Street photography and videography in a most general sense is about capturing candid moments in time. It becomes about capturing the ephemeral in order to express the spirit of humanity and those who occupy the space. In general street photography is defined by its lack of defining characteristics. While there are quite a few artists who focus on street photography and videography, there are three, 1 filmmaker and two photographers, that begin to stand out based on the works they are creating.
Tim Sessler
Tim Sessler is a German born filmmaker working in New York City. In his works he seeks to tell the stories of people and places in visual and engaging ways (Sessler). While he uses stabilizing equipment to get his shots his goal is also to not allow the final product to become to sterile while also testing the limits of the equipment (Brooklyn Aerials). His storytelling is seen through two of his works WOLAKOTA (fig. 1) and MOMENTS // NEW YORK CITY (fig. 2).
The term Wolakota stands for the Lakota’s sacred way of life and stands for “peace, harmony, good relationship and respect between human beings and all forms of life” (Sessler). By using this term and juxtaposing the imagery from the Lakota reservation and New York City, Sessler is contrasting two stories that would fit this same way of life.
In MOMENTS // NEW YORK CITY, Sessler wanted to capture the lives of everyday people in New York city along with how “awesome and inspirational” the city is (Sessler). In a sense, Sessler wanted to make the everyday extraordinary through this street videography in New York.
Phil Penman
Phil Penman is a noted British born photographer working in New York City. His work seeks to show the various kinds of people in the city and capture the emotions around him in order to force the viewer to reconsider their perspective of the world (Photolemur). His work currently is showing the juxtaposition that is New York currently with the influx of the super-rich forcing those with less money out (Photolemur). This juxtaposition becomes clear through two of his pieces, DRUNK IN MIDTOWN, NEW YORK, 2018 (fig. 3)and DOWNTOWN GRAFFITI, NEW YORK, 2011 (fig. 4).
The image DRUNK… shows a woman in Midtown Manhattan who is displeased with something and needs to get her fix (fig 3). This image is not something that a tourist bureau or city government would want out about their city, but the image depicts the reality of some individuals there.
The image DOWNTOWN… also shows a large juxtaposition that Penman captures in his work. In the background of this image there is construction going on for a new building and there are these pristine other structures, but in the foreground, there is a mass of buildings that aren’t particularly clean and are covered in graffiti (fig 4). This image captures the reality of the city not just the pristine marketing front.
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus is a noted street photographer from the twentieth century. She produced work where she depicted the lives of those who lived outside of society’s norms (MoMA). Additionally, when taking street portraiture, Arbus befriended her subjects instead of objectifying them, which resulted in intensely powerful works (MoMA). Two of her more important works are Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967 (fig. 5) and A young man in curlers dressing for an annual drag ball N.Y.C. 1966 (fig. 6).
Identical Twins… notably has important implications, which further adds to the uncanny nature of this photo. Even though these two young girls are physically almost the exact same there are little details that show the viewer glimpses of their differing personalities. For example, one is smiling and slightly forward while the other is slightly farther back and frowning (fig 5).
A
Young man… also has important conceptual implications in her work as a
whole. It depicts an individual who is openly defying societal norms during a
time when norms were conformity was preferred above all else.
Figures
Figure 1. Tim Sessler, WOLAKOTA, 2019.
Figure 2. Tim Sessler, MOMENTS // NEW YORK CITY, 2015.
Figure 3.Phil Penman, DRUNK IN MIDTOWN, NEW YORK, 2018.
Figure 4. Phil Penman, DOWNTOWN GRAFFITI, NEW YORK, 2011.
Figure 5. Diane Arbus, Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967, The Art Institute of Chicago.
Figure 6. Diane Arbus, A
young man in curlers dressing for an annual drag ball N.Y.C. 1966, HarvardArt Museum.
Works Cited
Arbus, Diane. A young man in curlers dressing for an annual drag ball N.Y.C. 1966, HarvardArt Museum. https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/286038?position=0
– – –. Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967, The Art Institute of Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/67958/identical-twins-roselle-n-j
Brooklyn Aerials. Blog. http://www.brooklynaerials.com/blog
MoMA. “Diane Arbus”. n.d. https://www.moma.org/artists/208
Penman, Phil. DRUNK IN MIDTOWN, NEW YORK, 2018. https://www.philpenman.com/artworks/11-phil-penman-drunk-in-midtown-new-york-2018/
– – –. DOWNTOWN GRAFFITI, NEW YORK, 2011. https://www.philpenman.com/artworks/categories/2/25-phil-penman-downtown-graffiti-new-york-2011/
Photolemur. “Photographing Everlasting Diversity of New York City with Phil Penman.” https://photolemur.com/blog/photographing-new-york-city-with-phil-penman
WOLAKOTA, Vimeo, uploaded by Tim Sessler, 2019. https://vimeo.com/315586873