Amy in front of an ATM machine. May 7, 2008
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Though it’s called Amy: A Life Through the Lens, Darren and Elliott Bloom’s book of photographs is really the story of Amy Winehouse’s death, told through pictures.
The Bloom brothers followed Winehouse as celebrity photographers. Then, they write, they were “invited by the star’s management to become Amy’s ‘official paparazzi,’” eventually setting up shots just for them and granting the brothers “the most exclusive access.” The book shows, in sequence, their photos from 2005 to 2011 along with text elaborating on the images, adding tid-bits and anecdotes to set the scene for each series or spread.
For a handful of years, Winehouse was every tabloid’s favorite party girl, but she was also an empowering figure. When “Rehab” hit the U.S. airwaves in 2006, people took notice—not only because the early 2000s had been a quality-music desert, but because Amy’s voice had real power and strength behind it. Her lyrics had truth and bite, inspiring many to reduce the number of fucks given when expressing oneself. While she was saying “No, No, No” to rehab, we were rooting for her not to be tamed. She was an artist—feminine and tough, emotional, promiscuous, passionate, and unapologetic.
Amy could cry for a man on “the kitchen floor,” and still have her dignity. She belted her regret and fallibility with fortitude. Women—particularly those in the public eyes—are expected to be sexually appealing but not slutty, sensitive but not overwrought with emotion, heartbroken but not wildly so. Where Madonna in her prime made an art out of “breaking the rules,” Amy simply couldn’t help herself. She was robust and shameless and we lauded her on for it, but when she wasn’t powerful, nobody knew how to react. The feelings invoked by photos of drunken thumb-sucking, and the proud display of her new breast implants in 2009, are particularly complicated. Were these the same brazen acts of being true to herself? Or desperate displays of a woman becoming less and less sure of who she was? The world watched this powerhouse lose her life while trying to cheer her on from the sidelines, cringing at every blow captured on camera, printed and sent to press.
Amy was an inspiration, a mirror and a warning to and anyone who has ever felt like their insides might burst out and spill outside the bounds of acceptable behavior. Though the Lens captures those conflicts that made her hypnotic, both in her taut art and her messy life unfolding a narrative that cuts straight to the quick.
AMY: A LIFE THROUGH THE LENS by Darren and Elliott Bloom (Overlook Omnibus)
Amy with singer Nate James. February 9, 2003
Amy after a night out at The Hawley Arms. December 13, 2006
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy during an argument with Blake. August 23, 2007
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy and Blake August 23, 2007
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy. April 7, 2008
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy and Mick Whitnell. September 12, 2008
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy after a performance at the Berkeley Ball at Berkeley Square. September 25, 2008
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy at Fishworks in Marylebone. October 20, 2009
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy arriving at the 100 Club in Oxford Street. July 6, 2010
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy sucking her thumb with father, Mitch Winehouse. February 1, 2010
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017.
Amy, still very proud of her new implants. October 22, 2009
© Darren and Elliott Bloom. Published by arrangement with Overlook Omnibus. Hardcover on sale: April 4, 2017
