Donald Cohen - A Thirst for Photography

by Derek Rothera May 01, 2001

Donald Cohen is a man with an extraordinary range of interests and talents. With over 50 black & white and colour images Donald's first exhibition at the Millinery Works displayed the full width of Cohen's experience from the enticing Hitchcockesque staircase to the silent danger of the African bush.

Born in Johannesburg, he spent his early childhood in London, moving to New York, before returning to South Africa to complete his secondary education.

At 18 he began what was in the 60s "laughingly known as a good education" at Christ Church, Oxford. This involved playing a guitar on the Hall stairs, and nearly being sent down for carrying a ladder down the high street at early hours of the morning.

From Oxford Donald went straight into film industry, where he served his time as an assistant director, then changing to the cutting rooms where he remained for some fifteen years, ending up eventually as an editor.

Working also in Rome and in Hamburg. (Schnittmeister) he was responsible for the sound track of The Yellow Submarine (leaving aside the music, of course).

In 1970s he became an executive in EMI Leisure division before moving to France and then to Switzerland where he developed interests in watch circuit designing, alternative energy, a hotel in Botswana and a professional photo lab.

Beside reportage and portraits for glossy magazines he has exhibited in Switzerland and Italy.

Although an autodidact he was invited to submit a portfolio to a group of Suisse-Romande photographers, "Photographes Professionels Suisses", who elected Donald to their organisation on the basis of the submitted work.

His ability to frame an ordinary image into something more subtle and interesting mark him down as a photographer of quality.

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