Saul Leiter. Red Umbrella, New York, c. 1955
Photo Credit: Howard Greenberg Gallery

Saul Leiter (1923-2013) was a photographer and painter. He started experimenting with colour photography in the 1950s. He is renowned as a pioneer of early colour photography and a master of street photography, even though he would furiously deny that claim. According to him, “There is a tremendous advantage of being unimportant.”, which may say something about his personality.

His unique style of photography often features subdued colours, with shots through windows covered in raindrops, or snow, or steam. Even though he said that anyone who studies art and photography will know that “nothing is new”.

“I happen to believe in the beauty of simple things. I believe that the most uninteresting thing can be very interesting.”

I’m including Red Umbrella, circa 1955, taken on a snowy day somewhere in New York. The subject is clearly the person under the red umbrella, framed in the window of the car. The clever contrast of the yellow cab against the red umbrella makes the photo come alive and draws attention back to the person under the umbrella. There is also a repetition of oval shapes throughout the picture, almost like one is looking at the scene through hooded eyes.

I love this picture because I like the challenge of street photography. In another second, this picture would be gone forever. Saul Leiter was able to capture unique moments like this beautifully. Street photography is a way to find beauty and magic in any moment and discover appreciation in the smallest or most mundane of things.

“Everything is suitable to be photographed…It teaches you to appreciate all kinds of things.”

PS: If you get a chance, have a look at the “Art of Visual Composition” course under Courses and Mentorship.

References:
https://www.saulleiterfoundation.org/
https://www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/saul-leiter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Leiter
In no great hurry – 13 Lessons in life with Saul Leiter (Documentary)
https://www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/saul-leiter
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jul/17/saul-leiter-review-foto-colectania-barcelona

#SaulLeiter #StreetPhotography #PhotoDigest