Roger A Deakins’ Byways

Sharing exquisite, Rarely Seen Photographs

cover & above image: Roger A Deakins, "Smoking Break", Image Above: Roger A Deakins, "Looking for Summer"

BY: Sunny Sunday

“I am not a still photographer, and I won’t pretend to be one at this stage in my career,” reads the introduction to Roger A Deakins’ recently released photo book, Byways. The Oscar award-winning cinemetographer is most notably recognized for his cinemetograhic work on films such as the Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall, the Big Lebowski, and most recently, Blade Runner 2049, the Goldfinch, and 1917. Yet, when reflecting on the photographic work published within his new monograph, the artist practices understated modesty. Nevertheless, the imagery speaks volumes for itself. Quintessentially poignant in grainy shades of greys, Deakins’ photography evokes a simultaneous sensibility of dreamy surrealism and hardened human nature.

Roger A Deakins, The Joy of Flight — **Roger A Deakins, “The Joy of Flight”**

Roger A Deakins, "The Stand Off" — **Roger A Deakins, “The Stand Off”**

The inception of Deakins’ photographic ouevre began five decades ago, with the work only reaching the eyes of the public now. “My work as a cinematographer is a collaborative experience and, at least when a film is successful, the results are seen by a wide audience,” he comments. “On the other hand, I have rarely shared my personal photographs and never as a collection.” The body of work originated in 1986 when Deakins captured his first image on the South coast of England. Within the photograph, an arrangement of beach chairs occupy various positions, one group stacked in a thick throng while two sit erected, empty and awaiting resting passengers. A figure stands near the sea, sillouetted against the lustered tone of the ocean.

Roger A Deakins, "Donkey Rides" — **Roger A Deakins, “Donkey Rides”**

Roger A Deakins, "Albuquerque Cemetery Rainbow" — **Roger A Deakins, “Albuquerque Cemetery Rainbow”**

While the images within Byways geographically span the globe, a vast amount portray the artist’s home country of England. Deakins captures the homely and weathered figures who tend to their lands and corral farm animals while others subjects are pictured enjoying the humble leisures of life, strolling through the illuminated nights of the carnival. With titles such as I pressed the shutter and closed my eyes, This could be the last man on earth, and I have no idea what the boy was trying to do, the viewer is offered a deeper level of intimacy and a glimpse into Deakins’ creative thought process.