Robert Frank

 Robert Frank

By: Amanda Schaeffer

             I have heard of Robert Frank before, but I couldn't match his photographs to the photographer. When researching about him, I came to the conclusion that Frank was very popular and was an influencer to the photography world. His still photos and American images left a permanent mark in photography and what you can do with it. Frank had his unique artistic style develop in his work and lead him be known to many people. By understanding the image above and his other beautiful photographs, I can get a better understanding on how Robert Frank got to capture those moments in his photography career.

            When looking at Robert Frank's work, I can see a repeating pattern. Frank takes more of an American approach on photography. He captures business people, American city life, and the American flag. Even though he is originally from Switzerland, Frank captures honorable and artistic photos of the United States. Furthermore, he also takes still photos. The way he incorporates still photos with America is remarkable. He ties them both, for example, by taking a still life photograph of a subway car and also the American flag. I love how artistic and careful he is when taking these shots. He knows what position he wants the main subject to be in. For example, the above photograph has a nice placement with the lady looking back and smiling to another lady. I love the way he captures the two ladies but has one be more of the focal point and the other that fills the space of where the lady is looking at. Also, by looking at the image, I can tell it's very sharp due to seeing grain particles around the image. I picked this photo due to the fact that I think it's beautiful to see woman getting along and how he got to capture that moment at the right time and right placement.

            I admire Robert Frank's grey tones in the image as well as the white and blacks. You can really tell with the lady's jacket, that it is all black with white details around it. However, the only critique I have on this piece above is that Frank could have made the table a little darker on where the lady is placing her hands. Maybe it's just me, but I can see how the white table can make a viewer stare at it and make your eyes go off the image. It is a little distracting to me as a viewer seeing the table almost completely white at that spot. I was thinking if an object was place there, say a cup or a plate of food, then it would fill that empty space left on the table. However, that is my only critique because other than that, I love this image and I think it is beautiful. Robert Frank has incredible photos of the American life and pictures of ordinary people. However, Frank set his own way through photography by capturing real life America through his artistic ability of placement and significance.