Neal Slavin has a unique perspective on human relations. As a photographer who’s specialized in group portraiture for four decades, he has captured the strange, fascinating, and often humorous sociological phenomena that occur when people pose for a photograph together.
“My work is about that communal thing that happens between people when they get together and they put on their public persona as opposed to their private persona. Little things come out as they stand in a formation that has to do with who they are and what they want to show people looking at the photo,” he said. “If you have some guy standing next to another guy, one guy will actually jockey for position by putting his shoulder in front of the other guy just to gain that little edge. It's fascinating. Some people recede. Some come forward. It's the little minutia that makes the pictures.”
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| Dancing couples at Butlins Holiday Camp |
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| Debutantes at the Berkley Hotel in London |
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| Channel Swimming Association, Dover, Kent, 1984 |
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| The interesting collection of artists from Zulu Records, taken at the Liverpool Docks. |
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| Marina Women’s Bowling Club, Eastbourne, Sussex, 1984 |
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| Night Club Greeters in London |
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| Gary Owens Society of Girners, Hollywood, California, 1974 |
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| A Concorde at Heathrow Airport, Middlesex |
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| New York Stock Exchange, New York, 1987 |
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| The Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner Sales Convention, New York |
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| Capitol Wrestling Association, Washington, DC, 1974 |
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| Women's League of Health and Beauty in Belmont, Surrey, UK |
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| Bickley School of Dancing, Bromley, Kent, 1984 |
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| Fencers Club, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC, 1987 |
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| The custodial staff at Stonehenge |
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| The crew of the H.M.S. Intreped in Portsmouth Harbor, Hampshire |
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| The Hatton Garden Snooker Center in Holborn, UK |
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| Sisters of the Redemptoristine Convent, Chudleigh, Devon, 1983 |
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| The Hanging Committee at the Royal Academy in London |
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| The Delorean Car Owners Association, Washington, DC, 1988 |
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| Coney Island Polar Bear Club, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York |
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| Santa’s Helpers, Tastee Diner, Silver Springs, Maryland |
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| Miss USA Pageant, New York, 1973 |
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| Freestate Fillies, hostesses at Freestate Raceway, Laurel, 1987 |
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| Lady Dorothy Circle, Companions of the Forest of America, Jamaica, New York, 1973 |
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| Hazardous Emergency Response Team, Washington, DC, 1987 |
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| Performers at Hanger House, Washington, DC, 1987 |
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| The Camera Club, Great Newport Street, London, 1984 |
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| International Twins Association, Holiday Inn, Springfield, Illinois, 1973 |
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| Society for Photographic Education, Rochester, New York, 1974 |
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| The lifeguards of Wild World Amusement Park, Largo |
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| Tai Kwon Do instructors, Washington, DC, 1987 |
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| The Wheelmen, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 1974 |
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| Male voice choir, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Holloway, London, 1983 |
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| Nassau Model Train Club, Baldwin, 1989 |
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| Great Danes Breeders Association, the home of the treasurer, Ulcombe, Kent, 1984 |
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| Bingo Club of the St Petersburg Shuffleboard and Duplicate Bridge Club, St Petersburg, Florida, 1974 |
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| Aircraft restoration technicians, the National Air & Space Museum’s Paul E. Garber Facility, Maryland, 1987 |
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| Pugs, New York |
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| Rubber-boat fishermen, Eugene, Ore. |