Roy Gumpel • Young Girl, Pagan, Burma. 1984
Todd Weinstein • Figure, New York, NY, 2022
………………………………..
Roy Gumpel is an American photographer, born in 1956, originally from Port Chester , NY.
Roy bought his first camera from a high school friend in 1972 and has been shooting images ever since. He immediately used it to make money, shooting local football games and also shooting for the town’s pennysaver type publication. His plan of becoming a doctor went by the wayside as he got completely entranced by image-making. Roy wrote a letter to one of the editors of National Geographic asking for advice on how to become a Geographic photographer (which he got a prompt personal reply from), further inspiring him. Roy attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan after high school, studying photography with the well known photo gallery curator Larry Siegel, who invited Roy to help him at his Midtown Y Gallery on 14th Street. Roy credits Larry with instilling in him the intensely critical eye that Larry was known for.
Roy also had a big influence on him from his uncle, Hugh Gumpel, who was an American water color master. Hugh had studied under George Grosz in Paris. Like Siegel, Hugh had the gift (or perhaps curse) of seeing things with a finely tuned critical eye. Roy also studied under Sid Kaplan while at SVA.
After a couple years at SVA, Roy met the photographers Todd Weinstein and his partner Bob Day, through a mutual friend. He developed a lifelong friendship with them, also working on photo assignments as their assistant. Todd and Bob suggested to roy that he meet the fashion photographer Mel Dixon (who had a large studio in the same East 19th St. building). Mel hired Roy as an assistant. Mel had been Richard Avedon’s assistant, so Roy’s studio photography had (has) a clear Avedon influence.
Roy’s other main influences were Robert Frank (who he would chat with when running into him in the East Village, where they both lived), and Josef Sudek, the great photographer from Prague. Roy recalls “the first time I saw Sudek’s work was when I picked up a book one day in Brentano’s Bookstore. I opened the book and was stunned at the quiet intensity of his images. I found myself welling up with tears at the beauty of the photographs. I remember wondering how on earth I had never heard of this photographer before then. Sudek instantly became a huge influence on the way I see the world, right then and there.”
Roy did end up shooting a photo assignment for National Geographic Explorer, in 1995. Three weeks exploring the iconic Rt. 66 (The Mother Road) while being followed by a small (but funny) film crew. The short piece can be seen on YouTube.
Roy now lives in Woodstock, NY, where he has been a volunteer firefighter/emt for many years. He still photographs every day.
