"The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street." --Robert Doisneau

Au Pont de L'alma



Couple with Wheat and Goat, Occupied Paris, WWII




1964





Pres de Sainte-Maxime

Women with Same Hat, 1956


Centipede des Enfants

Dove Trainer

Les Pains de Picasso, 1952

Un Regard Olique, 1948


Le Fox Terrier au Pont des Arts


The Cellist, 1957

L'Accordeoniste, Rue Mouffetard, Paris, 1951

Wanda Wiggles her Hips, 1953

Fortune Teller, 1951

The Innocent, 1949



Paris, 1956

Paris, 1936

Les Freres, 1934

Les Chiens de la Chapelle

Le Meute, 1969



Le Basier de L'Hotel de Vilne, 1950






Robert Doisneau, Self Portrait, 1950s

Click here for a short bio on Robert Doisneau provided by the Staley-Wise Gallery.

Times Square

It is only days away before party goers descend upon Times Square to bring in the New Year. Here is a photograph of Times Square minus the New Year's Eve crowd, shot by Inge Morath in 1957.

David LaChapelle Sexy Christmas Ad

Holiday News

While this is not related to photography, it is related to art, the subject of copyright, and the current holiday season. To familiarize yourself with Jeff Koons and his iconic balloon dog, here it is:
And, here is an interesting article which illuminates the hypocrisy regarding the artist defending copyright and then infringing on it in another instance (though the court found him not guilty of misappropriation). Inflated Ego? Jeff Koons Claims Exclusive Right to Sell Balloon Dogs

The article spells things out pretty clearly.

I happen to love the Jeff Koons balloon dogs and do think of him now rather than a circus clown blowing up balloons. When you think of it, balloon dogs are public domain, whereas making them into sculptures would be copyrighted art.

For what it's worth, Jeff Koons has designed balloon dog Christmas ornaments ... but, just don't think to buy balloon dog bookends! (Read the story.)

Here is an outlawed balloon dog:

The Christmas Season ...

Irving Penn

Guy Bourdin

Richard Avedon

Documentary and Photojournalism

At the time I started this blog, I used 'reportage' as a subject, figuring it to encompass documentary photography and photo-journalism. It is too late (and too much work!) to go back to older posts and add the labels. So, note to viewers, if you are looking for documentary and photo-journalism in the subject list, click on 'reportage', as well.

Iran Releases U.S. Hikers

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were detained in Iran since July 31, 2009, when news reports say they accidentally crossed an unmarked border during a hiking trip in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. They are now, finally, free. Please check out Shane Bauer's photography... click here

Welcome home!

These two photographs were taken in Darfur, Sudan.

Veterans Day. THANK YOU to all Veterans past and present.

Photograph by Philip Jones Griffiths

Pieter Hugo

Sometimes, if an image is successful, it needs no words, but also, no analytics or criticism. For the REALLY successful image, it compels us to ask questions and stays with us long after we've viewed it for the first time.

This is the work of Pieter Hugo.

http://www.pieterhugo.com/selected-work

The Hyena Men by Pieter Hugo

Arthur Leipzig

Subway Sleepers, 1950

Subway, Wall Street, 1949

The two photographs above, Subway Sleepers and Wall Street Subway, remind me of the way that Jacques Lartigue saw the world.  (See my post on Lartigue.)  It is from a similar perspective -- that of a child looking up and upon. Although the next few images depict childhood games, they employ a different perspective -- I don't get that they are from the eyes of a child but instead, an adult looking in on these activities as if desiring to be a child again.

The last two shots, Ideal Laundry and the Brooklyn Bridge, are yet again with the innocence of witnessing something from the uncorrupted mind. This all is the work of Arthur Leipzig.

Red Rover, 1953

King of the Hill, 1943

Dodge Ball, 1950

Chalk Games, 1950

East River Divers, 1948

Ideal Laundry, 1946

Brooklyn Bridge, 1946