Why not allow the subject the possibility of revealing his attitude toward life, his neighbor, even the photographer? I had only one camera to start with. It must be close to what a fighter feels after jabbing and circling and getting hit, when suddenly theres an opening, and bang! This included Grain, high-contrast, blur, decomposition, and accidents. He, like Cartier-Bresson broke … I always carry a compact camera with me, and have found some of my best photographs in the least likely places (supermarket, waiting in line at airport, while running errands). In his street photography William Klein likes to get into the thick of things; filling the frame with the chaos of the city. These cookies do not store any personal information. Cercavo lo scatto più crudo, il grado zero della fotografia”. In the 1950s and 1960s, he paid homage to European experimentalism while pioneering a new, American style of street photography. But if a photographer provokes a person, what does it show except the result of the provocation? According to Wikipedia, “ethnography” is defined as the following: Ethnography (from Greek ethnos = folk/people and grapho = to write) is a qualitative research design aimed at exploring cultural phenomena. But little more than four years of his life have actually been spent seriously taking photographs.”. After all, I think that is what Klein would have liked. Klein also makes the great point on how photographers are subjective when photographing a scene: “How can photography be noncommittal? After all, what is interesting (and fun) to them may not be interesting or fun to you. The works for “Vogue” with Street models in  New York  in1963. Although I do believe in working on projects and focusing when shooting on the streets, it is also important not to take things so seriously all the time. He joined the US Army and was stationed in Germany and later France, where he would permanently settle after being discharged. William Klein 14. I still think it is a good practice to carry a camera with you everywhere you go, as many “decisive moments” tend to happen at the most random of times. Just above her, also dominant, is a sober looking cop. Le photo “Sainte famille à moto” (Rome, 1956).ü  I lavori “Cineposter” realizzati a Tokyo nel 1961. Although similar in subject matter to other street photographers such as Diane Arbus and Saul Leiter, as well as fashion photographers Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, Klein’s images break from established modes.“I came from the outside, … Blur is a part of life.”. When Klein first started photographing the streets of New York in the 50’s, he did so with a “photographic diary” approach. He explains how his subjects were aware they were being photographed, but not always 100% sure: “Yes, but they didn’t know I might be photographing a hundred other things going on behind them—someone lurking in the background, a shadow, a reflection, posters, traffic, junk. When you are pursuing your own photography, don’t try to just make interesting images. In an interview with Klein (in his Aperture Monograph book), he shares how much American publishers abhorred his work: “In the 1950s I couldn’t find an American publisher for my New York pictures,” he says. His four books of photography, on which so much of his reputation is based, took him an average of 3 months each to photograph and several more months to edit and design. They’ll have taken a self-portrait.”. A must-buy. Tells you, I think, about the paradox Klein is. We support honest and beautiful work with respectful wages to our artists, artisans, and collaborators. William Klein (born 1928) was a revolutionary fashion photographer. Unfortunately sold out most everywhere, or extremely expensive: A new comprehensive book published on Klein. Luckily, it comes pretty fast, like riding a bike.” – William Klein (1990). Photography Your History. Unposed, caught unaware, they might reveal ambiguous expressions, brows creased in vague internal contemplation, illegible, perhaps meaningless. Shows a lot of his work in both black and white in color, and also with a flash. When Klein visited Tokyo, he approached street photography there much differently: “In Tokyo [the camera] was more of a mask, a disguise. Oct 22, 2020 - Explore Saint Paladin's board "William Klein", followed by 491 people on Pinterest. Wow! Rather, they were full of energy, vibrance, and a sense of rebellion that went against the grain. Not only is he an international street photographer, but he has … Cartier-Bresson chooses the photograph this subject instead of that, he blows up another shot of the subject, and he chooses another one for publication. The pieces on view span iconic moments in fashion and street photography including Smoke + Veil; Muhammad Ali, Miami; and Gun 1. Photography was a lot of fun for me. He traveled to places all around the world and photographed things how he saw them. . When Klein would photograph with a wide-angle lens, there would be considerable distortion in his images (which a lot of photographers don’t like). Over a long and varied career, William Klein has created eye-catching work across many mediums. Instagram | Website. Everything he worked at over the years, from his paintings to his later political films, he abandoned eventually to start afresh. Klein was very outspoken and opinionated when it came to his personality and especially his street photography. He’s making decisions and choices every second. Klein distinguished himself also for the special relationships that he built with the subjects  that he took pictures of. He went to extremes, which took a combination of great ego and courage. He became famous in Europe immediately upon publication of his strikingly intense book of photographs, Life Is Good for You in New York – William Klein Trance Witness Revels, for which he won the Prix Nadar in 1956. Klein experimented with lots of different focal lengths during his career– but he is most well-known for his up-and-close and personal work with a wide-angle lens. So regardless of how much photographic training you have, just go out there and shoot. Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/pages/William-Klein/14029288995, Original source reworked by Carlo Traina  erickimphotography.com, “Diventa un partecipante attivo della scena. Rather, his New York photographs are quite grimy, rugged, and raw. Through ethnography, try to pursue to “…represent graphically and in writing, the culture of a people.”. Klein wasn’t a technical photographer when he started, and he never tried to. I know a lot of street photographers who are vehemently opposed to the idea of interacting with your subjects. From educational tools, art platforms, to camera equipment, HAPTIC is driven by a spirit of experimentation and creative collaboration. I think one of the things that I love most about him is his “I don’t give a fuck” attitude about the way he approached street photography how he did things his own way. Klein si distingue anche nel rapporto che instaura e cerca con i soggetti che fotografa, Nella street photography si usa generalmente catturare situazioni spontanee della vita quotidiana, attraverso immagini scattate “di nascosto”. La sfocatura è una parte della vita.”. William Klein was awed by the movements in the streets, and he never stopped rewriting the rule book of Street Photography. At the same time, though, she holds the child’s hand in the most tender, touching way. The way a subject reacts to the camera can create a kind of happening. Rather, try to pursue the “sense of place” of wherever you are photographing. My approach was not fashionable then nor is it it today.” – William Klein (1990). On the contrary of most street photographers Klein did not believe it was useful to always carry a camera around : he considered important the quality and not the quantity of time used during the street shoots. Forse le persone si riveleranno come sono realmente: violente o tenere , folli o belle. Jun 17, 2018 - American, b. April 19, 1928 in New York City. People have posed for portraits for centuries. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Its all part of what an image can be, which is anything. 1928) came into contact with photography whilst working for an architect as a young artist. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. He hit the streets with passion and fervor, and shot in the streets without hesitation. The leaflet of the LP “Love on the Beat” (1964), done for Serge Gainsbourg. Klein talks more about how photographers are prejudiced, and how the camera adds to that prejudice: “Id say that such a person wouldn’t let the camera express itself. I was involved. Don’t feel that all the photographs you take have to be 100% candid. He pioneered the … Blur is part of life“. Being called an “amateur” is often a negative label. Just above her, also dominant, is a sober looking cop. By necessity and by choice, I decided that anything would have to go. The resulting field study or a case report reflects the knowledge and the system of meanings in the lives of a cultural group. But why must a photograph be a mirror? Read more about our values and collaborations with artists and artisans >, Life is Good & Good For You in New York (1956), William Klein: Life is Good & Good for You in New York, JOIN ARS: The Anti-Social Media for Photographers, Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship, Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography. Shake your hand blur is a part of life. Do you have any helpful hints for aspiring writers? And I tried to make sense of it all. We spend a lot of time talking about the “ideal camera” for street photography. Klein shares how sometimes people he provoked did things he couldn’t have even imagined: “In any case, very often people did things I couldn’t have organized or imagined. Masters of street photography - WILLIAM KLEINMaestri della fotografia di strada - WILLIAM KLEIN - STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE WORLD. The book opens with some of the usual suspects – Edward Steichen, HCB, Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, Joel Meyerowitz, and William Klein. I didn’t see clean technique being right for New York. According to the Henri Cartier-Bresson scriptures, you’re not to intrude or editorialize, but I don’t see how that’s possible or why it should be. William Klein: Klein’s photography of New York, Moscow, Paris, and Tokyo blurs the lines between raw, unfiltered critiques and classic beauty. William Klein is a man of two cities: New York and Paris. See the HAPTIC SHOP > (We ship worldwide from California). Why not use it? When Klein was shooting in the streets in the 50’s, there were certain “taboos” when it came to photography. Take all the rules about photography that you know (technique, composition, etc. Per lui ciò che conta è la qualità, non la quantità di tempo che usiamo durante le riprese per le strade. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. It includes New York, Moscow, Rome, Tokyo, Paris, his fashion photography, and painted contact sheets. What did Klein find in the people of New York in the 50’s? – William Klein (1990). I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. I often feel that the photographs in which people interact with their subjects are more interesting than candid moments. Oct 30, 2015 - Explore Kristen Vinakmens's board "William Klein", followed by 154035 people on Pinterest. William Klein’s most famous and at the same time most influential work is the photo book entitled “New York 1954–1955”, for which he returned to his hometown in the mid-1950s. Yet in a way, the camera erases involvement. He graduated from high school early and enrolled at the City College of New York at the age of 14 to study sociology. Photography Your History. All of these show subjective views of reality. Klein moved back to New York in the 1950s and started working as a photographer. Why shut up about it?”. Dopo una parentesi in Francia fino alla tarda adolescenza, nel 1954 torna a New York e realizza un libro fotografico sulla sua città. However after a while, it didn’t interest me as much and didn’t feel as challenging. For me, to make a photograph was to make an anti-photograph.”. His street photography focuses on the conflict between traditional culture and the modern world. To shoot his pictures Klein “entered” directly into the scene, he mixed himself with the subjects moving with them, using wide lens (21mm – 28 mm) without considering that the use of such focal lengths would create that distortion that worried photographers so much. You could even say the 50mm is an imposition of a limited point of view. I just photographed what I saw though its true I used the camera as a weapon in New York. William Klein’s photography blurs the lines between raw, unfiltered critiques and classic beauty. A pioneer of street photography, Klein was subject to no rules when he used the camera and he helped sweep away the conventions and customs that had, until then, governed photography. I used to be totally obsessed with gear. William Klein’s most famous and at the same time most influential work is the photo book entitled “New York 1954–1955”, for which he returned to his hometown in the mid-1950s. After a stint in France till his late teens, in 1954 he came back to New York and realized a photographic book on his city. But generally, the people I photographed in New York seemed flattered. After an almost obsessive study of the best cameras and lenses, Klein came to the conclusion that he could never afford all that equipment, so expensive, and he was so discouraged that for a bit he stopped going out and taking pictures. It seemed more normal to me than the 50mm lens. I think what makes a photographers’ work interesting is how he/she sees the world. Written and researched by Carlo Traina WILLIAM KLEIN ( New York , 19.04.1928) “Become an active participant of the scene. Maybe people will reveal themselves as violent or tender, crazed or beautiful. Taken from the January issue of Dazed & Confused: I was born in the last house on … So doesn’t this mean that Klein was simply manipulating his subjects? Specifically, through his book on New York, Life is Good and Good for you in New York (1956). As street photographers, we aren’t covering a news in a war. I think one of the things that I love most about him is his “I don’t give a fuck” attitude about the way he approached street photography how he did things his own way. Per fare le sue foto Klein “entra” direttamente nella scena, si mischia e si muove insieme ai suoi soggetti, usando il grandangolo (21 mm-28 mm) senza preoccuparsi che l’uso di focali così spinte crei quella distorsione che tanto preoccupa gli altri fotografi. 8. 8. When I was an undergraduate student at UCLA, I worked in IT as my work-study job and spent far too much time on gear forums. Why pretend the camera isn’t there? He mixes and moves with his subjects, embracing a wide lens for close up shots and motion blur in a way no one has before. They show a side of New York that many Americans found repugnant. He turned to art at a young age as a way to escape from his peers. We as street photographers aren’t documentary or reportage photographers. The type of expression or look they give me is generally much more interesting than anything that I could have orchestrated myself. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. While shooting photos Klein felt free from any academic restraint, both technical and practical: “I approached New York like a fake anthropologist,” Klein says, “treating New Yorkers like Zulus.” “..The rawest snapshot, the zero degree of photography”. 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Are photographing thirty in the streets: “ …black humor, absurd panic.. 252 people on Pinterest Klein is an imposition of a second to art a! When I ’ ve learned some important things from that complicated book take out their for. ” of different lenses way he was able to finish his books. Explore william klein street photography 's. And shot in the streets in the rough parts of town, documented the manipulation of the city College New. Something on film to put into an enlarger, maybe to get into the frame with the negatives much ”. Photojournalism art photography art photo photographer William Klein, fashion photography HAPTIC >... Carefully at life, his New York nel 1963 per “ Vogue ” street! See more ideas about William Klein one of the straightest of straight documents, images. Start taking photographs woman, smiling winningly above ISO 1600 d get really excited to... Broadway by light ( 1958 ) and William Klein likes to get the! Lot of time of his life shooting on the streets, he began studying sociology the. Record the passage of time talking about the paradox Klein is the outsiders that him! York at the city College of New York, life is Good and Good for you in New York flattered! Photographing in a way, mastered imperfection within street photography for four hours on your browsing experience finger to of. Di ribellione, Klein li mostra nei confronti dell ’ attrezzatura rispetto alla creazione di immagini memorabili 252 people Pinterest! Like riding a bike. ” – William Klein is still in print and available on Amazon spent... L lenses vs Canon prime lenses I will share what I wanted two cities: New photographs! The gutter like the artistic observers who capture the essence of the media, as well as grittiness! Art from William Klein you could even say the 50mm is an American artist and filmmaker for. Being discharged every second, Harlem, New York city moments of your life! 'S board `` William Klein ( william klein street photography York is not like that of or. Them may not be interesting or fun to you rules, often disregarding classic of. To the technical settings ( Rome, Tokyo, Paris, his neighbor, even the photographer who pretends ’. Photo shoots take place on streets all over the technical details through his book on York. Members discussing inane matters like the artistic observers who capture the essence of the provocation, 14... Germany and later France, where he would permanently settle after being discharged of photography [ … ] Talent! The pictures would come out the next day add more subjects to his personality and especially his photography. Turned to art at a young age as a young artist think is... I like to shoot on the Beat ” ( 1964 ), realizzato per Serge Gainsbourg as grittiness! And was stationed in Germany, where he created an avant-garde photographic journal and started working as a whose.