Children playing--San Francisco 1956

Robert Frank captured these children playing in San Francisco with his camera. I wonder what it was like for him, framing this moment through the lens. Look at the way these children run, full of energy and life, straight into the unknown! Each one is on their own private mission. In the background, the landscape of San Francisco sprawls, a mix of urban grit and industrial architecture, a world away from the children in their own sphere of play. The composition, with its high vantage point, flattens the scene, almost like a stage, where these kids are the main actors. Frank's earlier photographs echo the spirit of the street photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson, a sensibility for capturing ‘the decisive moment.’ However, Frank had his own vision, one less romantic and more aligned to documentary realism. The frame feels like a snapshot, imperfect and real. I want to look closer and longer. It makes me want to pick up my own camera or sketchbook and dive into the chaos of life, searching for something real.