Joel Meyerowitz, a photographer born in New York, best known for his street photography and landscape. Meyerowitz was not set out to be a photographer when he first entered college, but decided painting, medical drawing, and art directing for an advertising agency could not compare to photography. After collaborating on an advertising project with Robert Frank in 1962, he started to teach himself the art of photography. The influence Frank had on him was huge. As he made his way back from the shoot he found himself finding a meaning to everything he passed and wanted to photograph it.
By the time he made it back to his office his boss asked him how the shoot went. Meyerowitz replied with, “It was fine, but I’m quitting. ” His boss assumed the shoot had went badly, but Meyerowitz said instead, “No, no, it was great, but I am quitting because I want to be a photographer. ” From then on he became known for his phenomenal street photography. In 1962, Meyerowitz hit the streets of New York using a 35mm lens, with black and white film. He photographed everything from people to buildings. When colored photography first started, he automatically became a huge advocate for it.
The downside was that ISO color film was slowly available at the time, therefore he was forced to take more time and focus on the scene more when he was shooting. This helped him to make the desire of capturing more of an “experience” rather than a “decisive moment”. He now works exclusively in color. By 1976 him and a few other young artists become some of the first to only use color, where it eventually influenced young German artists’ to use the soon to be trend.
As his photography begin the spread he began producing several books in 1978 such as, St. Louis and the Arch (1980), Wildflowers (1983), Redheads (1990), Bay/Sky (1993) and At the Water’s Edge (1996). He also co-authored Bystander: A History of Street Photography (1993). In 1998 Meyerowitz produced his first filmed, Pop, which consisted of his travels with his son and father through a three week period. The film was described as “funny, sweet, dark, disturbing, depressing and inspiring”, mostly because of his father suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and the obstacles faced on the trip. It clearly shows the difficulty of aging and the importance of memory.
His popularity from these publications gave him advantages such as, being the only photographer given unrestricted access to group zero during the time of 9/11. He photographed the aftermath of the fallen building along with the belongings found in the piles of dust. He documents the aching work of rescue, recovery, demolition, and unearthing. Knowing the importance of the 9/11 photos he had taken, he created an exhibition consisting of 28 photos. Between 2001 and 2004, the exhibition, “After September 11: Images from Ground Zero”, traveled to more than 200 cities in 60 countries, and was seen by over three and a half million people.
Meyerowitz has exhibitions in many major public collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York). He also won many awards such as, Photographer of the Year (Friends of Photography in 1981), Photography book of the year (American Society of Media Photography in 1986), and Photographer of the year (Japan in 1990). Meyerowitz still lives and works in New York today. Land, Provincetown, 1976 This photo automatically makes me feel adventurous. The pastel colors also make it more calming.
I chose to critique this photo because of the adventurous feel that it has. This is definitely a photo that I would strive to take. The photo seems to be properly focused, and has the perfect amount of lighting to show everything in the frame and there is nothing in the dark. I think one of the distractions in the photo would be the bright orange trash can lid. If the lid color had of been darker, and not as noticeable, the photo would not have any distractions. It also does not go along with the pastel colors that make up the rest of the photo.
The exposure was set perfectly in order to let just the right amount of light to show the sunset/rise. While I do not think that the photographer knew of this place and planned a special trip to take this photo, I do think that he placed the camera at the angle it’s at for a reason. Whether it be because the lighting was better this way, or there were more distractions beside the building, he had a reason. He did a great job of using the rule of thirds to have one thing to focus on in each third, the car, the building, and the shadows of trees in the background. A strong point of the photo would be the color.
There is such a variety of colors in the photo, that make it better. If the photo had of been darker, it would not have been as welcoming and calming as the pastel colors give. One of my favorite parts of the photo would be the color. The pastel colors of the sky are beautiful. I also love the neon lights coming from the side and reflecting on the car. The photo has a very adventurous feel to it, and makes you want to visit the place this was photographed, even though it may only be a gas station. That is another thing this photo does, it makes ordinary things more interesting and beautiful.
It relates to the assignment we did called, “From Mundane to Extraordinary”. The Elements: Air/Water, Date Unknown This photo has many amazing aspects that make it a beautiful photo. I chose this photo because I tend to be drawn to photos with a blue “theme”. This photo makes me feel calm because I can imagine jumping in the water and swimming. This picture has a very broad focus, because most of the picture is the same all over. I notice the ladder in the upper right corner that brings the photo together by giving you a better idea of what the photograph is.
I think my favorite part of the photo is the pattern that the water leaves on the bottom of the pool, depending on how the light hits it. The blue water makes you feel cool and calm. The lighting is great, because it clearly shows the important parts of the photo, without over exposing it to the point where you cannot see the main idea/subject. I do not know that this photo was necessarily intentional being there does not seem to be one specific focus. It does not seem as though Meyerowitz put much planning into this picture, just got lucky to be there at a good time.
One of the things that I feel distracts from the photo is the blurry space to the left. It draws away from the overall pattern that takes place throughout the entire photo. I do not know if it was not focused correctly or if a splash of water on the camera caused it, but it could have been better if it was fully focused. Without the blur, it would have evenly distributed the pattern throughout the entire photo completing it. This photo reminds me of summer. The relaxing and refreshing moment when you jump into cool water after sitting in the heat for too long.
Spending an entire day at the beach and diving right in to get rid of any sand left over. It gives me the passion to travel and be adventurous over the summer. It is a photo that instantly gives me relief and relaxation. No stress. Overall, I really like this photo, besides the blurry spot. The lighting exposes everything correctly and captures everything needed to give you the feeling of the first swim of summer break. Los Angeles Airport, California, 1974 This photo is something I would strive to take in my lifetime. The lighting, setting, and angle bring the photo to life and make it more intriguing.
I feel very adventurous and the need to travel when I see this photo. This photo has a great feel of adventure. It makes it very easy to imagine what is behind the camera. You also see the plane and palm tree which give you a sense of where the photo is taking place. One of my favorite things about the photo is the location and the feeling it gives the viewer. I myself have always wanted to travel to California, and this photo makes me want to even more. The lighting is great, by lighting the important subjects and darkening the less important.
Meyerowitz was given a great opportunity to capture something beautiful in this moment. He took it and made it fantastic. While he made not have intentional driven this route in order to take this photo, the fact that he can take a simple situation and make it interesting shows what kind of photographer he really is. The coloring in the photo is dull, but fits the situation and location. It also gives insight on the potential popular colors used in the 1970’s. There is nothing that would change about the this photo, because there is nothing that distracts me when I look at it.
The composition is great as well by filling the frame and not leaving any blank spaces or being too cluttered. This was my favorite photo that I chose while researching Meyerowitz. Like I said before, it makes me want to adventure and travel to new places. The photo makes the atmosphere of an airport seem calmer and more relaxing than it really is. Meyerowitz did a great job on this photo and really helps the viewer to see the beauty in traveling and how it can be enjoyable. He made an ordinary situation into a compelling one. I think every artist should try to make their photos as motivating.
