Director Cheryl Dunn was commissioned by the Seaport Museum New York to make a documentary about New York City street photographers. The result was Everybody Street, which was produced by ALLDAYEVERYDAY, and which premiered at the museum in conjunction with the exhibit “Alfred Stieglitz New York” The video was released in segments by The New…
Ed. Note: It was my intention to profile the last 3 photographers of the Rule-Making epoch at once. However, due to utter laziness, I’m posting these in 3 pieces, starting with Bruce Davidson. I’ll try to get to Elliott Erwitt and Robert Frank sometime this week. As always, I appreciate your patience for the long…
1. “Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.” — Robert Frank Truth: Photographers used black and white because 1) it was much cheaper than color; 2) color chemicals would eventually cause permanent physical damage; and 3) It’s easier…
Coming Next: Part 10 – The Rule Making Epoch: Faurer to Arbus We are back, after a 3-month respite, due to the frenetic pace of life and the underwhelming response to Part 9. We intend for this series to appeal to more than those simply looking for interwebs shots from the photographers involved. In fact,…
A photograph is an illusion of a literal description. A camera saw a piece of time and space. I’ve sorted through a few videos on Garry Winogrand, and I thought this one is the best for understanding him as a photographer. Winogrand is speaking to students at MIT (and frustrating the 1970s-version of Hipsters in…
Sometimes you’re lucky in your life, and you get a benediction from somebody who actually speaks your language and cherishes that you’ve joined the tribe … you’re no longer lost.
Part 9 – The Rule Making Epoch: Brassaï to Lisette Model We are back, after an approximately 6-week break, due to the frenetic pace of life, and, frankly, the lukewarm reception of Part 8. We intend for this series to appeal to more than those simply looking for interwebs shots from the photographers involved. Indeed,…
On this day, 8 April, in 1871, Clarence Hudson White was born in small-town Ohio in the United States. White was a teacher and self-taught photographer, but within a few years of his beginning in the art form at age 22, he’d achieved some measure of international fame. His photos were emotional pieces that reflected…
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-born Jewish photographer who reached fame for his street shots and work for Life Magazine. (See our series on the History of Street Photography, Part 5, for more on “Eisie” and his work.) Although he was a German World War 1 wounded veteran, by 1933, Shitler’s Nazis had risen to power,…
One of the things that pains Maria and me is the number of people who are enamored with a single shot by Henri Cartier-Bresson (“Behind the Gare Saint Lazare“). You know the one, the “Defining Moment” shot. But here’s the thing: it’s a shitty photo. It’s underexposed, details are lost because of the lack of…
The Artists' Sanctum 