Seeing With Winogrand

Garry Winogrand (American, 1928–1984). New York World's Fair, 1964. Gelatin silver print. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Gift of Dr. L.F. Peede. Jr.

«There is no doubt that photography deserves to be considered an art form. Just like painting, sculpture, and countless other media, it dares you as a photographer to see things in ways no one has before. It allows you to be unique and capture life around you. Artists were doing this for centuries before the first camera was even invented. However, with the advent of photography, for the first time moments could be captured in a flash. A subject did not need to hold still for a painter or pose endlessly for a sculptor. Photography broke down the facade and revealed moments of life more accurately than ever before. Garry Winogrand was able to show this through thousands of his candid street shots. Most people did not realize that they were being photographed, showing real expressions instead of posing with a phony smile.»

In a single snap, shown above, Winogrand showcased the emotions of six women. Your eye travels over each pair of crossed legs, following the tilt of the sidewalk edge. The women are seemingly oblivious to the other conversations around them. Even though they are all sitting on the same bench, they are each immersed in their own conversations and actions. One woman on the far left has her mouth open and her hand up, probably in a state of disbelief as she talks to her companion, who looks as if he's more interested in her assets than the words coming out of her mouth.

On her other side, one woman is holding her friend, while another whispers something in her ear. Is she wearing a concerned look because Tim is leaving Lucy, or does her friend notice the man photographing them? A pair of women sit next to them, looking to their left as someone presumably approaches. One seems to primp her hair while the other lowers her glasses. Is she checking someone out or simply looking at the newspaper headline the man is reading next to her? We don't know. We don't know who these women are and why they are acting in these ways. What we do know is what they are doing in that exact moment, and that is the beauty of it.

Marina, Untitled, 2014

I shot this photograph of a bride and groom I came across in Central Park. I love capturing the emotions of couples because they are so engrossed with each other. Later, when I was reviewing my photos from the day, I was reminded of how Winogrand was able to increase the tension in the photograph of the women at the World's Fair with a subtle tilt of his lens. I then tilted the photo of the bride and groom, which added drama and made it distinct from traditional wedding photos. Like Winogrand, I wanted to capture the candid, real moments of life instead of smiley subjects posing for the camera.

Photography is an art that is unique to you. I know I am never going to "see" like Winogrand; we are different people, with different eyes. No one else can see through your eyes and see what you see the way you see it, because every eye is unique. Winogrand's work inspires me to capture moments the way I see them.