Hunting for characters on the Streets of New York City with Magnum Photographer Bruce Gilden. Visit WNYC's Street Shots for more videos and a chance to share your own Street photographs: www.wnyc.org/streetshots
The vest is actually really good because it’s substitutes for a camera bag. You can fit all your gear inside without worrying about someone stealing your bag
@@OllieConnorsFilms I love his work and it's so sad how some ppl can't look past someone's outfit....with that said u sure did a good job at explaining to his vest is awesome!
@@marshnate1the way he photographs is unacceptable... Jumps onto the people like there is no tomorrow... No respect for his subjects nor for the context... I don't like the way he works.
@@youngalwyn1124 this is true. I used to take street photos as a teenager and constantly harrased about it and questioned. I took about 10 year break in photography. Now I have packed on about 25lbs of muscle thanks to CrossFit. People don't say shit to me. People probably think I'm a cop.
Say what you want about Bruce Gilden but the photo at 1:17 is just amazing. That completely lost stare he captured there is something you would never ever see in planned/arranged portaits. No matter how hard the Model would try to act it.
He's working in a crowd, people are less likely to react negatively when surrounded by other people. I know some people will think his photos are brilliant but to me they look like he dropped the camera and it went off.
To me, "Street Photography" is an art for being in harmony with street people and enviroment. As for taking a photo of unexpected facial expression, you should "record" it by patience and observation, not "produce" it by assaulting, close range flashing, and indignity.
If that's your definition of street photography, fair enough. Bruce Gilden developed his own style and approach. The curious glances, odd expressions make for interesting photos when they come from odd characters. His style and approach certainly isn't for everyone. I don't think it's fair to say that it rises to the level of assault. Being in a public space means possibly being subjected to being photographed. He's certainly pushing the envelope. At the same time, he does it quickly, and then moves on. If he doubled back for another shot because he felt he didn't get the right angle or expression, then that would be another story.
*+donkeydump63* That's not the main point he's making though. "Being in harmony with street people and environment" includes not *flashing* people in the face at such short distance. It is borderline assault, and really unnecessary.
Celestial Traveler Gildens approach is definitely risky, unorthodox, and it requires advanced ballsy-ness to pull off. I've seen photographers try and duplicate his style but he's definitely built a brand around his invasive style photography. Personally, I always ask or I stand out of field of view if it's a candid.
Whatever you might think of him, he's genuine. He's not pretending he's got ethics. He only cares about the shot. I also love the analogy to war. He is a war photographer shooting like that and any one of his subjects could suddenly blow up in his face. He traversing a Manhattan minefield.
I don't see him in active warzones or taking pictures of effects on war infested areas. He assaults people by what he's doing. He takes pictures of people from close up without consent and also uses flash. I am surprised he still hasn't been admitted to the hospital yet.
adarrylljacksonsr most NYers come across as rude..its the lifestyle here!!..i do street photography as well and he is intrusive but he gets good pics!! I personally like his pics..everybody can do what they want anyway because its an art form..you cant tell picasso to paint a certain way
That's what NYC is about or at least was. If you go back to the old days and listen to the radio shows back then you know what I mean. It's a little game nothing serious or as rude as it looks it's just a way to stand out and have a little fun with people on the streets
That’s a New Yorker. My first guitar teacher was a New Yorker. They’re generally a-holes. Probably why the terrorists keep trying to attack there. His photos are pretty lame, IMO. Blurry photos of startled people. He should work for a tabloid.
This video was uploaded 13 years ago when he said he was 61? So he probably is "outta the way" and in a coffin. If not from old age, then someone beat the sheet out of him by now.
“He’s a f**king bully. I despise the work, I despise the attitude, he’s an aggressive bully and all the pictures look alike because he only has one idea - ‘I’m gonna embarrass you, I’m going to humiliate you.’ I’m sorry, but no.” - Joel Meyerowitz
So brave. Can we take a minute to notice how often he goes for little Jewish ladies with a pooch under their armpit compared to how often he goes for 6ft brothers with an attitude strutting down the street?
if i did what he does, i think id be dead. honestly i was quite shocked seeing what he does to people. and honestly seeing the photos he takes, ive seen a lot better ones out there. but this is photography. ive seen many famous photographers with crappy photos. obviously taken after they got famous. its like music. when were famous already, people would buy our crappy music.
You're never going to see street photos like this unless the photographer is similar in energy. True artist. Love it or hate it. I personally love it lol.
I think Mr Gilden's shooting tactics are a bit disgusting. You shove a camera in somebody's eye and fire flash and the stunned reaction is the photograph? And that's supposed to be deep? I think the guy is highly aggressive and anti-social.
Not a bully just an old kid doing old fashioned jokes and playing games with unknown people the way they did on radio or TV shows back then with famous people 😉
@@nickfanzo that's fine I won't contest that if you want to call it that, but art being art doesn't absolve him of his rudeness and/or inconsideration at all
bruce gilden is one of my favorite photographers but i must say i was shocked/amazed to see this is how he does it. very intrusive indeed, but very sincere at the same time. anyway, these are the photos people will appreciate the most 50 years from now when they'll want to see what life/people/culture were like way back now :) he is a really good judge of character since no one was offended.
Well he takes the risks and guess what it shows in his work 😉 Besides nobody seems to be offended most people are surprised but they understand right away that this is just a little game
@leica.vision Who cares!! A hell of a lot of people care. People who don’t care how they impact on others are half the problems we have in this world. You calling me dumbass and saying who cares, just shows that you’re just another disrepectful dik!! So it doesn’t surprise me that you are a Gilden and Leica fanboy
I am a photographer discovered a picture you published of my grandmother many years ago. I couldn't tell how you had made such a wonderful, kind, and gentle person look so harrassed and ashamed until I saw how you shot the first woman in this video. The elderly are not your characters and they deserve much more respect than you give them.
2:09 is my favourite of the photographs in this video. I disagree slightly with some people that don't like his photographs. I'd say they look decent and definitely have a style to them. My problem lies more with how the shot was taken. I know that I probably wouldn't be too happy if someone did this to me.
I mean at least he’s honest about having no ethics. There isn’t really any other way to get real candid photographs w out being kinda intrusive and dickish. But future generations who want a glimpse into our reality will thank him later.
I have to say that I'm not a fan of his photographs. I realize they're basically just character portraits, but there is a lot left to be desired in them. There are no elements of composition to tell a story, no play of light, or feel of environment for the subject.
His development in his style of street photography is what makes it different, i personally don't agree with his method of shooting photos he does but you can't not respect the man on paving his own way into the street photography style he goes for.
never really knew who he was when I visited Magnum Photos.. I just thought he was some random crazy New Yorker....damn I should have spent some time talking to him ....
I like this man... that is the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life. I see characters wherever I go, but to take a picture has never crossed my mind. Amazing.
He's a character too! Great faces, capturing that split second of a person. Good job putting his story together. Thanks for sharing Gilden's work and how he works.
For having watch other videos about Bruce Gilden on youtube, he seems for a kind and completely true person. I think he is someone who seeks for love, and who wants to be loved. Some people in the comment section say he is the cause of people who he takes picture anxiety but in my opinion he just emphasizes their state of mind. In every busy city, most of the people walk in the street in a non really conscious way, ruminating thoughts in their mind, not being present, not interacting with each other. In a way, he is interacting with people. I would not personnaly use this approach but it is nevertheless an interesting and unique one.
easterner2010 The old decisive moment cliche. An amazing capture is a "Decisive moment". And Bruce has many amazing photos. Don't judge his work by 5 minutes of shooting, taking great photographs is about persistence and patience.
IMO the weak to fight or are afraid to fight back would actually whoop Bruce Gilden down and bodybuilders wouldn't give a lot of shit about Bruce's repertoire.
i believe this guy is a genius. probably not the best photographer out there but definitely a character and at that his photography is too which makes it a very unique art.
@Eli Santiago Most people are not artists. Such negative reactions to his work indicate this divide rather clearly. To continue on, despite such intense scrutiny, is certainly an inspirational trait.
Bruce Gilden understands and sees clearly. Some of the "commentators" who specialize in social media remarks are truly invisible in this world. Complaining and crying while not being able to see the results of a Artistic process apparently is the new American Ideal. Bitch Land. "Like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin'", Just talik' loud, ain't sayin' nothing". Ask somebody.
Most of his shots are capturing the shock or anger from him shoving a camera in the subjects face. He is now part of the story. Street photography where the subject is completely unaware of the photographer is far more interesting to look at and tells a better story 50 years later.
While i think his photos are interesting on one hand, i think they are "staged" on the other hand...when you pop a flash in someone's face and they react, you've set up the shot instead of capturing unscripted moments which occur naturally and are much harder to shoot. Have real mixed feelings about his photographic style.
When you pop a flash in someone's face, you don't capture their "reaction" on the photo, which is taken at the same instance. The reaction might come AFTER the flash. Jebus, it's like most of commenters never took a flash photo.
there is no such thing as "not scripted images" in photography , at the moment you setup a composition it's already over , street photography and photography in general is not a representation of reality ... thoses facial expression are actually natural since it's how they react to the moment ... yes he create the moment but you know that in life you have to create your own opportunitys right ? no matter the style you are doing or the type of photos you are doing even in "reporter" photography you compose your shot , no matter what again , there are no such thing as a "non staged image" people really need to stop with that bullshit
I like his photography a lot. I do understand why other people might not, though I don't get why they feel the need to be insulting when they express their opinion.
How can you argue with a guy that has a camera in one hand and huge flash in the other, nothing discrete about it, you got to love that..."I just took your photo, what're you gonna do"?!
Bruce, love the video. People are a bit more wary here in Australia, as the streets are not all that busy. In light of the fact that some cameras shoot pretty well as 1600 ASA would you still use a flash.
The one thing that street photography should not be, is intrusive. Thats the one thing you do apart from annoying people. Using the flash on unsuspecting people is remarkably rude.
really? photography in general is an intrusion. that's the whole point of it. you intrude by grabbing a part of the world and recording it onto photo paper. some of the most famous photographers in the world have intruded to get photos that have changed peoples lives and opened the eyes of others.
seeing this technique is cathartic to me, regarding that my potential subjects often reject my request for *a* picture, and i’ve ended up making grotesque candids. years - even decades - of experience will change lots of perspective of some optimistic, youthful photographers like me. well, just gonna drop this: *making art is not illegal. publishing it may be*
On one hand I am happy that the country I live in have very strict rules when it comes to street photography (what Bruce does would not bode well, or I am not sure how strict the rules were back in 2008 tho), but also I really wanna do some street photography as I love people watching, and I would love to take pictures of all the amazing people out there.
Look at all these comments here 'he's an a-hole', 'he's rude', I even read 'he doesn't know how to use a flash'.. really? You don't know the guy and you don't know your classic photography. I think his pictures are extremely good and his attitude helps getting stuff like that. He's not intimidating anyone, he works too fast to intimidate people. If you're going to do this style of photograpy, you need to be at least a littlebit like Bruce.
I tend to think that what he is saying about people becoming "the same", fewer characters, is pretty accurate. Times have really changed, I remember when people used to enjoy having their picture taken, there was a feeling of liberty and fun, people wanted things to happen to them in public, to live an interesting life. Women and men were both open to the adventure, though it was definitely dangerous, the culture was so different... I miss that spirit... it had its downside but today people are so uptight, and totally lacking in love and spiritedness... It amazes me that people still think they're living in a free world, so much has disappeared since the late 90's and early 2000's... its sad...
@@loklan1 It has changed, but 99% is just getting older and nostalgic for sure. People might have changed due to how much surveillance is going on. If we don't act up, we will literally end up with zero privacy in the end. I mean phones are already listening to what you are saying in order to show you ads.
I am free baby.. I’m in my prime and I don’t give a fuck, got my heart full of love and I live how I want.. but I’m a rare one baby. One of a dying breed
He has produced some amazing photographs over the years. Not agreeing with his methods is one thing, but calling him a terrible photographer is just ignorant and ridiculous.
No it's not, how arrogant do you have to be to think that you "have" to like his work other your ignorant and ridiculous... His last project "2 days in Appalachia" was probably some of the worst work I've seen this year. Some of his old street photos are ok but thats about as far as i would go, for a supposed journalist and documentary photographer his work lacks a great deal of depth and context making the majority of his pics pretty throw away, what insight is offered in a bunch of pictures of startled people in the street?
I should have been more clear, my response was for those who know nothing of Bruce Gilden but this video, yet feel the need to say how terrible he is. If you are familiar with his career and work and don't like him, that is fine.
I am an artist, a photographer. I am a nature photographer (not street.) Yes, I watched and I listened to him saying that people are too busy focussing on their own lives to notice, but I also think there are other ways to go about photography. See the Sandra Roa or the Jamel Shabazz videos for a different (an in my opinion better) way to do street photography. Anyone can go and shove a camera in someones face, but it takes reall guts to actually talk to the people, and get to know them.
