Untitled 1960

Garry Winogrand snapped this gelatin silver print, Untitled, sometime during his lifetime. It's like a stage set, isn't it? You've got these looming architectural windows, these anonymous figures milling about, and a truck parked smack in the middle. I wonder what it was like to be Winogrand, prowling the streets, camera in hand, always ready to frame the next shot? There's a real weight and darkness in this image – a stark contrast between light and shadow. The grainy texture of the print adds to this overall feeling. Look at how Winogrand plays with depth and compression. Those windows seem to flatten against the figures, creating this claustrophobic feeling. There's an improvisational quality to it, a sense of being caught in the moment. Winogrand and photographers such as Helen Levitt and Robert Frank were all capturing that same fleeting quality of life. It is an ongoing conversation, each artist riffing off what came before, pushing the boundaries of what photography can do.