John Huck photography

Breakfast & Couples
by John Huck

There is definitely something powerful about these two photography series by John Huck. There is a simplicity in the approach-- faces, point-blank, looking directly into your eyes; not aggresively, just connecting with you by breaking the fourth wall. There's a very "eyes as a window to the soul" quality to the photographs, each person has their own imagined personality, an apparent mood, and you get the impression that you get to know these people, just a little. It may or may not be a false impression, but it is compelling nonetheless.



The "Breakfast" series does something really interesting by having you connect with these faces on a second level, by sharing a birds-eye perspective of what they had for breakfast. I never thought of breakfast as an intimate moment, but in many ways it is; you usually spend it in quiet reflection, it often requires careful preparation and is crafted to meet your cultural and nutritional preferences. And when it doesn't, that too reflects your personality, as in the case where breakfast simply equals coffee. Breakfast is also often eaten alone, unless with a spouse (and in those cases he did indeed portray both partners and breakfasts together, further referencing the intimacy).

The "Couples" series does less for me, conceptually, although the photographs are very striking when viewed as a full series in the gallery. I just feel that it lacks the comparative depth of the "Breakfast" series, which in itself is not particularly profound. There is definitely a beautiful quality of sincerity and emotion here, but ultimately, the message is "these are couples" or "these are people and this is what they eat". I may be off the mark with this interpretation, but this is not for lack of trying; Huck does not offer any statements on his web site. And then again, not all art has to have a point. For myself, I prefer to enjoy artwork with multiple layers of meaning. Still, for directness and clarity of purpose this project does not waver from its goal. I think this is a intriguing foray into sharing a brief, personal glimpse into the lives of individuals you will probably never meet.