Ruth Orkin PowerPoint

1. RUTH
ORKIN
By Kelly Reilly

2. BACKGROUND
Ruth Orkin, born in Boston in 1921,
grew up in Los Angeles. As stated in
the article Ruth Orkin Photo Archive,
“[Ruth’s mother] Mary Ruby, a silent-
film actress, and Samuel Orkin, a
manufacturer of toy boats…She grew
up in Hollywood in the heyday of the
1920’s and 1930’s.” Ruth was ten
years old when she received her first
camera, taking photos mostly of
friends and teachers. Meredith Fisher
writes in International Center of
Photography, “She attended Los
Angeles City College briefly in 1940
before becoming the first female
studio messenger ever hired at Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer in the early 1940s;
but with no hope for promotion, she
joined the Women's Auxiliary Army
Corps, tempted by the promise
(empty, as it turned out) that she
would be taught cinematography”
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.orkinphoto.com/biography/

3. CAREER PATH
In 1943, Orkin moved to New York City where she
started working as a nightclub photographer and
shot baby pictures during the day. Fisher wrote,
“Orkin honed her skills in portraiture by spending
the summer of 1946 documenting the Tanglewood
Music Festival; later that year, LOOK published her
first major photo essay, "Jimmy, the Storyteller." She
sent the series to Edward Steichen at the Museum of
Modern Art in 1947, and he subsequently included
her in every group photography show at the
museum until his retirement, including the great
1955 exhibition, The Family of Man.” Orkin also
worked at LIFE magazine where they sent her to
Israel in 1951. After Orkin went to Italy, where in
Florence she met Nina Lee Craig, an art student and
fellow American. Fisher continues with, “Orkin's
photography is a celebration of fearlessness and
vitality. While she accepted specific assignments
from The New York Times and various magazines,
she also had the freedom to work independently,
creating photo essays and photographing famous
people with the knowledge that she would be able to
sell the resulting work”
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/merce-
cunningham-totem-ancestor

4. ERA
During the time Orkin was a
photojournalist it was still known as a
mans job. Orkin did not care, she loved to
take photographs. Orkin was a Katherine
Brooks writes an article in The Huffington
Post, stating, “Orkin worked steadily from
the 1940s to the 1980s, shooting for
publications like The New York Times and
Life, co-directing an Oscar-nominated
film, and showing at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art before she died in New
York City in 1985.” Orkin achieved a lot
and she did not let anyone get in her way.
Orkin married Morris Engel, also a
photographer and filmmaker. Together
they produced two feature films. They lived
together above Central Park, where Ruth
would take photos from outside her
window, publishing a book in 1978, A
World Outside My Window.Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.artnet.com/artists/ruth-orkin/three-white-
stoops-view-from-my-window-on-west-FWDkT3iQi4aFHAp1sO4JMg2

5. MOTIVATION
Orkin’s passion and love is what motivated
her. Also, her window above Central Park
motivated her to publish her book A World
Outside My Window. Her husband helped
with her motivation because he loved the
same thing as she did. They did it
together. Ninalee Craig also helped with
motivation with one of Orkin’s most
popular images, “An American Girl in Italy”.
Brooks writes, “Shot in 1951, is not staged.
Rather, it shows Orkin’s friend Ninalee
Craig walking along a Florence street
amidst a crowd of Italian strangers all too
eager to take notice of a lone woman (they
were aware of a camera, but not instructed
to gawk).”
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.orkinphoto.com/

6. TECHNOLOGY
Orkin’s first ever camera was a
39 cent Univex. In Popular
Photography, Lynn Jones states,
“[Ruth] shot with 35mm Leicas
RF’s and 6x6 Rollei TLR’s
primarily.”
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.bulgergallery.com/dynamic/fr_artwork_display.asp?ArtworkID=2102

7. ETHICS
Orkin was always honest with her
images. She wanted to truth, such as
the men in “An American Girl in Italy”,
she didn’t want the men posed, she
wanted their real reaction. Another
ethic that was important to Orkin was
family. She worked with her husband
on many projects. Once she had
children, Andy and Mary, that became
her favorite thing to photograph.
Engel writes, “While living in the West
Village she photographed many of the
neighborhood kids, and immortalized
a brother and sister in two sequences
“The Cardplayers” and “Jimmy The
Storyteller.” When her own children
Andy and Mary were born, she kept
500-watt lights in each room of the
apartment so she wouldn’t miss any
special moments.”
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.orkinphoto.com/photographs/children/

8. BIAS
Orkin took photographs of anything
and anyone. She loved to travel so
when she did, she took photos of all
the different people. Ruth told her
daughter how much she loved
Europe, and encouraged her to go
there. Engel writes, “I felt a
tremendous connection with her
while I was there. Even now, with
memories of my own, when I think
of Italy, I picture my mother’s
photographs. She captured its
essence, as she did with most
things.” Orkin was not bias to
anything, she took photos of what
she though was beautiful, she
wanted to capture the moment it
was happening in.Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.today.com/id/44182286/ns/today-
today_news/t/subject-american-girl-italy-photo-speaks-
out/#.WHhgcEko5es

9. PHOTOGRAPHIC STYLE
Ruth keeps this image simple.
It is just an image of a women
sitting on a stoop outside a
building reading something
that peers to make her smile.
Ruth also has use of lines in
this image. You see lines from
the bricks, the door, wall and
steps of the building. The use
of shadows works perfect for
this because you can see the
women’s reflection in the
glass door.
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/198299
189812813974/ (Left)
http://www.photography-
now.com/institution/artist/michael-
hoppen-gallery/ruth-orkin (Right)
Ruth uses the rule of thirds for this image.
The contrast is appropriate, you have
brightness in the sky, and in the reflection in
the water on the street. The brightness of
the people’s clothes and the darkness of
wherever they came from. You can feel the
texture of this photo. You can see and feel
the water and is on the brick road.

10. PHOTOGRAPHIC STYLE CONTINUE
This image is in black and white. Having it black and
white helps show the cold and darkness of winter
with the tress that have no leafs. The city is in the
background but it is not the focus. Ruth uses good
depth of field by showing the city in the back. The
background compliments this photo a lot. It helps
make this photo.
This photo makes you
feel as if it is hot
outside, due to the
two women standing
near water in their
bathing suits. The
women’s expression
looks relaxed, the
little girl as well. The
main subject is
obvious. It is obvious
the two women are
the main subject.
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.orkinphoto.com/photographs/new-york/
(Both Images)

11. IMPACT
Ruth Orkin is one of the most
popular female photojournalist.
She has publisted three books,
made may films, has received
many awards, such as; 3rd Prize
Winner, LIFE Magazine’s Young
Photographer’s Contest, 1951,
Voted one of Top Ten Women
Photographers in the U.S.,
Professional Photographers of
America, 1959. 1st Annual
Manhattan Cultural Award,
Photography, 1980. and
Certificate of Merit, Municipal Art
Society of New York, 1984. And
she also became an Instructor.
She impacted the society by
showing women they can do
whatever they want to do.
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source:
http://www.orkinphot
o.com/orkin-sports-
womenrunners-
minimarathon/

12. MY MAJOR AT AIC
My major is Liberal Studies, so a
lot aspects of Ruth’s career can
relate to my major. I have
debated if I would be a good
teacher or not, and should I
continue to work towards my
dream of always wanting to be a
teacher. I have had many ups and
downs during my journey of
becoming a teacher, but Ruth did
what she loved to do. She never
gave up, and neither will I.
Sometimes in life you have to
start at the bottom to get to the
top.
Photo by Ruth Orkin
Image Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-
places/an-image-of-innocence-abroad-72281195/

13. VIEWPOINTS
Ruth Orkin was respected by
people. She won many awards for
her photos and films and her
photos continue to be seen in
many different galleries today.
People also respected her
because she was good at what
she did. She didn’t care if it was
a mans job, she was going to do
what she loved, and she was
going to be good at it.
Photo by Ruth
Orkin
Image Source:
http://www.vi
ntag.es/2014
/07/man-in-
rain-new-
york-city-
1952.html