Women Hold Up Half the Sky, with Gerard Exupery

Podcast: Download (Duration: 33:37 — 38.5MB)

In this interview I get to sit down with New York City street photographer, Gerard Exupery. We discuss the “birthing process” behind the creation of his newest self-published book, titled Women Hold Up Half the Sky.

About Gerard Exupery

I am the father of two adult sons. I never wanted kids and it turned out to be the single best thing I’ve done with my life so far. Like a lot of things that turned out to be an absolutely fantastic experience, I had to be dragged kicking and screaming there by a woman.

I’ve always wanted to take pictures from the moment my dad helped steady his Rolleiflex in my shakey little hands while I took my first picture. His death the following year greatly influenced why and what I see, and how I photograph it.

I lived in New York City for more than 20 years. My wife and I moved to Montclair NJ to raise the niblets. If you aren’t making at least a million a year you can’t afford to raise your kids in the city. Montclair is 11 miles from mid-town Manhattan so you could run it if you wanted to. Not me, but you could. Until I injured my back I was in the city 3-4 times a week.

GerardExupery.com

Images from the book…

I had been stuck in my apartment for almost 2 years before the COVID thing so being locked down was really not an issue. I’ve got 3 discs that are collapsed on one side. The first doctor took one look and asked me if I had been a bricklayer or was injured in a car accident. “No,” I said. “I just like to walk around and take pictures.”

I never had a problem until I got a little backache. Within a month it felt like I had a white-hot fireplace poker shoved where the sun doesn’t shine. The only thing that works on the pain is lying down. I can walk maybe around the block and stand for about 10 minutes before I start to cry. Then I have to lay flat for a full day. It has really screwed with my ability to make images.

So that’s me, mostly stuck at home. I usually get up between 4:30 and 5:00, have my coffee, and sit for a bit. Then I will write for about 90 minutes out on the front porch.