The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography

Following her retirement, Elsa Dorfman lovingly showcases her photographic works from her fifty-year career in photography while also telling personal and professional anecdotes and describing her artistic motivations. The film has a loose chronological narrative. Dorfman starts by showing her early black and white photographic work. She recalls moving to New York City to work for Grove Press, where she became acquainted with Beat writers, including Allen Ginsberg. She then describes moving back to Massachusetts to teach elementary school, at which point, the photographer assigned to work with her introduced her to photography. By the 1970s, she had photographed Andrew Wylie, Victor Bockris, Anais Nin, W. H. Auden, Andrea Dworkin, Ed Sanders, Gail Mazur, Audre Lorde, and Anne Sexton. Dorfman then describes her excitement over the release of the 20x24 Large Format Polaroid in 1980, which is followed by footage of her using the 20x24 Polaroid she was eventually able to rent, one of only five. She goes on to show the first photo she took on the 20x24, a photo of Allen Ginsberg with an amaryllis. Dorfman goes through other photos she had taken on the 20x24 and recollects the memories associated with them. This includes her parents, husband, son, and Ginsberg. She reflects on the death of her parents and of Ginsberg, as well as more lighthearted memories of her past birthdays. She talks about Polaroid going out of business and how it affected her, overall conveying her artistic motivations and understanding of her photographic mediums.