by David Turner, former photographer for WWD and Hearst Publications, died June 18 at the age of 64.
A man of many talents, whose demanding nature carried over to such other pursuits as teaching, baking and playing the trumpet, Turner was not one to do anything half-heartedly. During 17 years as a staff photographer at WWD starting in 1989, Turner’s specialty was portraits of high-profile designers like Ralph Lauren and Karl Lagerfeld and celebrities like Audrey Hepburn and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. That tenure, which included assignments for W magazine, ended in 2006 when he left for Hearst Magazines. Turner then became a staff photographer, doing assignments for Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Town & Country and other titles.
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Former WWD editor Ed Nardoza said Wednesday, “I remember this kid, a Midwestern gee-whiz, walking in for an interview for one of our staff photographer jobs. Shy and shy, but one of the most beautiful portfolios I’ve ever seen in my possession. One shot I’ll never forget: a black-and-white of a grandmother’s hands cupping an infant’s face. Extraordinary powerful, as was his entire book. We hired him and his photos did not disappoint. Creative, beautifully lit, emotional and unconventional.”
For the past six years, Turner lived in Rochester, NY, where he was a visiting lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Christye Sisson, head of the institute’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, said that while Turner was “an incredibly generous teacher, you wouldn’t call him ‘easy,’ but he encouraged students to go beyond their perceptions own for what they were. able.” Prior to RIT, he taught at the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Turner Falls, Mass.
A representative from Newcomer Cremations and Funerals confirmed that he was dead. Turner’s location and cause of death were unknown. Media requests to his family were not returned.
One of his sisters, Susan McConnell, posted on the New Comer site, “We will always have questions, and even regret, regarding David’s death. I think we can all agree that, in his honor, we can continue to live making this world kinder and helping others.”
Services will be held at the convenience of his family, according to the online post about Turner on the New Comer. In addition, RIT is planning a tribute to Turner, after students return to campus next fall.
Growing up in small town Oklahoma, Turner got his start in publishing – the local newspaper owned and run by his father Fred, which is where young Turner got his start as a puppy photographer. By his own account, Turner learned not to come back empty-handed and tried to fit the journalistic “who, what, when, where, why and how” into a single image. Years before he got into fashion photography shooting designers like Lauren and fashion forces like Anna Wintour, Turner was the beat of the local penitentiary. He once recalled in an interview with Rochester magazine (585), “There was no zoom lens. These boys looked like they could eat me for lunch.”
After abandoning his hoped-for career plan to succeed his father in the newspaper, Turner decided not to get involved in photography and enrolled at the Empire State College of New York and then a photography school in Los Angeles. There, he created his own special effects using gels and sometimes smoke machines. In the 1980s, he bought a one-way ticket to New York City and put his skills to the test, first as an assistant to Ross Whitaker before becoming a studio manager. Turner then moved to Italy, freelancing in Milan for outlets such as the fashion magazine Linea.
After the need for freelancing faded, Turner returned to the United States and photographed advertisements for Ralph Lauren in an era when full-page newspaper images were standard procedure. Agile and artistic behind the camera, Turner truly aimed to show his subjects or “see who they are,” as he once explained.
During his years at WWD and W magazine, Turner photographed Calvin Klein, Thierry Mugler, Tommy Hilfiger and other major designers, as well as runway shows, rallies, celebrities and more. Former longtime WWD photographer Thomas Iannaccone recalled Wednesday how Turner favored the light-dark tonal contrasts Italians refer to as “chiaroscuro,” a technique mastered in painting by Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio . “It was inspired by art – Renaissance lighting [painters]the emotions – the light created the emotions, especially with his pictures of Ralph [Lauren] and some others, where it was dark on one side. It was what you didn’t see that mattered,” Iannaccone said.
His musical skills were also up there, with Turner occasionally bringing his trumpet to the WWD offices to play if there was a lull, for his fellow photographers in his locker room and studio. Turner loved to discuss everything from Mozart to Louis Armstrong to Freddie Hubbard, Nardoza said. “When he left us for a big job at Hearst, it was a big loss for us, but a good move for David. He was a great man who never lost his gee-whiz charm, and who carried his exceptional talents with a disarming manner.”
Conversational and funny and Turner on the way to shoots, he was precise, professional and all-business when it was time to shoot. When he started working with WWD, Turner definitely influenced the other staff photographers with his arsenal of skills. “It brought a whole new perspective. Remember he was a pro. He worked in Italy and had a beautiful portfolio,” said Iannaccone. “We loved him. That’s basically it – he will be missed.”
Former WWD reporter Eric Wilson recalled traveling to Miami for W in the early 2000s to shoot homes, art patrons and philanthropies. Accustomed to Turner being “quick and discreet,” when shooting designers, Wilson was surprised when the photographer spent hours setting up lighting for one shot of the exterior of a South Beach mansion on Clear day, “because he wanted it to pass. against the clouds.” When everything was right, the sun burst out and Turner had to reset the whole arrangement. “He never complained (I did),” Wilson said. “We were both so Burned by the end of the day we looked like lobsters. When we got back to New York, [W’s] Mary Merris joked that we treated the work trip as a holiday.”
Wilson added, “He was as versatile and noble as all the designers. He never broke his focus even when Donna Karan changed her top in front of us, during showroom visits.”
Turner would like to be remembered as someone who always sought the best, he said. “He was an artist who was respected in every field he touched. When he was a teacher, he was the best teacher. When he played trumpet, he played it with soul. When he took pictures, he did it all the way. When he ate, he was passionate. There were no shortcuts,” Iannaccone said. “We went to dinner at his house, when he was married [his ex-wife] Teril, and he was not there. He had made dessert. But he couldn’t find the springs that would match the frost so he was running around the city looking for the springs. That’s the kind of guy he was,” Iannaccone said with a laugh.
But Turner’s nose for the news didn’t budge. When one high-achieving Grammy-winning musician was running hours late for an assignment, he told an increasingly impatient colleague, “We’ll wait as long as it takes to get the story.” Pragmatic and sometimes, a little immoral, Turner gave such unsolicited advice, but he wanted reporters, like photographers, to never walk with their hands in their pockets to avoid the risk of broken arms and hands.
During a visit to South Carolina with businessman Richard Jenrette, Turner was said to have been asked to take a portrait of his host and house guest, who turned out to be Prince Charles in town at the time to discuss classical architecture. “To do a portrait of Prince Charles, you have to sign a packet of papers,” Turner told Iris (585), describing the royal as friendly and warm, with a two-handed handshake and “brotherly” energy older”.
He was also instrumental in teaching students in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences in the RIT College of Art and Design and often used his personal time to clock in extra hours. While working with the RIT libraries, Turner dictated the “Monday Journal,” sitting down with students to go through the pages, discussing the work, layout, composition and trends. Sisson said, “It was a real master class in not only picking his brain about the medium, but criticizing the low-stress subject. He was very popular and even baked cakes and cookies for these informal gatherings that he hosted in our popular airport lounge.”
Turner has always been keen to share his knowledge — whether it’s his photography insights or his Saturday tutorial on how to perfect the croissant by laminating the butter into the dough. “That’s exactly it,” Sisson said, “He just wanted to help people and share what he knew without any ego, which was unusual.”
Turner is predeceased by his sister McConnell and another sister, Terri Bragg. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Greater Rochester’s Lollypop Farm.
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