William Klein was born on April 19, 1926,New York, United States. He studied William Klein studied social sciences at City College of New York and art at the Sorbonne, Paris. He also later joined at the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany and then France. It was here when he received the Prix Nadar in 1957 for his book “Life Is Good for You in New York”. He won his first camera from a poker game. He was known for his confrontational style of street photography. He used A wide angle lens which let him capture more a certain environment an was also known for having a high contrast in his images, to create a bit of drama.
Image Analysis
Technical
He has used natural lighting.
Klein also doesn’t care about the ISO setting on the camera and the haven’t took part in this image.
There is a slightly long shutter speed which will enhance motion blur.
Visual
The subjects in the image are slightly slanted. There is girl with her father figure that is cut off and this shows that her may not be important and the street may be busy. Also being cut off shows a chaotic nature. The subject in the centre frame has motion blur and it make shim feel more closer to the camera.
Very full image and there isn’t a lot of negative space. Which links to quite a compact image.
There is a slow shutter speed because its a blurred effect it makes people move in the image and it increase the sense of energy and movement in the image.
He takes black and white images to show detail in the image and also to increase drama and also makes the image clearer.
Contextual and Conceptual
In New York City, including Harlem, experienced a period of cultural and economic growth, with advancements in various fields.
By 1950, many whites had left Harlem. Harlem was a cultural hub for African Americans, due to the time that the image was taken which was in 1955.
The shutter captures an everyday day life of New Yorkers in an urban setting.
The title of ‘Pepsi’ implies that you are more closer to the actual bottle in your hand which will add an layer of commercial and the cultural context which further highlights the consumer culture in post-war in the United States.
Klein’s style was raw and candid moments with dynamic composition which reflects the energy the a complex city life in New York.