New York 1963

Charles Pratt made this photograph, New York, using light and shadow to capture a sense of urban architecture and human presence. You can almost feel the grainy texture of the photographic paper, a tactile echo of the city's surfaces. I wonder what Pratt was thinking, standing there, framing the shot. Did he wait for the figures to walk into the scene, or was it a happy accident? Those men with their hats remind me of Weegee's street photography and that whole mid-century vibe of capturing the city's raw energy. Look how the building looms, a silent giant, while the people become almost like fleeting marks, like brushstrokes in a painting, they’re part of the composition, but also separate, each with their own trajectory, yet all held together in Pratt’s decisive moment.