London 61 1952 - 1953

Robert Frank's 'London 61' is, like, a document of photographic thought. It is literally his thinking, and it shows how he’s going about his process! I can imagine him in the darkroom, editing, cutting, and marking the filmstrips with red pencil. He's putting his finger on an image, judging it, picking favorites, and making decisions as he builds a narrative from a roll of film. The guy is thinking about what he wants to show, what to leave out, and how to compose. It's also about capturing life, like a fleeting moment on a London street. You see that frame with the child and the dad? You feel the energy in that image, and the softness. And then the next frame is, pow, a completely different scene. It feels like a dance—one image talking to another. It's like a painter deciding how to use color, line, and form—each choice shapes the story. It's so cool how artists, no matter the medium, are constantly in conversation, remixing ideas. It's a reminder that art's not about having all the answers, but about asking the right questions.