more beautiful when I looked at it
through the camera lens. I guess things just seem more intense though the
lens because you’re focusing all of your attention on the visual and putting
your other senses momentarily to rest. I remember I thinking I never want
this to end; I want to stay here forever. Even today, because I still shoot
film, there’s always this element of surprise and mystery to the process. I
don’t get to see my images right away on a screen, like you do with digital;
I have to wait for my film to be processed. You never really know whats
going to come out of a roll of film once it goes into the developer. When I
get my film back from the lab it reminds me of the feeling of seeing a
magician pull a 10-foot handkerchief from his pocket. Sometimes the
results are not what I expected and I’m like, “Where did that come from?
But thats part of why I love to shoot film; that imperfection and
unpredictability can be magical.
DB: Is the camera your friend? When you wake up in the morning, do you
say something along the lines of Hey pal! Good morning, how did you
sleep? Good! Its gonna be a long day of takin’ pictures. Lets just try and
have fun no matter what, OK? to your camera?
LD: I guess in some ways my camera is like a friend—or maybe more like
a companion that goes places with me and makes me feel like I’m not
alone. It can make me feel braver, and give me a sense of purpose. I
remember photographing Ramblin Jack Elliott in our hotel room in Camber
Sands England at ATP. He was performing right there in front of us and I
just felt so nervous and awkward in his presence. I mean, this is a guy who
learned how to play guitar from Woody Guthrie and influenced Bob Dylan!
But when I held the camera up to my face, I felt a sense of calm and
purpose being there in that room; I had a job, and that job was to
document that beautiful moment. Ill never forget that night. At the same
time, a camera is only a tool. The real magic is what happens between the
photographer and his or her subjects. The tools you choose to use--which
camera; which format; which type of film--all affect the outcome of the
image and its an evolving process of trying different combinations till you
feel youve kind of found a style of your own. Ive been told I have a distinct
style, but I still feel like Im still trying to figure it out. I want to keep learning
and growing. In the end, its the emotion and the connection you make with
your subject that makes an interesting photo. You can buy all the fancy
and expensive photography equipment in the world but it wont change the
core purpose of your work, and for me that is to tell the story and express
the emotion of a moment that has passed.

DB: Could you tell us a little bit about this book of yours that Chronicle is
putting out?
LD: Its called Family. As you know, we tried out all sorts of different titles
and you even helped me brainstorm for other ideas, but Family was the
only title that really explained the experiences I had taking these photos,
and the feelings I get when I think about all of the artists in the book and
their relationships with one another. Ive done hundreds of photo shoots,
but Ive never experienced as much warmth and kindness as I did when I
was shooting the people in Family. Some of the artists--like you and
Matteah [Baim] and Isabelle [Albuquerque]--were already close friends and
practically family, but there were other people who I’d never even met
before but who still welcomed me into their most intimate spaces: living
rooms, bedrooms, recording studios, and favorite secret spots. From
Vashti Bunyans kitchen in Edinburgh to Natasha Khans bedroom in
Brooklyn to the Feathers favorite riverbank in Brattleboro, Vermont, I was
accepted with open arms and treated like an old friend or even well, family.
DB: Do you know how much I love you and think yer the best
photographer ever?
LD: Yup! Do you know how much I love you and think you are the best
subject, muse, friend, and musician ever. I sure hope you do.
Take a Look Inside Family (Click on Images to Enlarge)
Family at the Beach (L. Dukoff) Devendra Banhart (L.
Dukoff) Johanna (L. Dukoff)
Personal Review: Family by Lauren Dukoff
My favorite music by current musicians, is for the most part all played by
those bands/performers that fall into that FREAKFOLK camp. I love that
acid folk from Donovan, Pentangle, Dylan 65-66, Tyrannasaurus Rex, right
to the first "modern" freakfolk---HOPE SANDOVAL (Mazzy Star). So, to
have a book with photos of all my favorite musicians, to sit and look at
while their CDs play in the backround, is an absolute JOY. For anyone
that has albums by Dev Banhart, Espers, Vetiver, Feathers, etc, then you
know their CD art doesnt center around photos of the performers. (unlike
the LP covers of the first wave of psychedelic folk artists, where the
photograph of the artist WAS the album cover.) So we know what
Donovan, Dylan, etc looked like...what about THESE guys? I could walk
past these new guys, and forget to scream and faint. So, the first positive
kick I got, was AH, that's what Andy Cabic from VETIVER looks like. AH,
that's what the people in ESPERS looks like, and the people from
FEATHERS, at their favorite energy spot. (Joanne Newsom is the ONLY
one in this book, who had her image central to her CD artwork. Maybe
MEGAPUSS is another exception, but then again, that's just DEVENDRA

BANHART and another guy, and Banhart's image is recognizable from his
music press coverage.) So for those who enjoy the visual "LOOK" of
FREAKFOLK musicians, this book is just PERFECT for you. Also, if you
collect photography books about musicians, the photography here is
lovely, intimate and warm. Shot with analogue film, about 75% in B&W,
25% in color, the first book I'm immediately reminded of, is Linda
McCartney's book of photography about the Psychedelic 60s' musicians,
called "SIXTIES-Portrait of an Era". Linda was shooting photos for Rolling
Stone magazine at the time, documenting that short period when "The
beautiful people" were tripped out, creating the music which influences
these young musicians 40+ years later. "FAMILY" serves the same
purpose, that Linda's book does. It documents a time, a philosophy, a
community, for us today, and those who will be handed this era of music in
the future. "FAMILY" is a fantastic document of beautiful young (and young
at heart) musicians, all neo-hippie freaks, living that "golden age" of hippie
communes, home studios in Topango Canyon or Woodstock, grooving out
in the woods, or preparing for, or taking to, the stage. Many photographs
have a certain "posed" character to them, maybe because many were
taken for promotional purposes, album covers, and for this book. The
candid photos, have the fierce energy of a live performance caught on
tape, verses a studio rendition of a song. The majority of photos consist of
Devendra Banhart, the close friend and muse, of Lauren Dukoff.
The book opens with a short forward by Devendra, then Lauren Dukoff
writes about how she got into photography, how she developed her
friendship with Devendra before his career started. She discusses her idea
of FAMILY, as those people who shared Banhart's stage, his albums, his
life, and his musical influences. Then, photos and more photos, until you
hit the poems at the end. Now, I have one bit of criticism, or it could be a
great compliment, depending on one's point of view about how
photography OUGHT to be displayed in books. So many artbooks with
photography, will have a caption either OVER a corner of the photograph,
or off to the side in the "margin", that tells you WHO is in the photograph,
WHERE it was taken, and WHEN. This book doesnt work like that. NO
page numbers, NO margins (except when the photo doesnt reach a page
edge), and NO discriptions. You just go from page to page, and enjoy
what you see. Now, the problem is that we DONT know what most of the
musicians look like from their CD artwork. So, you have to turn to the back
of the book.. There, tiny repos of the photos are shown, with the nessacary
info...WHO, WHAT, WHEN, etc. this is annoying at first, until you LEARN
what the people look like. Then that struck me as really cool. You dont
esthetically absorb photographs, while using your "left brain" to work out
the intellectual part, the WHOS and WHATS and WHENS. Intead, the
book keeps us connected to our "RIGHT BRAIN", the artistic part, to view
the people, enjoy their youthful beauty and lifestyle. Connecting them to
NAMES, to BANDS, is a different process, occuring on a different page.
Also, not all the photos are portraits. Lauren snapped cool pics of
Devendra's artwork, and the homes of many other musicians as well, and
their artwork too. (Its no secret that artschool produces lots of musicians.)

But for some, there'll be frustration flipping to the back of the book, trying to
locate a particular photograph, with no page numbers to help, on those two
pages of tiny contact photos matched to the subject's names and other
info.
There are other MEGACOOL bits with this book. Little goodies like poetry
by various musicians, a nice short bio about every musician or band
photographed in the book, and a website where you go to download songs
by 8 different musicians who are part of the FAMILY in the book. Except
for the song from VETIVER's second album, I didnt recognise ANY of the
music or musicians. AND THAT"S EXACTLY WHAT YOU WOULD WANT!
Because one of the BEST parts of the book, is finding out about other folk
musicians, from Bert Jansch (Pentangle), or Vashti Bunyan from the 60s
folk scene, right up to FEATHERS (cool Vermont band), ESPERS
(Fantastic philly band), and Vetiver (Hope Sandoval sang on their first
album.) I might have wanted to see a little more of the other freakfolk acts,
and a little less of Devendra, but it's obvious that the photographer and he
are like family, so its understandable. Diffenately the book functions as a
discovery guide for fringe acts in the FREAKFOLK family, and who could
critisize that? I recommend the book to all freakfolks, from the 1960s up til
today. Because good music, especially the music that revolves around
communes, mind expansion, poetry, art, and free spirits, will always be
around us. Naturally, the times changed, but freedom, beauty and hope
never do. BUT, the souls of free spirits, hippies and poets, share the
quality of SEARCHING for that revelation of beauty. In 40 years, lets hope
another family of FREAKFOLKS find a way to get their music is recorded
and heard. And, lets hope that another photographer arises in those
forward looking days, to document a future generation of beautiful freaks
expanding their minds, finding FAMILY in those wild and bizarre ways that
all free souls recognise and explore. This is a book for us, and for them.
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