Children and family 2 1951

Robert Frank made this photograph, "Children and family 2," probably sometime in the mid-20th century, using black and white film. You know, looking at the sequential images on the film strip, it’s almost like watching time unfold, a kind of dance between light and shadow. The images are raw and full of contrast. The texture of the film grain is visible, giving the photo a gritty, almost documentary feel. It’s not just about capturing a moment; it’s about capturing a feeling, an atmosphere. There’s one particular shot, where you can see a group of kids and adults looking at the camera, they look kind of unsure. In the images of the baby, you can sense Frank is interested in the beauty of something still unformed. Frank reminds me a little of Garry Winogrand. They both had this knack for finding beauty in the everyday. But where Winogrand was frenetic, Frank seems more quiet, almost meditative. For Frank, photography was clearly about more than just what's in front of the lens; it was a way of seeing the world, of feeling it.