Family and Ben Schultz--Southampton no number 1954

This is Robert Frank’s “Family and Ben Schultz--Southampton no number”, a series of photographs on one sheet, probably from the middle of the last century. It's all black and white. The film strip shows us a family relaxing in their garden, kids playing, typical scenes. Looking at the image now, it's clear that Frank, like any good artist, was feeling his way, searching. What was it like for him, watching, waiting, and snapping away? There's something about the light, the casual poses, that feels so real, so unposed. It’s hard to put my finger on why, but this makes me think about other photography projects, like Larry Sultan's "Pictures From Home," where he photographed his parents in California. Both projects have that same voyeuristic quality, a sense of intimacy and distance all at once. Maybe that's what photography is all about: capturing a moment, a feeling, and freezing it in time. These artists are all connected, working through similar themes and ideas, building on each other's creativity.