11th Street story 29 1951

Robert Frank made this work – 11th Street story 29 – using gelatin silver print; it’s a contact sheet showing many images, little windows into a world. I love how Frank gives us the evidence of his process, the cutting and trying, the selecting. This reminds me of film editing, but it’s photography, and each frame feels like a still from a movie that never happened. The dark, inky blacks and soft grays create such a strong contrast. You can almost feel the gritty streets of New York. I wonder what he was thinking as he walked around with his camera? Which stories he was trying to tell? I admire his eye for the everyday, for the overlooked moments that somehow capture the essence of life. It’s a reminder that art can be found anywhere if you’re willing to look closely.