Lee Friedlander and the Web of the City

 Lee Friedlander started his photography career by taking photos of musicians for their album covers ("Lee Friedlander"). These covers would be square colored pictures and it was how he was able to make a living as a new photographer. He later moved on to street photography where he'd take pictures of people living their every day lives, of reflections in glass windows, and of his own shadow. Interestingly enough, while his facial features were never seen in the photos containing his shadows, these pictures were considered to be self-portraits as they show his sense of humor and light-heartedness.

Personally, I think what Friedlander does with his street photography is really interesting. He goes to the city, where there are all these moving pieces, and manages to capture them in a way that makes any individual subject feel interconnected in the web of the city. We even see this in some of the photos with his shadow in the foreground. Some may say that his silhouette takes away from the image composition, but I disagree. By including his shadow and his presence in the moments he's capturing, he's emphasizing the feeling of interconnectedness. He too, is entangled in the city life. I almost wish that he had someone follow him around for a day and had a photographer photograph Lee taking photos and also include their shadow.

Out of all of his street photography, the photo above is my favorite. I actually had a dream about this piece the following night where I was in the old-timey streets of New York City crossing intersections and passing by bustling people to get to a veterinarian counter for my sick dog. The thing that I find the most compelling about this composition is the women with the striped dress. Most striped clothes have the stripes either vertical or horizontal. By having her wear a dress with diagonal crossing lines, it almost symbolizes all the crosswalks people are using to go to their different locations. The image feels chaotic and moving despite being a still moment in time and no matter where I look, my eyes get led back to the woman through linear continuation. For example, the white line of the sidewalk moves into the dress and the legs of the people passing her lead your eyes up to her face. She is in her own world on her phone, not taking in the environment surrounding her, but she still contributes to the jostling environment of the city.

"Lee Friedlander." YouTube, uploaded by Icontenttv, 14 Mar. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I2asDXS0h8&t=194s.