"I photograph to find out how something looks photographed"
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
So said Garry Winogrand, whose street photography is just fearless and captures the moment every time. For him there were few rules, there was just the subject and a setting. No story to tell, just an image in time. Some of his photography can be seen here: http://masters-of-photography.com/W/winogrand/winogrand.html.
He sadly died of cancer in 1984 and it is said that he left behind more than 2500 undeveloped rolls of film and over 300,000 unedited images. Clearly the joy for him was in taking the photograph not developing it.
Street photography is all about capturing the moment up close, no telephoto lens, no shallow depth of field, this is "in your face" photography. There is video footage of Winogrand at work on the street walking through crowds of people with camera held in hand eyes moving from side to side searching for the image, capturing it and moving on for the next one before the subject realises what's happened.
I often find myself walking down a street full of people and see scenes that would make a good image, I either don't have my camera or worse still do have my camera but am too self conscious to raise it point it at someone close up and take the picture. It feels like I'm invading someones space by taking their picture. Rarely do people actually object, but you need to be quick and move on.
Some other links about Winogrand worth reading.
Coffee and Workprints by Mason Resnik
Class time with Garry Winogrand by O C Garza
Documentary interviewing Winogrand with video footage
Posted by Gordon at 15:10
I adore Winogrands photographs. And I like his technique a lot. Prefocused wide angle prime lens, f8, walk, shoot, don't stop). I use it myself for street photography and it works perfectly. Winogrand was a genious.