Life Through The Lens

“Sometimes one feels one has hardly met somebody when you photograph them, because the camera comes between you; it can feel like a real separation: photographer and subject. Usually, it’s possible to find a way through, but sometimes, I’ve just taken the photo and left … there’s nothing more to say.”

Dmitri Kasterine (1945, C) attended Radley College from 1945 to 1950, as Europe began its long recovery from the ravages of WWII. At Radley, Dmitri surrounded himself with contemporaries who shared his interest in the arts, particularly those who liked to read and write literature. His enduring passion for the literary world has manifested in the long list of acclaimed authors he has photographed: Roald Dahl, Tom Stoppard, Graham Greene, Muriel Spark, and Samuel Beckett to name only a few. At school, he set himself apart in the OTC (now CCF), and became Senior Under Officer towards the end of his Radley career. Academically, Dmitri professes that he ‘wasn’t a good student’, and considers music to have been his favourite subject, having, as he did, an exceptionally good piano teacher.

“It was extremely cold, and very harsh. In many ways, it was quite unpleasant. When I’ve spoken to young ORs, and from what I’ve seen in the RadSoc publications, it’s just a completely different place these days. In some ways, things at Radley back then were quite lax, and in others they were too strict. I was homesick, no doubt about it.”

It was in his teens that Dmitri’s passion for photography began to grow, and he was not alone. Images captured during Princess Elizabeth’s visit to Radley in June 1947 include many that show boys clutching the box-like cameras of the period. Indeed, photography is at the heart of a vivid memory from his school years: a visit of the French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny to the school. De Lattre, a renowned military hero, was the youngest French general at the outbreak of WWII, and was also the French representative at the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender in Berlin on 8th May 1945. He went on to be the Chief of Staff of the French Army, and was posthumously elevated to the title of Marshal of France in 1952.

After the distinguished General had inspected the Radley corps, a friend of Dmitri’s, aged around fourteen, retrieved a camera that he had secreted in Covered Passage and boldly approached him, asking in French if he could take a photograph, and the request was granted. “I think that was one of the bravest things I’ve ever witnessed,” Dmitri recalls, and perhaps this fearlessness inspired his approach to photography in his later career, of which he simply says: “Anything, or anyone that strikes me – I’ll photograph them.”

After leaving Radley, and a short stint as an airline pilot, Dmitri began his career in photography at the beginning of the 1960s. Up to that time, there had not been nearly so much of a market for photographs, but opportunities were just starting to open up as magazines began using more images to supplement their stories and articles. Uninterested by wedding and village-fete photography, Dmitri jumped on the opportunity of photography for publications. He secured plenty of work for the Radio Times, The Telegraph, and publications like Queen, in the first years of his career, eagerly searching out public figures who he had not yet photographed, and writing to them to request a sitting.

Stanley Kubrick came into Dmitri’s life through a friend who recommended he watch Paths of Glory, a 1957 film by Kubrick loosely based on the executions of four French soldiers for failure to follow orders during WWI. The film had a profound effect on Dmitri, and he immediately approached the editor of Queen magazine to suggest a shoot with Kubrick, who was in London at the time, filming Dr. Strangelove. It was not long before Dmitri’s talent for ‘standing in the right place’ (a compliment that clearly meant a great deal coming from Kubrick) led to a deeper working relationship, and eventually friendship, between them. Dmitri worked on three of Kubrick’s films: Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and A Clockwork Orange (1971). His original brief was to take ‘making of’ photographs of the crew during the shoots, which Kubrick initially planned to use during the film credits. Dmitri learnt a great deal from both the work, and from Kubrick himself.

“I was pretty hopeless in those days, in my early 30s, but he modelled good characteristics: persistence, courage, and the ability not to be put off by anything. The importance of seeing though the things that you want to do.”

The real work, Dmitri recalls, happened off-set in the rehearsals, and it was extremely rare that anyone but the cast and Kubrick were privy to the artistic process. Rehearsals took place behind closed doors, strictly between the actors and the director. Just occasionally, Kubrick’s creativity would overflow onto the set, where a last-minute flash of inspiration would change everything. It was then that you would see his strong sense of conviction. One instance of this was during the early stages of filming Dr. Strangelove, which was originally set to be a very serious study of the Cold War and nuclear conflict. Stanley recognised that that wasn’t going to work and, according to Dmitri, gave the actors the simple command ‘ham it up!’

After three films, the excitement of working on sets, where the subjects and activities changed very little, had worn thin. Throughout the 1970s, Dmitri captured some of the best-known authors, musicians, actors and artists of the time: Michael Caine in 1974, Mick Jagger and Tom Baker in 1975, Francis Bacon, Liv Ullman, Patricia Highsmith, and Queen Elizabeth II in 1976.

This period provides plenty of brilliant anecdotes, and was clearly a time of great fulfilment. When asked about his favourite subjects, Dmitri is quick to name Mick Jagger who, despite keeping very strange hours (starting his day at 9pm), was no rock and roll diva.

 Houses in snow on Liberty St. (L) Hello Boys (R) from Dmitri's Newburgh Project.

Mick is personable, and could ‘talk to anyone about anything’, and was a very promising student at the London School of Economics before dropping out to pursue his music career alongside Keith Richards. Dmitri is a huge fan of the Rolling Stones, and describes the shoot as ‘hero worship’. To this day, he regrets that he has never had the opportunity to photograph Keith Richards, especially when the opportunity was within touching distance in the mid-70s.

Dmitri considers his favourite subject to be Roald Dahl, who he describes as ‘very friendly, generous, and a wonderful cook’. They maintained a friendship over the years, sharing many evenings together over dinners and excellent wine.

“The easiest person to photograph was Queen Elizabeth II. She was so used to it, and damn good at that sort of thing. When I had an appointment to photograph her, I went into the gardens to scope out a good backdrop near the water, but the ducks had already been there, and left a terrible mess behind. I asked her, ‘Will it be all right?’, and she said ‘Yes, the Queen doesn’t clean her own shoes, you know.’”

In 1986, he left Britain to move to the United States, which he had first visited on an assignment to photograph Mick Jagger in Los Angeles for the Radio Times. Settling in the state of New York, Dmitri became absorbed by the people and the history of the surrounding areas. In 1996, he began taking photos in Newburgh, an important early settlement, and prosperous industrial city of the 19th century, before it fell into decline throughout the 20th century. Newburgh’s population, which is marginally majority African American, continues to struggle against the challenges of deprivation, alleged electoral fraud and corruption, and civic issues such as water contamination, against a backdrop of historic architecture and urban decay.

“Whoever you are,” says Dmitri, “you can’t help but be struck by Newburgh. It’s a beautiful place, what’s left of it.” He describes the people of Newburgh as warm, hardworking, and suspicious of authority – hardly surprising given the lack of municipal support they have been offered over the decades, despite their considerable need. When Dmitri started visiting the area, he had an advantage: “I spoke funny, and they rather liked that. And I was too old to be a cop.”

Continuing to visit with his camera for 22 years, Dmitri’s Newburgh Project expanded into a book and, in 2012, a film. Intertwining footage of the decaying splendour of the historic neighbourhoods with interviews, discussions, and other glimpses of Newburgh life, Dmitri’s film, Newburgh: Beauty and Tragedy, is not strictly a ‘documentary’, and does not take a cause-and-effect stance on the situation.

“I’m very lucky, because I’ve got two legs that work. My mind’s not quite all there, but … more or less, I’m okay. I forget people’s names, that’s really the only issue, and so I write them all down on a piece of paper before I speak, and my wife usually comes with me, and she’ll prompt me.”

Dmitri has recently written a book about his career, which has sold well at his talks, and is currently looking for a publisher. A second book is in the pipeline too, focussing on local farms and women farmers.

In 2013, Dmitri generously gifted the College a wonderful selection of his photographs. A number of these framed pictures hang on permanent display in Radley’s Coffee Shop for all to enjoy.

For those looking to build their own career in photography, Dmitri says the following:

Newburgh is only one small city in the US, but the experiences of its population are ubiquitous, and this relevance means that Dmitri is regularly called upon to speak about his project and film at public talks. It is clear from the enthusiasm with which he speaks about Newburgh that the people of the city are still close to Dmitri’s heart. However, since he and his wife have moved to the wilds of central New York State, fewer visits to the area have been possible. His current agrarian surroundings have brought his lifelong passion for horses to the fore, and a new interest too, in the lives of the local farmers, has provided him with new subjects for his photography.

Despite being in his ninth decade, Dmitri continues to be exceptionally busy. His life, he explains, revolves around ‘two Ts’. He is a sought-after speaker on the local talks circuit, visiting audiences in libraries, galleries and arts spaces to discuss his career in photography. The second T is tennis, which he plays weekly with a retired Army Officer.

“No one can advise people on what sort of photographs to take – that comes from you. It’s not really about the camera or the equipment, it’s about what you see, what you observe. You’ve got to put over, clearly, what your point is.

I recommend young people to listen to Tom Stoppard and James Baldwin. They both speak so precisely and clearly, calmly and without too much emotion. In order to sell yourself, or your idea, you need to be clear and precise. If you can do that, you will find your market.”

Visit www.kasterine.com to see some of Dmitri’s work, and to learn more about his Newburgh Project.