Born in Brooklyn in 1940, Arthur Tress took his first photograph at the age of twelve. After completing a BFA in 1962 at Bard College, located on the Hudson River in New York state, he moved to Paris to study filmmaking at the Institutes ds Hautes Etudes Cinémathographique. Dissatisfied with his experience, he soon dropped out and until 1966 he spent time in Europe, Mexico, India, Japan, Egypt, and other countries in Africa. During this extended tour he spent time learning about and documenting the cultural practices and ceremonies in these respective locations. In the early 1970s, as he supported himself as a documentary and ethnographic photographer, Tress began to pursue a more personal direction in his independent projects.
(All rights reserved. Images @ Arthur Tress.)