Kurt Cobain
Taken By: Mark Seliger
Background History
The first photo shoot of Kurt Cobain was for the cover on a Rolling Stones magazine. Kurt Cobain's two other members tumbled out of their van. Once Kurt Cobain stepped out he unbuttoned his shirt showing a t-shirt that said "Corporate magazines still suck."
The second time for a shoot taken in a studio Mark Seliger took many photos of him in the 7 to 10 minutes they were allowed. He was working with a 4X5 Mark Seliger said that this photo was the one that drew him in most and is mostly popular because it showed Kurt Cobain at a moment of weakness. He knew it was the photo that was the perception of reality.
What can we learn?
What we can learn from this photo is that not everything is what it seems. You have to pay attention to people's emotions. Even if they are sad, mad or happy emotions are able to change in the blink of an eye. Photo wise is this portrays the emotion with the deep colors. The photographer took his change to show this emotion out of the grunge rocker. Mark Seliger's experience with Kurt was interesting but he loved the emotion he caught in this photo. This photo was taken days, months or maybe even years before Kurt Cobain had killed himself.
My Opinion
I love this photo because it was at a moment of weakness for Kurt Cobain the lead singer of Nirvana. I always listen to their music whenever I can. This portrait is unique because of the facial feature, the contrast and just the way it was taken. I personally would not change anything about this photo because Mark Seliger perfectly captured his personality. Kurt Cobain was a broken, depressed and sad individual although he had some good times he still took his life in the end.