BETTY KUHNER: The American Family Portrait

By Kate Kuhner & Steven Stolman

The entire book is an inspiring story of a woman photographer who revolutionized the way family portraits are taken by taking them outside the confines of a studio into the environment. Her unique perspective and style transcends throughout the decades of her works.

The huge book is about capturing memories.

It definitely showcases the beauty of photography and its power in capturing those rare split-second moments in time. It’s that few fractions of a second where happiness and intimacy is memorialized through the black and white photos taken by Betty Kuhner.

The book is a monograph of the groundbreaking photography of Betty Kuhner (1916-2014), who was the first to take mid-century family portraits of the affluent social set out of the studio and into the environment.

Browsing along the pages, you will be introduced briefly to the diversity of American families presented in the book. Some are divorced, some are already dead, some are fractured families, there are multiple marriages and also intertwined family trees. What’s interesting is how the photographer captured the moments in these photos and also learning about her processes. There are anecdotes and accounts provided by Kate Kuhner (daughter) and Steven Stolman with backstories of each session.

“Have a uniform that you put on every job. It helps to create a feeling of confidence and relaxed professionalism.”

The best takeaway from this book is learning how Betty Kuhner was able to put her subjects at ease and how she was able to adjust and utilize every situation to her advantage.