The work of photographer Peter Hujar seems to be everywhere these days. He died at 53 in 1987, but his work still appears in countless bookstores and exhibitions, partially due to the now legendary fame of his subjects like Fran Lebowitz, John Waters, Susan Sontag and Candy Darling—Anohni has reunited with the Johnsons—and partially because of the quality of the photographs was such that they’d be appealing no matter who their subjects were. “He wouldn’t have been surprised by this,” a friend recently told the New York Times of his revival. “He knew he was good.” Among these latest offerings is Peter Hujar Behind the Camera and in the Darkroom by Gary Schneider, Hujar’s printer and sometimes subject, whom we caught up with to hear about what it was like to work with this great photographer.
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In the introduction to the book, you mention your early encounters with Hujar, which included his coming to your performance at Artists Space. What was your first impression of him?
When I first met Peter, we had an easy time communicating. He was able to communicate with me directly, and I was certainly interested in all he had to say about anything and everything. He also really listened. We talked a lot about photography in general. I’m not certain if I chose Peter as my mentor or if he chose me or he allowed me to be his mentee. I was an aggressively hungry young person for knowledge, and Peter had an innate wisdom........