‘I want to be where the energy’s at’: photographer Ryan McGinley on youth culture, creativity and being collected by Elton JohnA new exhibition of Elton’s photography collection features several images by McGinley, who shot to fame in his 20s for documenting the joyous excesses of young Americans. He talks about his work – and his most famous fan
The attempt to capture the stars may have failed, but the photograph itself, suggesting the tenderness and vulnerability of lovers against the vast emptiness of space, did not. After the trip, McGinley put together a zine of recent images to share with friends and people he knew, including, who had developed an interest in the photographer’s work. “Elton said: ‘Thank you’, then five minutes later he gave it back to me. I was like: ‘What?’” McGinley recalls, laughing.
Being in California, out in the desert, it felt as if I was in Kerouac’s On the Road – such a special time