If you spend any time on YouTube watching photography videos, you've probably come across a channel called The Crit House and a series called My Five. It's a bit like Desert Island Discs, only with photographs. Each participant chooses five images that mean something to them and explains why. After watching my friend Christelle's episode, I got thinking about what my choices might be. Not an easy task, as it turned out. But a wise man once told me - you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And I reckon that goes for photographs too. So, in the hope of understanding my photographic impulse, and in case it makes a half-decent Substack post, I'm sharing that self-indulgence here.
Fair Use Disclaimer: This post contains unauthorised use of copyrighted photographs not owned by me. All rights and credits go to the rightful owners. Under Section 107 of the US Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" purposes such as comment and criticism. No copyright infringement intended.1. Robert Frank (Miami Beach Hotel, USA 1955)
Like many photographers, my gateway drug was The Americans by Robert Frank1. I've said it before. That book is probably the closest thing I own to a bible because it set the bar for the photography I enjoy. Frank had something to say and he used visual poetry to say it. The mainstream was not impressed. But home truths often fall on deaf ears at first.
Photographically, Robert Frank went against the grain, too. Disrupting cleaner, more precise notions of photography, with pissed horizons, blown-out highlights and a lack of sharpness. His unpolished aesthetic contrasted the decisive moment and showed a version of America that US publishers were not ready to print. This image typifies that for me. Those faraway eyes amid the mundanity of a nowadays unnecessary occupation. Dreaming of being somewhere else, perhaps. Her forlorn look also struck a chord with Jack Kerouac, who ended his introduction (to The Americans) with the words: "That little ole lonely elevator girl looking up sighing in an elevator full of blurred demons, what's her name & address?"
Robert Frank's curious outsider viewpoint, aversion to sugarcoating, and boldness behind the camera are things I try to keep with me.
2. Daido Moriyama (Paris, France 1989)
In some ways, Daido Moriyama2 is similar to Robert Frank. His images were gritty and provocative. But his message was less coherent. With a stream-of-consciousness shooting style, Daido wandered the streets of Tokyo, Japan, like a stray dog, acting on instinct. Casual and unobtrusive. Often composing without the viewfinder and paying little attention to settings. The approach made a lot of sense to me in the early days. And so did his preference for cheap, pocketable, point-and-shoot cameras. After all, no one asks the chef which frying pan he used. They just want a tasty breakfast.
With Moriyama's photography, it's hard to pick stand-out images. His photographs work together as a collection. There is no particular storyline. Just atmosphere. We see so many things during the average day. Some are in focus, and others are blurred out of the corner of our eye. In this way, his overcooked, high-contrast aesthetic works like a memory. Rather than showing us what he saw, he kids us into thinking we were there. This photograph is from the book Paris 88/89. It reminds me to keep an eye out for the unusual.
Moriyama is still shooting in his eighties. This relentless, artistic spirit and affection for big-city energy is something I relate to.
3. Alex Webb (Bombardopolis, Haiti, 1986)
The genesis of my photography was travel. And, for a while, that's where it stayed. The strangeness of new surroundings made everything seem photographable. And the familiarity of home had the opposite effect. During that time, I discovered the colour work of Alex Webb3 and this image from Haiti. Alex has a considered and intentional approach. Maybe even scientific in his execution. Colour theory, layering and clean compositions play an important part. In contrast to Moriyama, his images are not possible without a viewfinder.
This might be the perfect photograph. The foreground, background and mid-ground all balance. Seven subjects. No overlaps. Some are in the shadows. Some not. A little kid peeks around the corner in between the donkey's ears. And the red headscarf punctures the scene. All with two figures on either side to draw you in. One with a cigarette hanging out of his cakehole like a Caribbean James Dean.
How did he do it? Invisibility? Or was it just patience, working the scene, and not leaving until he got what he came for?
4. Joel Meyerowitz (Paris, France, 1967)
If the last image was about harmony, this one is about chaos. Joel Meyerowitz4 found inspiration close to home. He walked the streets of his native New York in the 60s and 70s, documenting the cultural shifts and capturing the essence of urban life.
Despite that, I've chosen an image he made in Paris. Joel has a knack for anticipating moments and connecting unrelated elements. A workman with a hammer focusing on his job steps over a man having a seizure as passersby look on. The scene gives the viewer their own creative experience as they decide what is happening.
That's Joel, master of the one-frame narrative. He owned the street and used his sense of humour. To get shots like his, I must stay alert, camera at the ready and be willing to see the world in new ways.
5. Maciej Dakowicz (Cardiff, UK, 2006)
Individual shots are not where it's at for me these days. I'm more interested in the series, the sequence, and the body of work. What is it trying to tell me? Is it a window into a world unfamiliar or something relatable? This image is about the latter. Maciej Dakowicz5 is a Polish photographer who shot the series Cardiff After Dark while studying for a PhD. It was a long-term project, started in 2005 and published as a book in 2012. The book is about British drinking culture and people having fun on a Friday or Saturday night. Although it was shot in Cardiff, the scenes could be from any city up or down my homeland.
Finding a topic that motivates for the long haul is easier said than done. Maciej started shooting for fun after nights out with friends. Encouraged by positive feedback, this evolved into a more serious undertaking. The end result was a thought-provoking book full of great photographs. My choice is the first one of the series I saw. It sticks in the memory, probably for its simplicity. And maybe for it's relatability. A stag caught in the headlights. Dressed as a Doris. Hairy chest protruding. The things we put ourselves through for the love of a good woman (and not disappointing our mates). If this picture isn't on his mantelpiece, it should be.
The series itself opened a can of worms. Some parts of the press claimed Maciej and his "foreign lens" brought shame and "turned Britain into a laughing stock". I disagree. While the images might not put British culture in the best light, it is an accurate portrayal. In the same way, Swiss-born Robert Frank showed the US for what it was. Dakowicz gave us Brits something to think about. Besides, the subjects were only following my example from the 90s.
So, for what it's worth, that's My Five. I still don't know how I left out Garry Winogrand. Or Harry Gruyaert, Trent Parke, and my favourite anarchist, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Then there were the artists - Robert Rauschenberg, Ai Wei Wei, Edward Hopper, David Hockney and punk art surrealist Winston Smith. They were all in the frame at some point. But that's enough honourable mentions. If you're into photography, this rabbit hole is a worthwhile diversion. You might find out what makes you click. I noticed that all these photographers were, at the time of taking the photograph, outsiders in a foreign land. An inadvertent coincidence or something meaningful? Who knows?
Robert Frank - the Guggenheim Trip (1955-57)
Daido Moriyama - official website (bibliography)
Joel Meyerowitz - official website
Maciej Dakowicz - official website (Cardiff After Dark)
I w said it before and I’ll say it again, I love how you write and when it’s about photography it’s a real treat! Thanks for sharing these and glad to know you found it as difficult to do as I did 😂
Your selection is so awesome! Are you going to do another edition like this ?
We are seeing so many contents on internet, it's sometimes super great to have a selection in our hands.