Carnival--Utah or Idaho 1956

Robert Frank probably shot this photograph with a small camera somewhere in either Utah or Idaho. The black and white image has a quality of light that feels very much of its time. I imagine Robert Frank wandering through the carnival, a small camera in his hand. He's looking for something that speaks to him, maybe a feeling, or a mood. And then he sees this couple, the girl clutching a teddy bear, standing in front of a brightly lit food stall. He raises his camera, quickly composes the shot, and clicks. I love the contrast between the dark foreground and the bright background, the expressions on the faces of the people, and the way the teddy bear softens the scene. It's a simple image, but it's full of emotion. It’s a bit like a painting by someone like Edward Hopper, where the mundane is given a kind of iconic, symbolic importance. It's all about feeling! I bet Frank loved those painters too.