Renowned photographer captures black American life through impactful portraits

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Our next guest is a New Bedford native and worldrenowned photographer, Anthony Barbosa. Mr. Barbosza has taken many photos of celebrities, folks who have made contributions in the field of music, acting, and much more. But Anthony Barbosa has also shown some deep compassion and commitment for using his photography to tell stories of black American life and communities of color worldwide. The New Bedford Art Museum in partnership with the New Bedford Historical Society hosting an exhibit titled I Return with a Feeling of Us, an introspective exhibition by Anthony Barbosa. The exhibition was unveiled in September. It will remain on view through December 23rd. Mr. Barbosza joins us this morning. Uh thank you, sir, for making some time and uh we really appreciate it. >> Well, thank you. I wonder, Mr. Barbosza, uh, when you first picked up a camera, uh, as a young man, uh, did you ever think it would come to all this? >> No, not at all. Not at all. I was 19 when when I went to New York City and, um, I met other photographers um, that a group that I uh, joined and I didn't even have a camera at that time. So, my first camera I got when I was in uh New York was a um a $15 camera made in Hong Kong. And with that photo, with that camera, I took some photos in Central Park like the man in the snow. And later when I was in the Navy, I won um a awards in a contest down south. I think it was in Alabama. Um, and I also took um some photos with a camera that one of them um with a group I belong to called Kamong, which means in working together. Um I took a photo that when they sent it out with a group of photos from the to the Museum of Modern Art, they bought them. So, >> wow. >> I got it got into the museum that quickly. Yeah, >> you get you had some pretty good luck with that camera. >> Yeah. And I have it somewhere, but I don't know where. I still have it. >> Well, that's when you get when you get older. I'm I'm about your age. Not quite, but I'm about your age. And I know when you when you get older, >> uh you know you've got something, but you don't know where. That's how it is. Tell us about your early years in New Bedford. Were they pleasant for you? Was it uh a wonderful time? I know, you know, all kids go through some difficult times. How was your early years in New Bedford? >> Well, to understand that's why I titled it I return with the feeling of us. Mhm. >> Meaning that when I was growing up, the feeling of the community and playing basketball or sports, it was a community thing. It was a feeling, but the major feeling of that was um my grandmother and my mother and my mother's sister. That's where you get a lot of feeling from them growing up around them and it it becomes a thing that I felt I got sensitive to towards certain things and that really helped me when I was photographing to be sensitive towards the person and not try to project anything that um would antagonize them when you're shooting them. >> Mhm. Um, is it true you first wanted to paint pictures and not take pictures? >> Well, I did that a little bit, but um I can't draw very well, so >> that ended that pretty much, right? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, I I went to photography. But uh it's kind of funny now that I had still done some painting later on um when I was out of the Navy and when I was in New York I started. So in some an exhibition I had of some of my paintings. The actor Samuel Jackson's wife bought one >> Mhm. >> of the painting. So at least I know there's a painting hanging >> somewhere. There's a painting by Anthony Barbosa hanging somewhere. >> Um, >> where did you learn the art of taking photographs >> because it is an art >> and although you may have learned something in the Navy, you may have learned something with the group that you went to that you joined when you went to New York. Uh, how about did you have any professional education regarding photography? No, it was just from the group because the group that I had joined in 1963. Now, this is hard to explain, but how did I get into a group and I didn't even have a camera or photographs? >> Yeah, that's that's >> really strange because when I was in the group, a lot of um photographers came to show their work to try to get in the group and they couldn't get in. they weren't good enough. >> Mhm. >> The only thing I can say that it's almost psychically that they knew later on in life, they didn't know it uh that I was going to do that, but they must have felt something uh that I did a whole book in 2016 on the group. >> Yeah. >> So, they all were in the in the book called Timeless. >> Well, there you go. So that that came out that way. But they were all older than me in the group. So I learned it was like having an older brother. They were also I learned from them. I learned how to critique and look at images and how to photograph. So and you when you're younger you absorb a lot quickly. >> Sure. So >> in any art form. >> Yeah. Mr. Mr. Barbosa, you have done uh I'm not going to run down all the things you've done, but you've did a lot of commercial photography for ad agencies. You've done fashion, >> you've done magazine covers. >> Uh am I leaving anything out? >> Um well, I did a lot of um my own personal work that is in museums all across the country >> that they own. Yeah. Um, so I learned from each thing I was doing. Um, I did a portraits as a as a series for about seven years. I did all the artists that I met and did a portrait series of them. And then I applied for a grant. Um, the um grant um I won was um a government grant. >> Um I'm trying to remember the name of it now. >> Well, let's don't worry about the name of that. And >> and then I took some of that money from the grant and published a little book called The Black Borders with the portraits in it. And I was selling it for $15 each copy. Now you can't even buy it unless you pay $250 that it's on eBay or something. Yeah. You know, >> that's how that won me a grant and that put me on the market in a certain way that I was recognized for doing the type of portraits that I did. It wasn't just um that you took the camera and you just took a photo of the person there standing there. I also designed and cut the backgrounds out like with uh spray paint and razor blades on the background papers and um made graphic designs according to how I built about the p person that I was photographing. >> Yeah. >> I never planned it ahead of time. I did it the same time that they walked into the studio. So that's how I developed that through the years. But then I turned around after that was done those years. I shot about 175 people. Um I need to do a larger book but I'll uh do it later. Um I went on to work in the studios and doing jobs in the daytime and then every night for 10 years I would go to jazz clubs and street jazz musicians. Mhm. >> That was my next personal project. >> Yeah. >> In the meantime, when I was doing the portraits, the black borders portraits, I would the on the weekend I would go and shoot in the streets. So, I always did that, too, cuz that's how I learned with the group that I belong to. >> You're listening to Towns Square Sunday. I'm Jim Phillips. My guest is fame photographer and New Bedford native Anthony Barbosa. Mr. Barbosa, um just reflecting a bit on your some of your portraits, uh James Baldwin, Tony Morrison, Miles Davis, and Artha Franklin, just to name a very that's a very short list. >> Tony Morrison, I did not I did not photograph her. >> Oh, no. >> Okay. >> No, no, I did not. >> I met her, but I didn't photograph her. >> Okay. I was given some uh incorrect information, but James Baldwin for sure, >> Miles Davis, Artha Franklin. >> Uh that's a very small list and the the list is very long, I'm sure. Uh >> yeah, I photographed people like uh um Deborah Har Blondie. >> Mhm. >> You know, um I did Laura Durn, the actress. >> Yeah. Um, I did a the director that just recently died. What was his name? Oh, gee, sometimes I can't remember names now. >> Well, >> um, it's a kid. >> Yeah. >> Diane Carol. I photographed a lot of people. Yeah. Is this a true Is this a true story that >> uh an agency sent your book to Sher? >> Oh, yeah. >> And and Shar Sher said, "Wait a minute. This this fellow was only photographed um black people, African-Americans." >> Yeah. >> And the studio to go and shoot him. Yeah. >> Yeah. And the studio said, "We're sending him anyway." Well, you know, we want him to do this. He'll generate a great photo. And I'm sure you did. >> Was that How was that session? >> Well, they um wanted to send It was a New York Times magazine section. >> Okay. >> That's who I was doing it for. And she had photographers out there in California. And she said, "Well, I want to see his book." And then they sent me my portfolio. and she said, "There's nothing but black people in here." Um, but they said, "We're gonna send them anyway." So, they wanted me to show photograph him with cut out jeans and in his apartment in her home. >> Yeah. >> And some other different outfits. So I went there and when I got there um with an assistant we're setting up lights and I picked a location during in the living room and the hairdresser comes down and says um if she doesn't like the lighting she's not doing the shoot. I said oh goodness. So, I did a Polaroid of my assistant with the lighting >> and she came down with her outfits and I never prejudge uh or um try to figure out ahead of time what I would do. I have to feel the person. And when you feel a person, the person also feels you that you're photographing. And I don't never try to be a groupy to any of these celebrities. I just do my job. So, I ended up staying there the whole day and she did different outfits. And then afterwards, when the shooting was over, she had her agent take me to dinner and um ask me if I had any ideas on how to um um to shoot a music video. And I gave them some, but they ended up um having her do it herself. >> Okay. you know what she wanted to do, but that's how it happened. >> All right. Well, that's a great story. Um, >> and even though that she I forgot that even when she saw the photographs, she wouldn't do any other shootings with any photographer, she would send them if they needed a photo of her, send it to me, and they would get photos to use in their magazines or whatever. So it went on. Yeah. >> All right. Um, so Mr. Barbosa, tell us a little bit about the exhibit at the New Bedford Art Museum. I return with a feeling of us. What uh what do you hope the people will take away from that exhibit? Well, there's a variety of different um you know, there's portraits, there's street, and I wanted them to get a feeling of um the subjects and how they they might appear to them when they've never met them, but seen them in other photos. And you might see to each individual person that they could grasp a feeling of what I was doing. I had some um people when I when the opening happened that they were fascinated by the portraits and they wanted to know how I did them. And I walked over with this gentleman and showed them what I was what I did and how it reflected on their personalities, the way I graphically did certain um um backgrounds and then to pick a certain photograph. So, it's hard to explain the um the visuals in that sense any other way, but to at least have them look at the the photos and get a feeling of what the the sitter is going through when they're being photographed. because you won't you won't see anybody shouting or uh crying or um uh doing sexy looks, you know. >> Yeah. >> With their eyes. It's just how they approach I'm approached uh they they have a feeling for me and I have a feeling of them. >> That's kind of how it's been for 50 or 60 years taking photographs. Uh >> yeah, they just feel you right away and they become more relaxed because I'm approaching them in a relaxed position and so they're they feel comfortable because they're in a foreign place. When I did photographs of um sometimes for the New York Times magazine, I would go to the home of the person like I did with Sher and I would find a spot there and make that they felt comfortable in their own home. But when you're in a studio, you have to make sure that you uh make it comfortable for them because they're in a foreign location. >> Yep. >> Yeah. >> Mr. Barbosza, uh our time is up. I really would like to thank you for making some time for us. Uh are you still doing some jobs even today? >> No, not as much. I'm trying to work on books. >> Okay. All right. Well, that's a noble >> noble goal, too. Uh you are a a world famous photographer and a New Bedford native. Thank you for joining us today and the best of luck to you, sir. >> All right. >> All right. Thanks again. Well, still to come on Townsquare Sunday, the US Marine Corps is celebrating a special birthday. If you are a Marine, you're welcome to attend. Details next on Towns Square Sunday. [Music] Since 2011, American Giant has been making everyday clothing with extraordinary effort. Not in far-off factories, but right here in the USA. We obsess over fabrics, fit, and details. 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