In high school, my English class was prompted to write an essay on whether we consider photography an art form or not. At the time, with my art connoisseur nose stuck high in the clouds, I chose not. I didn’t believe that photography was anything more than documentation of something else that was beautiful or intriguing or jaw-dropping – in other words photography was a copy of art, but not art itself. However, while watching Ms. Freyer’s film, as she elaborated on the essence of capturing the small moments of everyday, and exposing the hidden beauty within miscue details of life. Though this film, I was able to see how photographers were able to capture seemingly dull and unappreciated fragments, into not only intricate spectacles of design and composition, but also brazen and controversial narratives of the given time – which by any means would qualify as a praised piece of artwork. If I could, I would show myself this film in high school, but I am very grateful for this eye-opening perspective of photography and its voice.

Maybe I just don’t understand art. I watched the movie, and I thought it was well put together (on Sasha Water’s part), but I didn’t understand it very well. The film was about a famous photographer, Gary Winogrand, who was apparently well respected and liked in the photography industry, but I’m not sure I agreed with all of the gushing remarks and comments made about him. Within in the first half hour of the film he had a conversation with a buddy of his and said something along the lines that he loves women and most often, he doesn’t ask, he just grabs. When his friends, said, well yes, you can do that, but sometimes those women say no. The great Gary Winogrand said… well that’s when you convince them with the other hand. Just because sexual assault was probably more common and accepted in the 60s and 70s doesn’t mean that it was right or appropriate. Winogrand later went on to publish a photo album filled with pictures of “sexy and beautiful women without bras” that he had taken on the street. This piece of work was not received quite as well as his other photographs, and the fact that the book hinted at misogyny and the male gaze was partly why. In regards to the other work that he put out, I was fascinated by it. I enjoyed viewing the hundreds of photographs of his throughout New York City, but I guess what I don’t understand is why it’s such a big deal. I feel like anyone in the right place at the right time can snap a photo and no matter if they’re “professionals” or not, it wouldn’t really matter. Even when in the film they began talking about his later work and saying that it wasn’t as good as his greater pieces “back in the day,” I personally, couldn’t see the differences between his famous work and lesser-known photographs, but maybe I just don’t understand art.

Seeing “Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable” and hearing Sasha Waters Freyer discuss what went into making the documentary was an eye-opening experience. Although I enjoy art, I have never heard any formal discussion or critique of photography and have often wondered how a photographer makes a mark on the medium if they do not pose their pictures or have some particular, obvious signature. In the case of Garry Winogrand, for instance, I did not know what made his work recognizable except that it was often of street scenes. After watching the film, however, by hearing expert opinions, analysis of his work, and comparisons to others in his genre of work, some of his marks become more clear to me. He often photographed complex or unusual scenes in which it is unclear to the viewer exactly what is going on. He also observed these scenes from an outside eye, but generally not in an ironic manner. He was drawn to movement and to events. Sasha Water Freyer explained at the end of the film that one her goals had been to help people engage with his work, and I believe she succeeded. For others interested in learning more about photography, I thought this was a great film!

Below are 4 of my favorite pictures from the film:

Apollo 11 Moon Shot, Cape Kennedy, Florida 1969 <– pioneer of documenting events

Los Angeles, California 1969 <– capturing unusual moments on the street

New York 1950 <– outside observer

Garry Winogrand spent most of his adult life taking pictures of random people on the streets of New York City, and later Los Angeles. The documentary we watched did not convince me that he was a great photographer though. If you dedicate your whole life to anything, you must accidentally have some good moments just by the law of averages. Some of his pictures will be uncharacteristically amazing just by sheer luck. He might have happened to be in the right place, at the right time, and took enough pictures. If he was not running on accidental successes, then we should have seen a high ratio of exceptional photos to mediocre photos, but Garry had to take hundreds of thousands if not millions of photos just to fill a few books with his best photos. If I decided today that I was going to start gambling, then there would be some days where I do exceptionally well at the casino, despite the fact that I have not gotten any better at gambling. Cynicism aside, Winogrand did seem to have contributed to American culture and academic photography despite his possible lack of talent. At the very least, he had a lot of grit to keep taking those pictures every single day. His work ethic is much more impressive to me than his ability to take an exceptional photo.

I attended the Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable event on Thursday, September 20th. This event delved into the life of Garry Winogrand, exploring his career through the years. Garry Winogrand took pictures of everyday people, but he took it in such a way as it if felt like you were getting a glimpse into a secret. The juxtaposition of the many people in his photos made it appear as if you were getting a front seat to the story of someone’s life. This really made me wonder what it meant to truly live. We are always focused on attaining the next goal or chasing after some kind of dream. We never really stop to take in our surroundings, but Garry Winogrand dedicated his whole life to exploring the world around him. I think in many ways we fear taking a break from the paths we have predetermined for ourselves. We fear that if we for one second take our eyes off of our goal then we will lose it forever. Garry, on the other hand, took a risk when he was in college. He picked up a camera and started to photograph the world around him. He describes a perfect time that if we stray from our predetermined path then we find something that we were truly meant for. I think what I learned and what I will take away from this film is that I’m going to start living more curiously and with less fear. I think the greatest thing we can do is experience the world around us before it is too late. Maybe we should all just pick up a camera and start to photograph what we see because maybe it will make us notice the world we live in.

This past Thursday, I joined some fellow Rose Scholars at Cornell Cinema to watch the film “Gary Winogrand; All Things are Photographable.” The film followed photographer Gary Winogrand throughout his career and his personal life and revealed a lot about what goes on behind the camera of some famous photographs. When you look at a photograph, you almost always think about what the characters in the photo are doing, what they are thinking, what they represent. But there is a whole other dimension of analysis few people think of; what the photographer is doing. Where he’s standing, what he’s thinking, how he’s positioned, if he’s saying anything to the people in the photograph. This film offered more insight into that. What resonated with me about the film was when one of Gary’s friends and fellow photographers said that people would ask Gary what his photos meant. The friend remarked, “You want him to clean your kitchen too?” Gary said what he meant and thought clearly with his photographs, not disguising or over analyzing the context, simply snapping a photo and putting it out there. Photography is a simple medium free from the rhetoric and wordiness of a lot of other art forms. It made me want to pick up a camera!