Who is Gordon Parks?

Answer 1

Hey Dee,

There seem to be several Gordon Parks. Follow the sites below.

Gordon Roger Alexander Buchannan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was a groundbreaking African-American photographer, musician, poet, novelist, journalist, activist and film director. He is best remembered for his photo essays for Life magazine and as the director of the 1971 film Shaft

Answer 2

1912- Born Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks on November 30th in Fort Scott, Kansas, he is the youngest of 15 children.
1928- At the age of 16, Parks' mother dies and he moves to St. Paul Minnesota to live with his sister and her family. After a disagreement with her husband he is kicked out of the house. He then supports himself by working as a piano player in a brothel, a busboy, basketball player and a Civilian Conservation Corpsman. At the age of 25, Parks begins to seriously pursue photography.

1941- Parks becomes the first photographer to receive a fellowship from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation. He begins to closely work with a Farm Services Administration (FSA) photographer by the name of Roy Stryker.

1942- He moves his family to Washington D.C. after joining the FSA. It was here that Parks learns from Stryker and takes his first professional photograph titled "American Gothic."

1942- Stryker arranges Parks to come with him to the Office of War information (OIW). Parks is assigned as an correspondent for the first black air corps called the 332nd Fighter group. Although he allowed to shoot the training program, he is denied access to shoot the group in Europe. He then shoots for the Standard Oil Photography project in New Jersey. It is here that he produces some of his most inspiring work including "Dinner Time at Mr. Hercules Brown's Home (1944), and " Grease Plant Worker (1946)" In these images he depicts the industrial workers in small cities.

1944- Parks pursues fashion photography, and despite racism in the fashion business he is hired at Vogue Magazine.

1947- Parks publishes his first book titled "Flash Photography."

1948- Parks publishes his second book titled " Camera Portraits:Techniques and Principles of Documentary Portraiture." During this time Parks is also hired at Life magazine to shoot the gang wars in Harlem, New York and fashion in Paris. After earning the trust of young gang leader Red Jackson, Parks photographs Jackson's gang the Midtowners. Two famous photos arise from this project titled, "Red Jackson, Harlem gang leader" and Red Jackson and Herbie Levy study wounds on face of slain gang member Maurice Gaines.

1950- Moves to Europe as an European correspondent for Life magazine.