Robert Frank
Robert Frank produced at publication called ‘The Americans’ during the post-war era. It was first published in 1958 in France, it was considered extremely influential photography. The photographs are distinct in portraying both the low and high strata of American society. Overall the book was a portrait of the time that was viewed contemporary values and loneliness. The project is said to project a new view of America, it went against the typical wholesome photo essays displayed in some magazines. Frank’s work focused on factory workers of Detroit and other individuals or groups of people segregated from the American norm.
I like Frank’s work because it represents honesty and truth. It shows a section of society that had gone un-photographed for a great deal of time. They were the outsiders of America, and Frank wanted to capture people at the time that would portray the reality of the country. In articles I have read there has been a mention of the idea of loneliness in his photographs. I think you can see this emotion abundantly clear in the images produced. There is a certain rawness to the photographs which translate the real feelings of these individuals.
George Georgiou
Georgiou’s project is to photograph migrations and topography of London. The aim was to explore the movement of the increasing diversity in a western city. Georgiou wanted to capture the landscape and architecture and the rapid change that the city went through regularly. After spending the last nine years living and working in Eastern Europe, Georgiou was shocked by the speed of change and development that had occurred in the city whilst he was gone. I like these images because they show the city in it’s realness, there is no cover up to what we see everyday. I think the third image is particularly interesting as it’s not typically the image photographers normally want to capture. It shows the mundane regularity of people’s lives, rather than photographing the aesthetically pleasing and beautiful landscapes Georgiou is challenging the way we perceive our environment. He has captured the height of our development the way we travel, communicate and migrate creating a diverse culture.