Masters of Photography: Paul Strand

Paul Strand, an American modernist photographer and filmmaker created a new art form during the 20^th century known as photography. He was born in New York City to Bohemian parents and in his teens, was already a well-known and respected documentary photographer. He was very forward-thinking and innovative, taking modernist photographs in urban settings, and also experimenting with abstract photos. He also was involved in a number of social and political causes, using his photography as a propelling tool behind it. He is famous for his self-portraits of New York types; immigrants of all kinds including Irish women, Jewish patriarchs, and old Europeans; famous for photographing them while they aren’t aware to really capture the unglamorous aspects of modern urban context. Strand captured the poignancy of poverty in the great big metropolis and as Sanford Schwartz put it, “cityscapes that have faces for subjects.” His more abstract works necessitated that he looked closely and in depth at “abstract universes” in everyday objects by tilting bowls, rocking chairs and tables, and rotating his photography. This is what made him a unique photographer; he glimpsed into tiny worlds inside seemingly ordinary objects. His style is avant-garde, simplistic black and white. I chose Strand as my photographer because of how he was able to turn something so simple as black and white photography into a beautiful art form. He is an inspiration because he was one of the first leading photographers to establish not only photography as a new art form, but also modernist photography. While working on this project I grew fonder of black and white photography and gained a better understanding of how much gravity and seriousness a simple effect can convey.

The inspiration for this photograph was drawn from Strand's photo titled "The Fence." I added my own experimentation to it by taking the picture at an angle, darkening the background to add to the contrast of the fence. Instead, gritty details are visible and up close.

I took this picture while in Chinatown, San Francisco. Strand's photography captures the poignancy of daily urban life and focused primarily on people as subjects because they absorb the city and assimilate into their immediate environment. Life in the city is momentous and filled with spontaneity as opposed to otherwise monotony.

Strand loved playing around with patterns and abstractions. As you can see, this is an old brick wall. Brick walls have lines that aren't parallel or perfectly equal.

Trees, although not frequent subjects of Strand, were magnificent to capture due to the contrast they give off and the frame to the photo.

I drew inspiration from his famous photo taken on a porch. You could never tell because of how abstract the photo is, which is why I took a picture of a door but positioned it at an angle that would obscure its appearance.

He liked to take pictures of doorways that were either open or gave off a mysterious tone.