Artist Spotlight: Helen Levitt

Despite the fact that photography is a relatively accessible form of art in the present day, I often find it troubling that there are so few female photographers discussed in the realm of photography that I study, and that we are looking at in this blog. In the last century, while I am sure there has been a multitude of women who tried their hand at photography, Helen Levitt (1913-2009) rose to great prominence.

Described by The New York Times as "a major photographer of the 20th century who caught fleeting moments of surpassing lyricism, mystery and quiet drama on the streets of her native New York," Levitt's body of work truly encapsulates what it meant to walk the streets of New York City during her lifetime. I have selected a few of my favorite photographs that she took, with a 1988 color shot featured at the end.

All of her photographs depict a certain sense of humanity that I would argue can only be captured through the camera lens. Moments of time that will never be replicated, Levitt captured times equally dramatic as they are mundane, setting a great precedent for street photography for all photographers to come.

An Interview With Photographer Emma DiMarco

Although all art is subjective, it seems that the lines of subjectivity versus objectivity become blurred in today's world given the immense amount of media we consume on a daily basis. As we are continually inundated with media on a daily basis, I have come to the slow realization that this mass consumption has led many to believe that photography is an objective art. Those without any knowledge of the medium are quick to judge a good photograph from a bad photograph, why a picture has a low resolution, or why they chose the model and background they did.

Thus, it is rather serendipitous to find a photographer who works not only commercially but also from a fine arts perspective. On this post you will find my interview with photographer Emma DiMarco, a Fordham University alum. I was introduced to her work through a postcard that was printed for her senior exhibition and continues to live on the walls just outside of the Fordham University Lincoln Center darkroom, a place I nearly live in during the school year. I am incredibly fascinated by her ability to seamlessly capture both commercial, studio-based subjects while also honing her eye for everyday photography. As an introduction, here are a few of my favorite photographs that she has taken: 

How did you get into photography?

My mom is a photographer, and I always grew up around cameras and photography. We had a darkroom in my basement when I was a kid and I was always so fascinated watching my mom develop and print photographs. I actually thought it was some type of magic when she'd put the paper in the developer and the image would start to appear. 

Isn't that one of the best feelings? I'm still obsessed with it. But my mom has always been incredibly supportive and helpful in my growing as a photographer. I always wanted to be just like her, so naturally I picked up a camera one day and never put it down. 

How would you describe your style of photography?

This is a tough one. I think that it is always changing and evolving. I still feel like I haven't really found my voice as an artist and photographer, but like does anybody ever feel like that? I don't know; I'd say its quirky, sometimes weird and usually humorous, although I don't know if most people pick up on the humor in it. I'd like to think it's timeless, that you could look at the image and not know when it was taken. But I really don't know, I have a really hard time talking about my own work!

What photographers, or artists in general, inspire you?

William Eggleston. He is my favorite ever of all time. 

But also Petra Collins, Daniel Arnold, Wim Wenders, Maggie Rogers (my style ICON), Bruce Springsteen (and dad rock in general), Lauren Withrow, Sophie Elgort (my boss, she teaches me lots of things and keeps me wanting to shoot), Jimmy Marble, Cass Bird (gay icon AND photographer: a win win) and Amy Lombard. 

Where do you look for inspiration outside of artists? 

Driving around for sure. Or just wandering around. People are fucking weird and I find it fascinating the way they interact and create their own homes and living spaces. Also Instagram is a big one. I love instagram. 

As a photographer, do you feel a divide in taking pictures of "work" versus personal joy? Or have those two realms merged together for you? 

For sure. It's something I've struggled with forever. I've always taken senior portraits and they've been so basic, so unlike any of my personal work, because my personal work has always mainly been landscape-ish photos. But lately I've been working on taking portraits for my personal work and trying to merge that style into the stuff I do for clients. 

I think that keeping it separate might be a good thing though? I'm not sure. I don't want to ruin how much I enjoy doing my personal projects by trying to profit off of them or make them feel too much like "work".

And what are your optimal photo-taking conditions?

Out and about, ideally in a new space. I have a hard time photographing things that feel too familiar to me. Being confined to a studio is really difficult for me, and feels too forced. I like to be in real life- ideally somewhere in the middle of nowhere. 

Analog or digital? And what's your favorite camera to shoot on? 

Analog, always! I've shot on the same Canon AE-1 program since I was 14. I love it. Although for work stuff, digital. 

Do you have a favorite photo you've taken? 

I basically hate every photo I've ever taken. The photos I love forever that I've taken aren't necessarily good images, but photos that are really meaningful to me. I've attached my favorite photo: it's my 4 sisters in my backyard. It was one of the first rolls of film I've ever taken and it just feels really special to me, they're my favorite people and best friends (tacky, I know). And they are just so tiny and cute. It's from 8 years ago. 

Be sure to check out more of Emma's work on her personal website, and support your favorite artists, no matter where they are at in their career. 

A Short Guide to Everyday Photographers

Below you will find a short ten person list of prominent everyday photographers who were all born in the twentieth century. Not only has the work of these photographers set the stage for now-emerging photographers, but they were inspired by earlier works by those from the century before. 

• Stephen Shore (1947-)
• William Eggleston (1939-)
• Henry Wessel (1942-2018)
• Garry Winogrand (1928-1984)
• Joel Sternfeld (1944-)
• Robert Adams (1937-)
• Robert Frank (1924-)
• Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004)
• Lee Friedlander (1934-)
• Walker Evans (1903-1975)

Although the subject lines of the work of these photographers varies, it all comes back to the main idea of capturing the mundane everyday in predominantly the 35mm film medium. Thus, what's remarkable about this fact is that they all do so in wildly different styles. While Shore has traveled across America capturing the quintessential "everyday" look of life, one of Winogrand's most famous works is The Animals, where he took a critical view of how humans function in zoos. In a similar vein, Friedlander's The American Monument chronicles his visiting of everyday monuments across the United States, giving us a refreshing look about what exactly we deem as monument-deserving. 

While Winogrand and Friedlander selected very specific subjects to study, others were much more concentrated in their practices. For instance, Robert Adams' The New West specifically studies the shifting landscape of the West. Wessel's work pairs quite nicely with Adams', as Wessel largely concentrated on mundane scenes of the West, yet in a more intimate way. It is easy to suggest that Adams was greatly influenced by the work of Evans, who documented America during the Great Depression, commissioned by the Farm Security Administration. Both Cartier-Bresson and Sternfeld captured the everyday on intimate levels, mainly interacting with the subjects in their work. 

What makes these photographers' work so special is the fact that you can look at their work backwards and forwards a million times, but you see things differently each time you do so. Engaging with these photographers' work together allows the viewer to create a more intimate relationship with the outside world, as it becomes far more intriguing after looking at the work that has been created by these photographers.