Why These Photographs Matter
The Works of Irving A. J. Lawres
Irv Lawres spent three decades photographing the world in brilliant Kodachrome color while quietly rebelling against the “rules” that dominated mid-century photography. In camera clubs and salons of the 1950s–1970s, judges enforced rigid formulas for what a “good” picture should be. Irv pushed back.
His philosophy, which he later formalized in his program The Tyranny of Rules, argued that great images are not created by obeying checklists. They come from instinct, curiosity, and the courage to see differently.
Walker Lawres preserves that spirit. These images were never meant to fit the mold yet they endure because they are vivid, human, and defiantly free of convention.
Each photograph is a small rebellion. And together, they form a body of work that feels surprisingly modern.
