Masters Of The Street

Street photography is all the rage these days, has been for quite some years now, which is pretty damn amazing in and of itself! It's exploded in the digital era, and has never been abandoned by its analog champions. And despite the changes and improvements in technology, despite the plethora of current practitioners (some of whom are quite good indeed)- there doesn't seem to be any patently new ways of seeing or approaching the genre, no new masters so to speak. Its major grammar was written decades ago, and sure, several players have tweaked, modified and refined the vocabulary to incredible degrees- as does follow any other art form. Guess you could say there's no new way of making bread either... and to this day, most of it just passes too, while a scant few loaves are just so-damn-good!

It's not for naught that The Masters are forever remembered and acclaimed for first establishing the very grammar that so many acolytes would hone and practice for decades to come: Frank, for his sense of spontaneity, immediacy and snapshot aesthetic- all roads here lead to him; Friedlander, for creating meaningful compositions from balancing seemingly chaotic and competing elements within the viewfinder (and to a lesser extent, Klein who also did the latter, if only with people); Winogrand, who danced so deftly, stealing the indecisive moments that so fleetingly revealed so much of everyday, human interaction; and Meyerowitz, who dared the element and reality of... color!

I suppose one could also throw down Cohen, for excluding as much as he included, adding that sense of mystery; Erwitt for his continued attention to humor, and Gilden for making it all so up close, in your face and personal. 

I haven't added links- most of you are familiar with the names... and those who ain't- I'll allow you the pleasure and delight of searching and discovering them for yourselves!