Rennie Ellis certainly lived up to his motto of being a social perv. Rennie was not a technical photographer, but more a emotional photographer. Many of Rennie Ellis images were not perfect but showed the emotional connection to the viewer. Rennie Ellis was able to capture the subject at some stage in a emotional stage of there life. Either this be sadness or happyness.
Rennie became a social documenter, after he became disillusioned with advertising. Rennie rose to Creative Director of the Monahan Dayman Advertising, but did not seek fullfillment. Rennie once stated this was done because he loved photography, and it was not advertising. Before Rennie fell into becoming a social documenter, he worked as a freelance photographer, for various magazine and agencies such as playboy, bulletin and walkabout.
The images Rennie Ellis captured were mainly at some event mainly these were social events. Rennie loved the party life of the 1980’s, were he was given unprecedented access to his subjects. His subjects were not shy to be captured in the event or the act. Rennie was good at capturing this event because you could see he lived and enjoyed this lifestyle, and gained the trust of his subjects because he knew them personally. This is where Rennie thrived in this environment. In the 1980’s where the party scene was at its greatest, the amount of images Rennie took, was the greatest amount. As Rennie enjoyed this scene, and part-took in this. it shows as though he would have liked to been in some of these images himself. Even via this scene he was able to get portraits of his subjects outside the party scene, in there natural environment. His collect infamous and famous shows the access via the party scene that subjects he was able to take.
Rennie captured Australian lifestyle via his employment as a newspaper photographer. He looked for the unusual, which gives his images a certain twist to the image. Even thou Rennie captured everyday Australian lifestyle images. The usual people at the events (football, races (Melbourne cup), beach, nightclubs etc). He shows he was able to connect with his subject and relax the subject into allowing him to take a image of them. This shows with the image. Rennie collections of aussie rules, lifes a beach, and cup fever show how he was able to collection images of everyday life. In aussie rules Ellis gained the raw emotion of fans. this is something that is shown at the newspapers of what we are supposed to capture. very few newspaper photographers have caught this raw emotion, and Rennie is considered the bar to aspire too. In lifes a beach collection Rennie captures the everyday life of how people go about there daily life at the beach in a simplistic fashion. he has captured all the essentials of beach life from the beach itself, to families and groups interaction. Again Rennie social perv status shows in the images Cottlesloe, Western Australia 1998 and Lady Jane, Lady Bay 1998. I’m not sure if its is porn, but more on the edge of normal society or people on the fringe.
Rennie current exhibition is a exhibition of all his collections. This images start from his early days to his last images. As stated the images are not technical, but more emotional images that make a connection to the viewer. Rennie capture everyday life from ordinary people in the suburbs to those who make history. I consider Rennie collections of “Aussie Rules” and “Lifes a Beach”, because these two collections capture the everyday life of ordinary people. In Aussie Rules, Rennie is able to capture the everyday emotions of the fans who are on the high, from finals fever. These fans ain’t afraid to show there emotional side of the game. These images are considered iconic from the newspaper industry, as no photographer has been able to capture those raw emotions close to Rennie Ellis. In the collection “Lifes a Beach” Rennie shows the everyday interaction between everyday people. Either they are friends or families on the beach. “Lifes a Beach” also shows an iconic Australian past time of the beach. Rennie’ great amount of work was during the hey days of the 1980’s when he captured the social club scene or as Rennie summed it up as being a social perv. Rennie enjoyed this scene, as the amount of unprecented access he was given, and the comfortability of his subjects (e.g. Molly Meldrum). Many of his subjects were just also starting out before themselves they became famous. I would not state that Rennie images got any better technically, but I felt there was a consistancy in the connectivity with the subject and the viewer.
Rennie has had many exhibitions, and pioneered photographic exhibitions within Australia, by even founding his own gallery to show his works/exhibitions and many other photographers. In the 1970’s when photography was gaining ground as a form of accepted art, this is when he decided to make his mark, by creating exhibitions. Rennie showed his firs exhibition in 1971 First Exhibition: Kings Cross, with Wesley Stacey, (Gallery A, Melbourne and Yellow house, Sydney. Publishes Kings Cross Sydney). Rennie starts his own gallerie in 1972 Founder and Director of Brummels Gallery of Photography (First exhibition: Two Views of Erotica – Carol Jerrems & Henry Talbot Officially opened by Paul Cox). In 1975 with some disenchantment, Rennie decides to go alone with his own gallerie, after disputes in creative direction with his partners from his Brummels Gallery and establishes studio Rennie Ellis & Associates in Greville Street, Prahran, Melbourne which he operates from up until his death.
Rennie Ellis was regarded by his peers as a photographer for his work, and was awarded many awards such as the Silver medallion for Photography from Art Directors Club of Melbourne for his photography in the Kings Cross Sydney book.
Rennie Ellis kept working till his death in 2003. His 50,000 plus images are kept in stock now.
Reference: http://www.rennieellis.com.au
Popularity: 3% [?]
