In the 1930s Kodak invented the 35mm film format, which gave rise to smaller cameras, that allowed people to shoot from the hip and take many photographs without having to change film. This revolution gave rise to the street photographer and arguably the first and most successful was Henri Carier Bresson. Cartier Bresson chased the decisive moment and spawn further famous street photographers, such as Garry Winogrand, William Klein, Robert Frank, Joel Mayrowitz and William Eggleston.
Prior to the invention of 35mm rollfilm, cameras were huge and unwieldy. They were usually 4x5 plate and press cameras, and it was difficult to capture moments without blurring subjects. However, the Now York photographer known a Wegee The Famous managed to use a Speed Graphic 4x5 press camera to amazing effect. Weegee is famous for capturing crime scenes in New York City as they happened, he owned a police radio and had a gift for always being at the right moment at the right time. As a photo-journalist he became legend.
Due to this new smaller format and smaller cameras, many young photographers began to to use the street as a source of inspiration. The images they produced were hip, challenging and sometimes very dark and disturbing. Henri Carier Bresson could be considered the first to really utilize this new format, and is now considered to me the godfather of street photography.
Robert Frank produced a seminal photo-book titled "The Americans". He took a road trip across America to document and photograph the country and its culture. The finished work was less than favorable portraits of US culture. Symbolism is carefully woven into his photographs, such as crosses and American flags, and the book tells a story about juke-boxes, cigars, Diners, Gas Stations and Americana. The book did not do well, as Frank was Swiss and many considered his view of America insulting. But the book has since become one of the most important photo-books ever produced.
In the 1960s William Klein began shooting the streets of New York with a high level of energy and exuberance. His photographs are shot off the hip and are often quite disturbing, with motion blur that created meaning and feeling in the photographs. At the same time Garry Winogrand was also shooting the streets of New York, and he produced some of his most famous work in the zoos of Central Park and The Bronx.
Street photographers from the 1930s to the 1960s shot on black and white film; color was not considered to be artistic as it belonged to the commercial world and the "amateur" snapshot. However; during the 1970s photographers began using color to express themselves.
Joel Mayrowitz was a pioneer in the art of color street photography. As a photographer Mayrowitz appreciates the power of the medium and its ability to capture life on the street in all its detail. He considered color to a be a truer representation of this. He not only shot off the hip with a 35mm Leica, he also used to employ a 8x10 inch view camera that could capture the finest detail.
William Eggleston created color photographs of the Southern USA, and photographed what would normally be considered bland and uninteresting everyday objects and scenes in an incredibly beautiful way. Eggleston stated that he was "at war with the obvious"; his photographs are difficult to explain but are aesthetically so beautiful that they can simply be called art. Eggleston is though to be among the best and famous street photographers.
Prior to the invention of 35mm rollfilm, cameras were huge and unwieldy. They were usually 4x5 plate and press cameras, and it was difficult to capture moments without blurring subjects. However, the Now York photographer known a Wegee The Famous managed to use a Speed Graphic 4x5 press camera to amazing effect. Weegee is famous for capturing crime scenes in New York City as they happened, he owned a police radio and had a gift for always being at the right moment at the right time. As a photo-journalist he became legend.
Due to this new smaller format and smaller cameras, many young photographers began to to use the street as a source of inspiration. The images they produced were hip, challenging and sometimes very dark and disturbing. Henri Carier Bresson could be considered the first to really utilize this new format, and is now considered to me the godfather of street photography.
Robert Frank produced a seminal photo-book titled "The Americans". He took a road trip across America to document and photograph the country and its culture. The finished work was less than favorable portraits of US culture. Symbolism is carefully woven into his photographs, such as crosses and American flags, and the book tells a story about juke-boxes, cigars, Diners, Gas Stations and Americana. The book did not do well, as Frank was Swiss and many considered his view of America insulting. But the book has since become one of the most important photo-books ever produced.
In the 1960s William Klein began shooting the streets of New York with a high level of energy and exuberance. His photographs are shot off the hip and are often quite disturbing, with motion blur that created meaning and feeling in the photographs. At the same time Garry Winogrand was also shooting the streets of New York, and he produced some of his most famous work in the zoos of Central Park and The Bronx.
Street photographers from the 1930s to the 1960s shot on black and white film; color was not considered to be artistic as it belonged to the commercial world and the "amateur" snapshot. However; during the 1970s photographers began using color to express themselves.
Joel Mayrowitz was a pioneer in the art of color street photography. As a photographer Mayrowitz appreciates the power of the medium and its ability to capture life on the street in all its detail. He considered color to a be a truer representation of this. He not only shot off the hip with a 35mm Leica, he also used to employ a 8x10 inch view camera that could capture the finest detail.
William Eggleston created color photographs of the Southern USA, and photographed what would normally be considered bland and uninteresting everyday objects and scenes in an incredibly beautiful way. Eggleston stated that he was "at war with the obvious"; his photographs are difficult to explain but are aesthetically so beautiful that they can simply be called art. Eggleston is though to be among the best and famous street photographers.
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