Group in theater lobby, movie premiere--Hollywood c. 1955 - 1956

This is Robert Frank’s photograph, "Group in theater lobby, movie premiere - Hollywood." It's a silver gelatin print, that feels very immediate and full of life. The darks and lights are so important here; they pull you into this moment, the drama of an event. Look at the way Frank has captured the faces, some are sharp, some are blurred, some are obscured. It's as if he’s showing us the range of experiences within this one event, this one place. I keep thinking about how a photograph can freeze a moment in time but also suggest so much movement. You see the stairs, the people, and everything feels like it's flowing, even though it’s still. It's like a dance. I'm reminded a little of Garry Winogrand, another street photographer who found beauty in the everyday. But Frank has a particular way of making the ordinary feel extraordinary, full of emotion and stories waiting to be told. It feels so natural, and raw, and full of feeling.