Image: Library of Congress
Born in New York City in 1890, Paul Strand studied under Lewis Hine and Alfred Stieglitz, and when still a young man was already among the most innovative and influential photographers of his generation.
Strand explored numerous styles over the course of his career, moving between soft-focus Pictorialism and sharp, direct realism.
One of his cleverest innovations came in the mid-1910s in the course of his early efforts to capture an objective, realistic record of life on the bustling New York streets.
In order to catch people in totally candid states, Strand attached a false lens to his camera that lay perpendicular to the real one. While he would appear to passersby to aim the camera in one direction, he would conceal the actual lens under his arm, allowing for stealth portraits of unguarded subjects.
The resulting photos captured honest slices of the angst and moodiness of urban life that were a photographic rarity in Strand’s time.
Image: Library of Congress
Image: Library of Congress
Image: Library of Congress
Image: Library of Congress
Image: Library of Congress
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