Early Color by Saul Leiter

I am a huge fan of Saul Leiter's work, specifically his Early Color photographs. Leiter made his living as a fashion photographer in the 1950's and 60's but always continued making his own personal work as well. He liked to stroll the streets of New York and capture quiet, solitary moments in the city by observing the urban world without interrupting. He once said, "I spent a great deal of my life being ignored. I was always very happy that way. Being ignored is a great privilege. That is how I think I learned to see what others do not see and to react to situations differently. I simply looked at the world, not really prepared for anything."

His photographs involve innovative compositions, soft focus, reflections, and unexpected viewpoints. He is able to capture still moments in the city that are often overlooked in the chaos of everyday life. His use of fragmentation and reflections creates a depth that the viewer must work through—his photographs are "fragments of endless possibilities." The painterly feel to the images is due both to his formal training as an abstract painter as well as his love for buying expired film that would produce muted color variations within his images.

 

Images via Early Color by Saul Leiter and [Retronaut]

Blizzard of 2011: A Quiet Moment in Times Square

Around this time last year, New York City was buried under 19 inches of snow. During the storm, at about 2am, Steve and I decided to bundle up and venture out with our cameras to explore the empty city. We had a great time although it was quite difficult to keep our lenses clear of melting snowflakes and wet smudges.

Arriving in Times Square, we realized that the average, intelligent person was snuggled up at home, hot cocoa in hand, enjoying the warmth of their apartment. But after taking a moment to look around, we realized that we were sharing the normally bustling commercial intersection with only about seven other people and we were completely mesmerized by the quiet; the stillness; the calm. All of these words that aren't generally associated with the world's most visited tourist attraction. Here are some snippets of our adventure through midtown Manhattan during the blizzard of 2011.

Cindy Sherman @ MOMA

I was super excited to discover that Cindy Sherman's work will be at MOMA starting February 26, 2012 until June 11, 2012. This is an exhibit that should not be missed, she is an amazing photographer.

As described on MOMA's website, Cindy Sherman "is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential artists in contemporary art." What I like most about her is that her work uses the camera as a performative space. She has mastered the art of omitting her self from the scene as she constructs an array of personalities, people, and moments. Even though she is the subject for most of her work, the images are not identified as self-portraits.

Her Untitled Film Stills (some of which will be at MOMA) are some of my favorites. These images are Cindy Sherman's way of telling a story while at the same time allowing you to make up your own narrative. She takes stereotypical feminine norms and breaks them down, showing how identity is malleable by using her self as the subject to create all types of personalities. Her images force the viewer to think about how we construct our own personalities and how we present ourselves to the world.

I'm not exactly sure which photographs will be shown at MOMA, but here are some of my favorite Untitled Film Stills:

 

 Cindy Sherman, Untitled #3, 1977 

 Cindy Sherman, Untitled #6, 1977

 

 Cindy Sherman, Untitled #7, 1978

 

 Cindy Sherman, Untitled #13, 1978

Cindy Sherman, Untitled #54, 1980

 

 Cindy Sherman, Untitled #96, 1981

 Cindy Sherman, Untitled #466, 2008

 

 Cindy Sherman, Untitled #21, 1978

Jeff and his Jaguar

A family friend recently asked me to photograph his Jaguar. The car is freakin' gorgeous and I was excited to get started! Since I really only photograph anything but cars, I worked with Jeff (a serious Jaguar expert and enthusiast) to get some ideas on how to successfully capture the essence of this rad car.

First, he wanted me to highlight some interior and exterior details. I was afraid to even touch the door handle for fear of fingerprints but he kindly told me to just relax (and then followed me around at all times with a rag to wipe the car clean of any smudges).

For lighting, I wanted natural light but I found that at first we were in tree coverage and the light was splotchy, casting some unwanted shadows. So relocation to a parking lot (a great day for a drive with the top down!) and the light was a solid, consistent sunlight that had the car sparkling with pride.

A final tip, make sure there aren't any ugly trees or street lamps or beat up parked cars or piles of dirt in your background—all things that I found appearing in some of the images, ugg. I mean who wants a pile of dirt right next to a dazzling Jag? Regardless, the day was a great success. Thanks to Jeff and his Jag for such a fun day!