Suicide Photographers

8.4  

Francesca Woodman: Born 1958, Died 1981 (22yrs)

Francesca was a photographer who was best known for her black and white self portraits, usually photos of herself with female models. A lot of the photographs show young, nude women. She used a lot of movement in her photos, and often obscured faces. Francesca became depressed due to her work and the break down of a relationship. On the 19th January 1981 she committed suicide by jumping out of a New York loft window.

nusch 's rating:

8.1  

Diane Arbus: Born March 14th 1923, Died July 26th 1971 (48yrs).

Diane was an american photographer who was noted for her black and white, square format photographs of “deviant and marginal people” (dwarfs, giants, transvestites, nudists, circus performers) or other people whose normality seems ugly or surreal. Diane suffered from depression, and experienced many “depressive episodes” during her life. Diane herself said “I go up and down a lot”, and her husband told of her “violent changes of mood.” Diane took her own life by taking barbituates (sedatives) and slashing her wrists with a razor blade. Her body was found in the bath two days later.

nusch 's rating:

5.8  

Pierre Molinier: Born 13th April 1900, Died 3rd March 1976 (76yrs)

Pierre was another photographer who specialised in erotic imagery. He began as a painter, of landscapes, but his work took a fetishistic eroticism quite early on. He took his first photographs when he was 18 years old. When his sister died in 1918 he is said to have had sexual intercourse with her corpse when he went to photograph it. He started his erotic production in 1950. A lot of his photographs are photomontages of himself dressed as a woman. In the 1970’s his health began to go downhill. Like his father before him, he took his own life by shooting himself. When his body was found, it was clear that he had committed suicide almost immediately after masturbating.

8.6  

Kevin Carter: Born 13th September 1960, Died 27th July 1994 (33yrs)

Kevin was a South African photojournalist. He was the first to photograph a public execution in South Africa in the mid 1980’s. On July 27th 1994 he drove to the Braamfontein Spruit river in Johannesburg, a place he used to play as a child. He took his own life by taping one end of a hose pipe to his truck’s exhaust pipe and putting the other end through his passenger side window. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning. His suicide note read “I am depressed… without phone… money for rent… money for child support… money for debts… money!! I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain… of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners, I have gone to join Ken [Oosterbroek] if I am that lucky.”

7.4  

Seiki Kayamori: Born 1877, Died 1941 (64yrs)

Seiki was a japanese photographer. For 30 years he photographed celebrations, ceremonies, remnants of traditional Tlingit culture and the growing influences of white society. He had a darkroom in his home. In October 1949, an FBI director sent a letter requesting the names of “persons who should be considered for custodial detention pending investigation in the event of a national emergency.” The reply included the name S.Kayamori, and said he is reported to be an enthusiastic photographer who has panoramic views of the Alaskan coastline from Yakutat to Cape Spencer. The day before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour, a letter was written to the War Department’s military intelligence division requesting information on a number of people. Under Kayamori’s name the reply said “Reported on suspect list, Alaska.” After the bombing on December 7th 1941, soldiers apparently beat up Seiki, according to a town resident. It is said that Seiki knew he would soon be arrested. He committed suicide on December 9th in his home. On his death certificate under cause of death, it asks “Drug?” The doctor who responded to Seiki’s death wrote that he found evidence of an attempt to burn some documents.

6.7  

Terence Donovan: Born 14th September 1936, Died 22nd November 1996 (60yrs)

Terrence was a photographer and film director. He was best known for his 1960’s fashion photography or for the video of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.” He was the photographer for various fashion magazines including Harpers Bazaar and Vogue. He also directed around 3000 commercials. He made documentaries, music videos and he also painted. He suffered from depression as a result of the steroids he’d been taking for a skin condition. He committed suicide by hanging himself in his office.

6.2  

Bob Carlos Clarke: Born 24th June 1950, Died 25th March 2006 (55yrs)

Bob was an Irish photographer who was best known for his highly stylised erotic photographs. He suffered from depression, and it was said that the death of a close friend [Lord Patrick Lichfield] had affected him badly. He died by throwing himself in front of a train in London.

6.8  

Warren Bolster: born 11th June 1947, Died 6th September 2006 (59yrs)

Warren was a ‘skateboard photographer’ during the rebirth of skateboarding in the mid 1970’s. He was known for the revival of Skateboarder Magazine. Because he was a freelance photographer he struggled financially between assignments, and suffered from depression. He ended his life by shooting himself. He died from a single gunshot wound.

6.3  

George Fiske: Born 22nd October 1835, Died 21st October 1918 (82yrs)

George was an American landscape photographer. He often told his neighbours that he was “tired of living” and committed suicide by shooting himself.