Lesson #1: Our Boy Robert Frank

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography. Frank would
intentionally lose focus, his work was shadowy and grainy, full of
unconventional cropping and angles. He broke the rules in order to
be true to his vision of America he saw in his travels across the
country in 1955 and 1956. He actually went through 810 rolls of
film to get 81 shots for his "The Americas" book. That's ten rolls
of film for every photo selected!

Frank established a new iconography for contemporary America,
comprised of bits of bus depots, lunch counters, strip
developments, empty spaces, cars, and unknowable faces.

Being a good friend of Jack Kerouac, he once picked up a couple
hitchhikers and offered to give them a ride only if they drove his
car and allowed him to take pictures out the window.

Most photojournalism made around the time Frank was photographing
The Americans was optimistic and upbeat, reflecting the attitude of
a prosperous post-war America. Frank's work clashed with the
prevailing trend in photography. In 1958 he wrote:

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I
feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind - something
has been accomplished.

When the Americans was first published abroad and in the U. S., it
was sharply criticized. But the popularization of the beat movement

• the second edition of The Americans featured an introduction by

Jack Kerouac - helped Frank to reach a broader and more accepting
audience.

Frank's once avant-garde style on the 1950's is now taken for
granted. We see it daily in print advertisements for jeans or in
music videos on MTV. But Frank's original photographs are still
extraordinary and surprisingly contemporary.

Here's are a couple links to some of his pictures...

http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/fr1.html

http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mopa.org/pastrobfrank.html

--
Camera Slug
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/cameraslug

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography. Frank would
intentionally lose focus, his work was shadowy and grainy, full of
unconventional cropping and angles. He broke the rules in order to
be true to his vision of America he saw in his travels across the
country in 1955 and 1956. He actually went through 810 rolls of
film to get 81 shots for his "The Americas" book. That's ten rolls
of film for every photo selected!

Frank established a new iconography for contemporary America,
comprised of bits of bus depots, lunch counters, strip
developments, empty spaces, cars, and unknowable faces.

Being a good friend of Jack Kerouac, he once picked up a couple
hitchhikers and offered to give them a ride only if they drove his
car and allowed him to take pictures out the window.

Most photojournalism made around the time Frank was photographing
The Americans was optimistic and upbeat, reflecting the attitude of
a prosperous post-war America. Frank's work clashed with the
prevailing trend in photography. In 1958 he wrote:

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I
feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind - something
has been accomplished.

When the Americans was first published abroad and in the U. S., it
was sharply criticized. But the popularization of the beat movement

• the second edition of The Americans featured an introduction by

Jack Kerouac - helped Frank to reach a broader and more accepting
audience.

Frank's once avant-garde style on the 1950's is now taken for
granted. We see it daily in print advertisements for jeans or in
music videos on MTV. But Frank's original photographs are still
extraordinary and surprisingly contemporary.

Here's are a couple links to some of his pictures...

http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/fr1.html

http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mopa.org/pastrobfrank.html

--
Camera Slug
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/cameraslug

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography. Frank would
intentionally lose focus, his work was shadowy and grainy, full of
unconventional cropping and angles. He broke the rules in order to
be true to his vision of America he saw in his travels across the
country in 1955 and 1956. He actually went through 810 rolls of
film to get 81 shots for his "The Americas" book. That's ten rolls
of film for every photo selected!

Frank established a new iconography for contemporary America,
comprised of bits of bus depots, lunch counters, strip
developments, empty spaces, cars, and unknowable faces.

Being a good friend of Jack Kerouac, he once picked up a couple
hitchhikers and offered to give them a ride only if they drove his
car and allowed him to take pictures out the window.

Most photojournalism made around the time Frank was photographing
The Americans was optimistic and upbeat, reflecting the attitude of
a prosperous post-war America. Frank's work clashed with the
prevailing trend in photography. In 1958 he wrote:

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I
feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind - something
has been accomplished.

When the Americans was first published abroad and in the U. S., it
was sharply criticized. But the popularization of the beat movement

• the second edition of The Americans featured an introduction by

Jack Kerouac - helped Frank to reach a broader and more accepting
audience.

Frank's once avant-garde style on the 1950's is now taken for
granted. We see it daily in print advertisements for jeans or in
music videos on MTV. But Frank's original photographs are still
extraordinary and surprisingly contemporary.

Here's are a couple links to some of his pictures...

http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/fr1.html

http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mopa.org/pastrobfrank.html

--
Camera Slug
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/cameraslug

Click to expand...

Shutter said:

I am actually quite inspired by Frank. His work is an example of
why we need to jump out of our preconceived constructs of how to
critique a photo. If we posted one of those images today on STF it
would be hammered for being too noisy or blurry.

Thanks for moving us that way. And also for the real photo talk.

Jim

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography. Frank would
intentionally lose focus, his work was shadowy and grainy, full of
unconventional cropping and angles. He broke the rules in order to
be true to his vision of America he saw in his travels across the
country in 1955 and 1956. He actually went through 810 rolls of
film to get 81 shots for his "The Americas" book. That's ten rolls
of film for every photo selected!

Frank established a new iconography for contemporary America,
comprised of bits of bus depots, lunch counters, strip
developments, empty spaces, cars, and unknowable faces.

Being a good friend of Jack Kerouac, he once picked up a couple
hitchhikers and offered to give them a ride only if they drove his
car and allowed him to take pictures out the window.

Most photojournalism made around the time Frank was photographing
The Americans was optimistic and upbeat, reflecting the attitude of
a prosperous post-war America. Frank's work clashed with the
prevailing trend in photography. In 1958 he wrote:

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Shutter. said:

Shutter. said:

anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I
feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind - something
has been accomplished.

When the Americans was first published abroad and in the U. S., it
was sharply criticized. But the popularization of the beat movement

• the second edition of The Americans featured an introduction by

Jack Kerouac - helped Frank to reach a broader and more accepting
audience.

Frank's once avant-garde style on the 1950's is now taken for
granted. We see it daily in print advertisements for jeans or in
music videos on MTV. But Frank's original photographs are still
extraordinary and surprisingly contemporary.

Here's are a couple links to some of his pictures...

http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/fr1.html

http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mopa.org/pastrobfrank.html

--
Camera Slug
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/cameraslug

Click to expand...

--
Jim Fuglestad - Stickin' with my 707
Why simply live and let live? Live and help live.
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/galleries

Click to expand...

cUrVe said:

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography. Frank would
intentionally lose focus, his work was shadowy and grainy, full of
unconventional cropping and angles. He broke the rules in order to
be true to his vision of America he saw in his travels across the
country in 1955 and 1956. He actually went through 810 rolls of
film to get 81 shots for his "The Americas" book. That's ten rolls
of film for every photo selected!

Frank established a new iconography for contemporary America,
comprised of bits of bus depots, lunch counters, strip
developments, empty spaces, cars, and unknowable faces.

Being a good friend of Jack Kerouac, he once picked up a couple
hitchhikers and offered to give them a ride only if they drove his
car and allowed him to take pictures out the window.

Most photojournalism made around the time Frank was photographing
The Americans was optimistic and upbeat, reflecting the attitude of
a prosperous post-war America. Frank's work clashed with the
prevailing trend in photography. In 1958 he wrote:

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

cUrVe said:

cUrVe said:

anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I
feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind - something
has been accomplished.

When the Americans was first published abroad and in the U. S., it
was sharply criticized. But the popularization of the beat movement

• the second edition of The Americans featured an introduction by

Jack Kerouac - helped Frank to reach a broader and more accepting
audience.

Frank's once avant-garde style on the 1950's is now taken for
granted. We see it daily in print advertisements for jeans or in
music videos on MTV. But Frank's original photographs are still
extraordinary and surprisingly contemporary.

Here's are a couple links to some of his pictures...

http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/fr1.html

http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mopa.org/pastrobfrank.html

--
Camera Slug
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/cameraslug

Click to expand...

--
cUrVe (n. from the latin curvus, meaning bent)
... it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.
http://homepage.mac.com/curve

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography.

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

He just kind of portrayed them "being". I think that's what's interesting.

Click to expand...

elamont said:

Camera Slug said:

He just kind of portrayed them "being". I think that's what's interesting.

Click to expand...

--
Eric
DSC-F717
http://www.pbase.com/elamont
http://www.thedigitalgalleries.com/ (a work in progress)

Click to expand...

Shutter said:

I am actually quite inspired by Frank. His work is an example of
why we need to jump out of our preconceived constructs of how to
critique a photo. If we posted one of those images today on STF it
would be hammered for being too noisy or blurry.

Thanks for moving us that way. And also for the real photo talk.

Jim

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography. Frank would
intentionally lose focus, his work was shadowy and grainy, full of
unconventional cropping and angles. He broke the rules in order to
be true to his vision of America he saw in his travels across the
country in 1955 and 1956. He actually went through 810 rolls of
film to get 81 shots for his "The Americas" book. That's ten rolls
of film for every photo selected!

Frank established a new iconography for contemporary America,
comprised of bits of bus depots, lunch counters, strip
developments, empty spaces, cars, and unknowable faces.

Being a good friend of Jack Kerouac, he once picked up a couple
hitchhikers and offered to give them a ride only if they drove his
car and allowed him to take pictures out the window.

Most photojournalism made around the time Frank was photographing
The Americans was optimistic and upbeat, reflecting the attitude of
a prosperous post-war America. Frank's work clashed with the
prevailing trend in photography. In 1958 he wrote:

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Shutter. said:

Shutter. said:

anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I
feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind - something
has been accomplished.

When the Americans was first published abroad and in the U. S., it
was sharply criticized. But the popularization of the beat movement

• the second edition of The Americans featured an introduction by

Jack Kerouac - helped Frank to reach a broader and more accepting
audience.

Frank's once avant-garde style on the 1950's is now taken for
granted. We see it daily in print advertisements for jeans or in
music videos on MTV. But Frank's original photographs are still
extraordinary and surprisingly contemporary.

Here's are a couple links to some of his pictures...

http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/fr1.html

http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mopa.org/pastrobfrank.html

--
Camera Slug
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/cameraslug

Click to expand...

--
Jim Fuglestad - Stickin' with my 707
Why simply live and let live? Live and help live.
http://www.pbase.com/jfuglestad/galleries

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

Frank's pictures broke all the rules of photography. Frank would
intentionally lose focus, his work was shadowy and grainy, full of
unconventional cropping and angles. He broke the rules in order to
be true to his vision of America he saw in his travels across the
country in 1955 and 1956. He actually went through 810 rolls of
film to get 81 shots for his "The Americas" book. That's ten rolls
of film for every photo selected!

Frank established a new iconography for contemporary America,
comprised of bits of bus depots, lunch counters, strip
developments, empty spaces, cars, and unknowable faces.

Being a good friend of Jack Kerouac, he once picked up a couple
hitchhikers and offered to give them a ride only if they drove his
car and allowed him to take pictures out the window.

Most photojournalism made around the time Frank was photographing
The Americans was optimistic and upbeat, reflecting the attitude of
a prosperous post-war America. Frank's work clashed with the
prevailing trend in photography. In 1958 he wrote:

Click to expand...

Camera Slug said:

anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I
feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind - something
has been accomplished.

When the Americans was first published abroad and in the U. S., it
was sharply criticized. But the popularization of the beat movement

• the second edition of The Americans featured an introduction by

Jack Kerouac - helped Frank to reach a broader and more accepting
audience.

Frank's once avant-garde style on the 1950's is now taken for
granted. We see it daily in print advertisements for jeans or in
music videos on MTV. But Frank's original photographs are still
extraordinary and surprisingly contemporary.

Here's are a couple links to some of his pictures...

http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/r66/fr1.html

http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mopa.org/pastrobfrank.html

--
Camera Slug
Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/cameraslug

Click to expand...