Working The Streets
Street photography has been a very common subject since the beginning of photography, People love to document and capture the environment that they live in. It is a wonderful record of how the streets and everyday life have changed over the years. Eugene Atget is known for being the founder of street photography, but it was not seen as a art form for many years. Even Vivian Maires was shooting the streets, before street photography became a genre of photography.
Exhibition leaflet
Paris has been know for being the birth-place of street photography. Eugene Atget has been know as the for-founder of street photography not because he was the first of his kind, but because of how famous and popular his images became. He photographed Paris from the 1890's to the 1920's. He mainly photographed architecture but in some of his photo's he has photographed workers on the streets of paris.
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Street photography has now become a very popular genre, as many mobile phone's have good cameras so there are a lot more photographers out there. There are many platforms for sharing photos such as Instagram and flickr. This has allowed many people to discover photography as they don't have the money to spend on a expensive camera. It has allowed many photographers to become recognised and gain an audience. Street photography has moved a long way from the streets of Paris. where only a few people where going round with their film cameras documenting normal life.
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Leaflet
This is the leaflet I have made for the exhibition. I like the simple layout and colour scheme. It contains a lot of useful information for the audience, it tells them a little about the exhibition, it tells the user about the artists involved in the exhibition. I like it as it is simple and has a clean look to it. I like the blue colour scheme as it fits the map and I think it goes well with the white background. I really like the front page as it has a good layout with the title at the top and then an image showing what the exhibition is about, at the bottom it has the somerset house logo that fits right into the page.
vivian Maier
Vivian Dorothea Maier, that was born 1st February 1926 in New York. She worked in new york as a Nanny for several family's spending most of her money on film and storage for her film. She walked around the streets of Chicago taking photos of the people she came across. As time went on she ran out of money and became ill, her storage containers were sold off and her photos where discovered. She had not shared her photographic talent when she was taking pictures. It was only when her film was developed that her artistic talent was shared with the world.
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Exhibition at the photographers gallery
I visited this talk about Vivian Maier's it was very informative and helpful in my study of her work. I learnt a lot about her life and a little bit more about who she was.
Christmas Eve of 1953, 78th St & 3rd Ave. New York, NY
This is a photo taken by Vivian Maier, it was in the streets of Chicago at night, it shows a drunken man being taken away towards the audience. The main focus of activity is in the center of the picture: a drunken man being carried by a police officer and a gentleman. The two men carrying the stooping figure are upright and have a firm, powerful hold over the man they are dragging. The photo has very dark edges with the subject being light up. The photograph has been framed in a way that you can see the environment that the event occurred in. The subject which is the drunken man is centered in the frame with the less important people closer to the edges of the frame. The police officer and gentleman are standing strait to show there power of the drunk who is being dragged along the road as he is not able to stand on his own. The photo is trying to show how city life changes at night as the drunk is wearing smart work clothing, so in the day you would assume he has an important job, but this contrasts his condition as in the night he has become a different man and his pride and status has been removed.
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April 30, 1955, New York, NY
This is another photo by Vivian Maier, it shows soldiers marching through the streets while the public watch. The photo has been taken so the audience can look through the rows of soldiers. From this viewpoint the uniformity of the soldiers is emphasized. They all wear the same and walk in time.. I think she was trying to show how un-natural and ridged they are. The photo has been taken with the majority of the photo consisting of the background buildings, I believe she showing the contrast between the city life and the life of a soldier as they do not seem to fit together. The photo has a high contrast with the blacks being very solid and secure and the whites being bright and strong this relates to a good soldier. There is a photo of a man crossing his arms as he could be against the idea of going to war or he may of been rejected as he is not fit to fight. As he is higher up than the soldiers he could have a higher status as he is looking over them.
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January, 1953, New York, NY
This image depicts a Dad and his two kids walking along the street on a winter day. Their is a high contrast that brings out beautiful black and stunning whites. The main focus of the photo is the reflection in the water. It shows the strong branches of the trees contrasting with the sky. The photo also has a very strong perspective of the road, this is along the left hand side of the photo ending at the top left using the rule for thirds. The sun is shinning just around the man which creates a strong reflection upon the puddle.
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Unknown
This busker who is playing a guitar shows the true power of music, he is standing outside a shop window catching people as they walk past. He looks like he is really into playing his music as he is closing his eyes. The man takes up most of the right side of the frame, there are 2 young children to the left of the frame. I think she was trying to capture the creative spirit that this man has even though he has to play his music on the streets. It shows that he is still happy inside because he is playing his guitar. The photo is in black and white which creates a interesting look because it gives the photo more meaning and the colour doesn't distract you from the actual photograph. The photo creates a happy feeling because the busker is really into playing his music, even though he is busking and trying to make money.
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Unknown
This is the final photo from the section on Vivian Maiers, It shows a women who is being arrested by a police officer, it looks like she has stolen something and her purse has been scattered along the ground while the police officer is trying to detain her. Vivian has framed it so the subject are in the center of the frame with the background taking up most of the photo. The subject are placed on the road as it looks like the old woman is trying to run away. As their is a shop placed in the top left (Woolworth) it could mean that she had stolen from that shop. The photo has a low contrast with quite smooth shades of black and white. The expression on the old woman's face shows hints of anger and frustration as she was not able to get away with her crime.
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Don McCullin
Don McCullin is a British photojournalist who is most recognized for his war photography, mostly for the photos he took in Vietnam. He has specialized his photography in the underside of society. He has received many honors for his work in the field such as a CBE, World Press Photo Award and Cornell Capa Award. Don McCullin takes very powerful images that leave you processioned by him, as he gives you the raw and gritty truth.
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This is a video on Don McCullin and the story of several of his famous photographs. He talks about why he likes to take photo and how they make him feel. It really shows you what it is like to be a photographer and the sacrifices you need to take to be successful.
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Shell-shocked US marine, Hue, Vietnam, February 1968
This is a very famous photo from Vietnam, it shows a terrified soldier who is curled up clinging to his gun. The photo has been framed so the hole photo shows the soldier. His eyes look like they are looking onto the distance for help as he is shell-shocked. The title for this photo is Shell-shocked US marine, Hue, Vietnam, February 1968. This photo shows the effect that war can have on someone. This photo that only depicts the soldier clinging to his gun is just as powerful as one of action and death. This photo remind you how damaging war can be on someone even if they didn't die, many US marines said that the lucky ones where the ones that died early on. The soldiers that survived saw many things that on one should see. The use of black and white adds to the sadness of the scene, as it is like the colour has been drained out of him.
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American troops as the wall goes up, West Berlin,August 1961
This photo shows two soldiers standing tall looking out over the battle ground. The photo has been taken with perspective as the soldier stands tall above Don McCullin and the audience. This gives the soldiers power. It is showing the soldier as a hero, giving his life for the people at home. The photo has a high contrast that gives the photo an strong and ridged look. The photo shows the soldier standing in a window that could of been a house, this shows how war can effect everyone not just the people who hold the guns, but the civilians that are in the battle ground. There homes could be destroyed, family members lost. There lives get turned up side down as they cannot live a normal life anymore. These photos of soldiers are very different to Vivian Maire's photos of soldiers. These photos show them in the battle zone and show the harshness of war and the suffering that it brings to people. However her photo shows that order and traditional values that it brings. The soldiers stand strong as a unit and it shows power and support for there fellow man and country.
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Horror of war: The battle to retake Hue City, 1968
This photo shows a wounded soldier receiving medical care from the medical in his squad. This photo shows the dark side of war and the pain and suffering that it brings. The soldier is laying on the ground, with 2 other soldiers kneeling besides him one who is a medic who is trying to stop the bleeding while the other is guarding him. The soldiers have put down their guns to help their friend. The photo has been framed so the soldiers are the main focus of the frame. The black and white gives the photo a very sad and depressing feeling. The photo has a high contrast which could symbolize the harshness of war.
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The Bogside, Derry, 1971
This photo shows several armed police officers in Ireland running to stop a crime. In the right side of the frame is a young woman in a shop window she is shocked a frightened of the armed police officers running past her shop. The photo only shows the defending side of the fight and does not show the IRA. It shows the soldiers in a positive way as they look as they are prepared to fight the enemy and protect their country. The expression they have on there faces support this. The soldiers are framed in the center of the photo as they are the main focus of the shot.
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Grief And Madness,cyprus 1964
This is a photo of a woman who is in distress, this is because of maybe her son or husband has died in war or has been a civilian casualty. The photo perfectly shows her emotions with her facial expression standing out as it is very powerful and raw. The photo also shows several other people holding her trying to comfort her for her loss. She has been framed into the left side of he photo with the right side taken up by other people crying and feeling the full effect of war. This shows that war does not only effect one person it effect many people and that war is always bad.
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William Klein
William Klein is an American photographer and film maker, he started out taking photos for Vogue and moved to taking street photos. He won the Prix Nadar for a book he made of photographs consisting of his hometown. His photographic approach was considered revolutionary as he did not follow the rules of photography at the time. He was known for using wide-angle and telephoto lens and using such techniques as motion blue and natural lighting. He has been recognized as one of the fathers of modern street photography along side Robert Frank.
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This is a video of William Klein about his life as a photographer and he talks about some of the photos he has taken. It also shows you the process that it takes him to come out with some of the wonderful photographs he has taken and the type of person you have to be to take them. It shows that he is a very brave and social person who gets the photographs because he connect with the people and this allows him to get wonderful and powerful photographs.
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Fifth Avenue Graceline New York 1955
This is a photo taken by William Klein is shows a business man waiting at the kerb of a road waiting to cross the road. He captures the face of the people really well he seams to portray their emotions within the photo. He has captured rush hour with lots for working men featured within the frame. It shows how busy the cities have become and how over populated they have become. Dennis Stock is also another American photographer who documented America in the 1950's his photos are a lot like William Klein's and he also traveled to Paris to take photos of the people that walked the streets like William Klein.
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Vitelloni, 29th Street and Second Avenue 1954-55
This photo shows a small man who is being held up by a drunken man, they both look happy and it does not seem like they are being rude and bullying the small man. The photo has been framed so the subject which are the two men are situated in the center of the frame. The photo has cut off the legs of the men but the small mans feet have not been cut off and it almost looks like he is able to stand on the bottom of the frame. The photo's background shows a Liquor store where the men are coming from. It shows the other side that is not documented of drunken men. Drunken men are usually portrayed as rude and trying to get into fights. But these men as shown as happy and its shows true friendship.
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Harlem, 1955
This photo shows a man that is trying to run away and not get photographed, although he managed to photograph him and capture his expression, which is happiness and playfulness. Although the photo was taken in a bad area with lots of problems it shows how not all people are the same and how you should never judge a book by its cover. The subject has been framed to the right of the frame with the left of the frame being made up of other public members such as the young woman and man. These people are slightly blurry but the subject is very sharp and in focus.
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Gun 1, New York, 1986
This photo shows two young boys who are very different, one of them hold a gun and look very angry and upset while the other is calm and collected. William Klein says that this photo is like a self-portrait. He says that many of the photos he took where almost like self portraits as they portray how he used to act or how he acts and feels. The photo has focused on the boys face and as he has used a lower aperture the gun is out of focus. This pulls emphasis away from the gun and onto the boys facial expression. The photo could be like the angle and devil inside your head, on the left there is the angry "Devil" and on the right there is the calm "Angle". In the time when this photo was taken many boys played with guns on the streets, william was able to capture them playing and acting. The photo has been framed with the to boys standing on the two vertical lines when you place the rule of thirds quadrant onto of the photo.
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4 Heads, New York, 1955
This is another photo taken in New York, it shows the diversity of the place with all different people being included in the photo. It has been framed so you only get to see there faces. This puts emphasis on the fact that they are all different and New York is multicultural. The photo has been framed so that each face takes up a corner of the photo this shows that we are all the same and their should be no hate against other races. The photo has very little negative space so the audience is forced to look at the facial expressions for the subjects. As they are very close together it also shows how busy the city is and how there is very little space.
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Conclusion
This exhibition has brought together three brilliant street photographers. They are all very similar in the way that they document the environment that they live in and the people they interact and live around. They all walk around there local streets to capture the local community within the busy city life. Vivian Maier’s was a very strange and withdrawn woman who taught herself photography, she may not have known her talent and it is certain that other people around her didn't know. She spent most of her money on storage for her exposed film and buying new cameras and film. Don McCullin has been a house hold name for almost 3 decades, he is best known for his war photography. He captured the horrors of war to not only the soldiers but also the families and civilians that it affected. He captured the moments of pure pain and suffering that no one should have to face. However he started out as a street photographer, he walked around documenting the events that he and his friends got into. He then went on to document homeless people such as the photo of “homeless Irish man”. William Klein is an all round photographer who has been involved in fashion and documentary photography, he is very skilled and is brilliant at framing a scene quickly. These photographers are fairly similar as they all work in black and white film (35mm and 120mm) and they all have the same documentary style. They all like to take picture of ordinary people who aren’t famous. They find the ordinary man a more appealing subject, as “he” is unpredictable.
Bibliography
Websites:
Independent.co.uk
Theguardian.com
Tate.org
Telegraph.co.ukVivianmaier.com
Wikipedia.com
Youtube.com (/watch?v=nNeVZjMVn0o&safe=active and /watch?v=X4wieOa_Kog)
Books:
Don McCullin: The Impossible Peace: From War Photographs to Landscapes, 1958-2011
Vivian Maier, Photographer Exhibition Catalog Book (2nd Edition)
Independent.co.uk
Theguardian.com
Tate.org
Telegraph.co.ukVivianmaier.com
Wikipedia.com
Youtube.com (/watch?v=nNeVZjMVn0o&safe=active and /watch?v=X4wieOa_Kog)
Books:
Don McCullin: The Impossible Peace: From War Photographs to Landscapes, 1958-2011
Vivian Maier, Photographer Exhibition Catalog Book (2nd Edition)