Paris 8 1960

This is 'Paris 8' by Robert Frank, and it's a photographic contact sheet, likely made around the time he was living in Paris. What strikes me first is the grittiness, the stark blacks and whites. It's not about perfect clarity; it's about the immediacy of the moment. Looking closely, you can see the texture of the film, the graininess that gives the images a raw, almost tactile quality. Notice how some frames are overexposed, almost blindingly bright, while others are submerged in deep shadow. It's a reminder that photography, like painting, is a process of addition and subtraction, of light and dark, push and pull. Take a look at the bottom left, there is a tree caught in multiple frames, blurred, almost abstract. It reminds me of the Futurists, but in a much more punk, rough and ready kind of way. Thinking about other photographers, someone like William Klein comes to mind, capturing the chaos and energy of urban life with a similar sense of urgency and freedom. But, Frank has this unique way of turning the everyday into something poetic, something almost heartbreakingly beautiful.