瑞士裔法國攝影師Sabine Weiss(1924.7.24-2021.12.28)日前逝世，終年97歲。
1932年，當Sabine仍是一位八歲女孩時，已以零用錢買下一部樹脂相機（bakelite camera），開始她長達八十多年的拍攝生涯。作為一位熱愛攝影的女生，年少時的她無疑十分幸運，母親總是帶她參觀畫廊，而身為化學家的父親更協助她在家中沖曬菲林底片。十多歲時，她有感對學業沒有興趣，於是毅然離開校園，開始邁向攝影師的世界。1945年，她在日內瓦開設攝影室，開始拍攝人像及廣告攝影。翌年移居巴黎後，她經朋友介紹成為德國時尚攝影師Willy Maywald的助手，這段歲月磨練了她的攝影技巧，令她更善於以自然光線拍攝。
1949年，她在意大利旅遊時遇見美國畫家Hugh Weiss，二人在翌年結婚，並領養一位女兒。1952年，她認識法國著名攝影師Robert Doisneau，並在其幫助下加入Rapho攝影通訊社，與Willy Ronis、Brassai及Izis Bidermanas等攝影師成為二戰後法國「人文攝影」（Humanist Photography）的代表人物，為1950及1960年代的巴黎留下許多精采的黑白影像。
Sabine Weiss曾是《VOGUE》雜誌攝影師，也為許多文化界大人物拍攝肖像，包括作曲家Igor Stravinsky、美國作家F. Scott Fitzgerald、瑞士雕刻家Alberto Giacometti、法國女星Jeanne Moreau、Brigitte Bardot及Coco Chanel等。在攝影工作以外，她喜歡在閒暇時漫遊巴黎街頭，隨性捕捉一般人的生活點滴，令人感受生活的樂趣。著名攝影師Edward Steichen十分欣賞她的照片，當他1955年在紐約現代藝術博物館MoMA策劃上世紀最重要的展覽之一《The Family of Man》時，便展出三張Sabine Weiss的作品。
她曾如此形容攝影：我拍照片是為了捕捉轉瞬即逝、即將消失的事物，提醒我們生命的短暫。即使後來她九十多歲時，仍樂此不疲地拿著相機拍攝，這種對攝影的熱情，絕對值得我們敬重。
Swiss-French photographer Sabine Weiss passed away recently at 97. She bought a bakelite camera in 1932 and has been photographing for over 80 years. In 1945, she opened a studio in Geneva and began to shoot portraits and advertisements. After moving to Paris the following year, she worked as fashion photographer Willy Maywald’s assistant. During this time, she honed her photography skills.
Sabine worked for “VOGUE” magazine for 9 years and took portraits of many cultural icons, including American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, French actress Brigitte Bardot. She loved to roam on Paris streets in her spare time, capturing ordinary people’s lives. Photographer Edward Steichen admired her photos and included three of Sabine’s images when he curated the essential exhibitions, “The Family of Man,” at the MoMA in 1955.
In 1952, she met the famous photographer Robert Doisneau and joined the Rapho Agency, representing “Humanist Photography” with Willy Ronis and Brassai. She captured Paris in the 1950s and 1960s with her brilliant black and white images. Sabine once said, “I take photographs to hold on to the ephemeral, capture something that will disappear: gestures, attitudes, objects that are reminders of our brief lives.”
