Tod Papageorge's Untitled, Studio 54, by Cheryl Parisi

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/this-aint-no-disco-its-a-photograph/

Untitled. Studio 54, New York 1978-1980

This is an untitled photograph from a series of photographs taken in Studio 54, New York, by Tod Papageorge. I remember hearing stories about Studio 54 from my mother. A place where people danced till they dropped and partied till they couldn’t party anymore. Of the photographs from this series, this is the one that captured my attention. A simple image of a women resting against the bar, having a smoke while taking a break from the dance floor. This is an amazing photograph which captures what it was like to be at Studio 54 back in the day when it was the spot to be at.

The flash used in the photograph helps emphasize the women’s outfit, drawing your attention up to her face. The light, emphasizing her sheer exhaustion, illuminates her posture, body language, and facial expressions. The attention is all on her and she is telling the story of a young woman exhausted from dancing. The cigarette in her hand shows how different times where then and now, how it was ok to smoke freely in a club.

This is an exquisite photograph which shows what it was like inside the famous Studio 51. This photograph is a great image alone, but I feel works better in the series. I don’t feel that this image would effect my work. The image though does give me an insight about what it was like partying in New York City when my mother was my age. What I love most about this photograph though, is that this is actually a photograph of my mother, at my age, at Studio 54!