04.08.2010 | 02:34 PM •
The photographer who took some of the most
influential photographs of the 20th Century (and made
the word Leica a household name) is having a giant
posthumous retrospective at
MOMA. This photo, taken in
April of 1945, though less artful and more
strictly photojournalistic, is one which has
always resonated with me. Besides the explosive
emotion, there’s a novel’s worth of content
which can be extrapolated from the scene. For
those of us who were schooled in the decisive
moment street photography aesthetic, HCB is a
god. His genius was not only in his timing, but
in his distance. Asked once about what inspired
him to trip the shutter when he did, he said,
I’m paraphrasing,
“La géometrie.” True,
but like Bach who pretended that all his
compositions were nothing more than mathematical
variations, form is clearly married to passion
throughout HCB’s work. What makes the show,
which opens Sunday, a real treat is that many
never before seen photos will be on view, some
of which are included on the
HCB, The Modern
Century’s web
preview.
04.06.2010 | 11:52 PM •
This amorous couple actually shouted at me to come
take their picture. A rare event. Of course I
complied.
01.17.2010 | 11:03 PM •

A rainy day makes for an empty Highline, except for a
few couples.
11.10.2009 | 10:03 PM •
The above photo was taken in 1991 in the Bronx by New
York Times staff reporter Angel Franco. Composed with
the urban blight in the background, this Halloween
picture of Guisette Muniz, then 6, elicited an
outpouring of Times' readers emotions (and gifts).
Readers interpreted Muniz's expression to be sad,
vulnerable, and worthy of pity, when in reality she
was scared--not of the desolate neighborhood--but of
her uncle who was inside the apartment in a
frightening Chuckie costume. Read more about this
photo in the Times
here. This also fits nicely
with Errol Morris' series in the Op-Ed webpages
on propaganda and photography, a fascinating
read
here. The subject of how
photographers compose, put frames around what
they see, is worthy of many books of essays.
Context is everything.
10.17.2009 | 11:38 PM •
Thousands of Harleys descended on Daytona to
celebrate Bike Week.

10.14.2009 | 09:45 PM •

Biking around the streets near ACA, I felt like I'd
entered a William Eggleston documentary.
10.06.2009 | 10:52 PM •
A stray cat drinking from a street puddle on Locust
Street.
03.08.2008 | 09:44 PM •
Framing—what else is street photography about?
Windows within windows. Rectangles within rectangles.
A grid of views. A bento box of subjects.
Raghubir Singh, who took the above picture, is my
favorite Indian photographer. He made a great book of
pictures called
A Way into India,
which featured the Ambassador, India's
ubiquitous version of the VW, as object and
frame for his peregrinations through his
colorful homeland. Check out some of his
pictures
here.