20th Century Photographers

10Bernard Gotfryd

Photographer’s Forum, September 1994

Bernard Gotfryd was born in Radom, Poland, in 1924. He was attracted to the “magic” of photography at a very young age. “I remember exactly when it was,” recalls Bernard. “I was nine years old. We had neighbors whose youngest daughter was my age. Her older brother had gotten a camera from his parents. I was absolutely fascinated by it. Every time he set up his camera on the tripod, I was right there—I couldn’t stay away.

“One Saturday his whole family—mother, father, and two sisters—got ‘dressed to kill’ for a group shot. It was a very bright sunny day, and he had them all stand against a white stucco wall—the sun was hitting them right in the eyes, causing them to squint. They couldn’t keep ...