The Way of Life by Gerry Deiter

Literature:
Tom Hawthorn, “Gerry Deiter, 71” The Globe and Mail, December 12, 2005

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Gerry Deiter began his career with a wide range of photography positions. He worked as a medical and fashion photographer, as well as a teacher at the Pratt Institute and at military service clubs. Through his involvement with the Manhattan avant-garde art scene, Dieter was introduced to Yoko Ono. In 1969, on assignment for Life Magazine, he attended John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-In at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. “The Way of Life” is one of Deiter's photographs documenting this eight day protest for peace. Unfortunately these images were never published, as a result of the magazine dropping the story to cover the death of Vietnamese leader Ho Chin Minh. After more than thirty years, Dieter's son convinced him to uncover and expose the photos to the public in 2001, which garnered widespread acclaim. His work was “remarkable for the intimacy with his subjects, who, despite days of intense scrutiny, were at ease with Mr. Deiter, in part because he had befriended Yoko Ono before she had met the famous Beatle.” In an interview with The Globe and Mail in 2005, the year of Deiter's death, the photographer spoke of this sudden and delayed recognition of his work, "It's ironic as hell [...] I've been taking pictures since I was 12 years old. I finally get renown for one assignment I did for eight days 36 years ago."