Pictures From Home – Larry Sultan – Deconstructed and Explained

Pictures from Home – Larry Sultan

Published in 1992 this book was an interesting combination of memories and current day scenes. An insight into an American lifestyle, originally based around the families political views however it became a passion project of sorts looking at how he saw his family, how his family saw themselves. Sultan himself said ‘I wanted to puncture this mythology of the family and to show what happens when we are driven by images of success. And I was willing to use my family to prove a point.’ Woven into the book are old family photos and stills from home videos. The current photos he took are of his parents enjoying their ‘American dream’ retired living how they would like to.

Why?

Sultan produced this photobook to show an American dream. -The “American Dream” is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life- the one of his parents and how they chose to live it, when retired. Sultan started the project with the idea of explaining politics or at least exploring his parents conservative views. However over the ten year production period it became focused on his family, old photos and videos. A desperate attempt to stop time in it’s place, capturing details forgotten over a day and details forgotten over years. It was received as such, with phrases like ‘One of the most incredible things about Pictures from Home is how vulnerable Sultan allows himself to be in the text, in which he confronts insecurities about himself and his work, brilliantly deconstructing the project and the challenges of making it.‘ and ‘Larry Sultan’s images and words were his reconciliation with the oedipal mess of the American Dream.‘  and ‘one of the most moving and indelible family portraits I’ve ever read‘. The book, moved people, a relatable attempt to store memories and explain ones life. It is an intense family portrait sublimated with snippets of conversation, tension and love, flaws and all is featured within this book.

Larry Sultan

Larry Sultan a widely known photographer. Having grown up in California this quickly became the main inspiration source for many of his projects. He has published books and photographs, combining documentary and staged photos to create his desired effect of heavy, psychological photos, depicting family life and everything around it. His most known project is ‘Pictures from Home’ published in 1992 having spent a decade creating and capturing photos and recordings. Sultan went onto create more photos and photo books all mainly in the same California setting, never straying to far from home.

How Sultan took the photos

Sultan took these photos by visiting his parents every few months armed with his camera gear. Spending a few days executing ideas while recording notes and conversations, completely confusing his parents. This was reflected upon within the book, in which his parents voiced their confusion and almost annoyance for the project, not understanding the purpose. One shot in particular had Sultan sneaking in while his mother was asleep and taking photos. This describes his approach to photography well, he uses the concept literally, trying to stop time in moments others might not notice and would be forgotten about.

The Book Itself

The book has a slightly rough feel, with a textured hardback cover and a smooth added photo onto both sides of the cover adding a preview into the book itself. There is indented text, the title in small on the cover and spine, simply stating the title and photographer. Within the book the photos themselves have been printed onto two types of paper, thick glossy photopaper for the bulk of the photos. But for the old family photos and video stills they are printed onto softer, non-glossy paper. A mixture of colour and black and white have been used, the black and white being old family photos taken in black and white originally. Sizing is important when it comes to producing books, as this one has many orientations of photos the book is 23x27cm a size similar to a4 but squarer. This allows different photos to fit while keeping the book portrait. Overall the book has 192 pages with 140 of these being black and white. The cover itself is a hardcover with a photo stuck placed in the upper half, giving the appearance it was stuck on, like a family photo album would have on the cover. The title is on the cover, ‘pictures from home’ a literal title describing the book. The story was originally based upon political views before switching to a documentation of a retired couple living their ‘American Dream’ and how the photographer is related, his views and relationship with the subjects, his parents. He tells the story through a series of documentary and posed photos of his parents in their home and enjoying their lives. Often using a deadpan approach. There is no specific layout, using double pages or full spreads for some and putting multiple photos on the next page. Creating an interesting, relatable, unpredictable family dynamic. Each photo is carefully selecting, relating to the text beside it or following on from the previous section of photos, by editing the photos in a, true to life, colour scheme. Using the bright, bold colours to keep a theme throughout the book, reminiscent of the time period in which the book was created. It appears Sultan has done the book in chronological order of his parents day, slotting in shots and conversations when it added to that part of the story.