Florida 18 1958

Robert Frank made this photographic contact sheet, ‘Florida 18’, sometime in the mid-20th century. Look at the range of images and how they sit together; driving shots, roadside scenes, and then a gathering at night. It’s like a visual diary, an accumulation of moments. What strikes me is the raw, unfiltered quality. The texture of the film, the graininess, it’s all so present. It’s not about perfection, it’s about capturing the feeling. Notice the way the light flares in some of the frames, almost obscuring the image. It’s like memory itself, fragmented and imperfect. Think of someone like Garry Winogrand, another street photographer, but Frank has a starkness that feels unique, maybe because he's a European looking at America. It's a reminder that art is a conversation, a layering of perspectives and experiences.