Research

I chose to research Saul when I came across the phrase ‘Instinctively for him, colour was the picture.’ (The Photographers’ Gallery, 2016).  This is a phrase I would not have expected to see in an article about street photography and so it caught my attention.   My work on this course is all about exploration and pushing new boundaries and the idea of capturing street scenes therefore intrigues me.

Searching for Leiter’s work reveals that his most commonly referred to collection of work is called “Early Colour”.  Reviewing the images shows that although colour is used, he has carefully selected images so that they create a cohesive set even with the colours used.   ‘Meticulously printed, his pictures use muted colors…that help tamp down the volume and motion of frenetic city streets. His prism tempers the more anxious, acerbic portrayal of city life offered by his peers’ (Howardgreenberg.com, 2014).

In much the same way as the content of a collection of images needs to have something making them cohesive and congruent, Saul has shown that the same can be achieved through a cohesive selection of colour, and particularly, an elimination of any other colours.

Early Colour

I have chosen a three images here that make this point but there are many more in the collection.  Even when the scene itself has become more abstract that might otherwise be possible to achieve in black and white, the consistent nature of the colours means that images still feel like they are part of the same set.  There is a very consistent usage of red and yellow, with both being close to the same shades across the set.  It is easy to say where the initial phrase that attracted me ‘colour was the picture’ (The Photographers’ Gallery, 2016) comes from.

Learning

I am still very early in my studies but I am increasingly learning the importance of cohesion and the editing process.

• Cohesion is what creates a natural grouping of images, this can be the subject, the colour, the storyline or other things, but the cohesion is vital.
• Editing plays a significant part in obtaining the cohesion, it also needs to consider interest value, to ensure that there is not too much ‘sameness’ in the images selected.  The balance between cohesion and sameness is a difficult one to master and is where much of my learning is taking place.

Bibliography

The Photographers’ Gallery. (2016). Saul Leiter – The Photographers’ Gallery. [online] Available at: http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/saul-leiter-2 [Accessed 20 Mar. 2017].

Howard Greenberg Gallery. (2014). Saul Leiter: Early Color – Exhibitions – Howard Greenberg Gallery. [online] Available at: http://www.howardgreenberg.com/exhibitions/saul-leiter-early-color?view=slider [Accessed 23 Mar. 2017].

Figures

Figure 1.  Leiter, S. (1957) Taxi [Photograph] At: http://www.howardgreenberg.com/exhibitions/saul-leiter-early-color?view=slider#5 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017]

Figure 2.  Leiter, S. (1955) Red Umbrella [Photograph] At: http://www.howardgreenberg.com/exhibitions/saul-leiter-early-color?view=slider#4 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017]

Figure 3.  Leiter, S. (1957) Harlem [Photograph] At: http://www.howardgreenberg.com/exhibitions/saul-leiter-early-color?view=slider#8 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017]