PHOTOGRAPHER PRESENTATION

Olga Shapoval

Photo 120

GARRY WINOGRAND (1928-1984)

American photographer whose street photographs capture the oddness and alienation of post‐war America. Winogrand became interested in photography in 1948 while studying painting at Columbia University under the GI Bill.

Garry first picked up a camera in the 1950's and didn't put it down until his untimely death. He roamed the streets of New York with his 35mm Leica camera rapidly taking photographs using a prefocused wide angle lens. This is a picture of the camera which Garry Winogrand actually used. This camera is a one of a kind in the entire universe. It is the last M4 owned by famous Leica photographer Garry Winogrand. 

During the 30 years he photographed, Winogrand created numerous images, produced several books.

THE ANIMALS (1969)

In 1969, Garry Winogrand published his first book titled The Animals. This book featured pictures of humans and animals at a zoo, providing a sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek look at the human race. The animals were pictured having human-like qualities, and the differences between them and humans were hard to note.

WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL (1975)

For Women are Beautiful Winogrand photographed women on the streets of New York. He pictured them going about their business, unaware that they were being photographed. The women pictured are determined and fierce, and not necessarily feminine or beautiful. The pictures seem to be less about a particular subject than where the subject lies in space and how the light falls to illuminate them and their surroundings.

This image is on the cover for his book “Women are beautiful”. This is one of my favorite pictures made by Carry Winogrand. When I saw the picture on one of the podcasts, it got my attention right the way. The woman does look absolutely beautiful .“ I don’t have messages in my pictures...The true business of photography is to capture a bit of reality”, said Garry Winogrand in one of his interviews. And that is exactly what make this image so special. It is real! Real happiness, real overhead light, and real beauty.

This image is kind of funny to me. Everyone, men and women, is wearing the same kind of sweater. I guess it was very fashion in 70’s. This is the kind of picture I would take because it looks unique to me how all these people who dress the same way happened to seat together. I think it is a very cultural image which represents a life style.

I like this picture very much because there is definitely a story behind it . A lady reading a letter while she is dancing with a gentlemen on a party. When I look at such an image, questions start to raise in my mind. Who wrote her this letter? What is it about? Who is she dancing with? What happened next? …..The photographer captured a real moment ,and he leaves it up to the viewer to solve the mystery. That is the style Garry Winogrand was known for.

Garry Winogrand was passionate for photography. It was more then a job, it is was his live. He never left home without taking his camera. When he died of cancer in 1984 at age 56, he left behind an astonishing 300,000 unedited images and 2,500 roles of unprocessed film.

“I photograph what interests me all the time. I live with the pictures to see what that thing looks like

photographed” 

Carry Winogrand

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Winogrand: Figments from the Real World Arrivals & Departures: The Airport Pictures of Garry

Winogrand http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/winogra

nd_garry.php http://www.masters-of-photography.com/W/winogran

d/winogrand_articles1.html http

://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wem927v_kpo&feature=related