Guggenheim 385--Gallup, New Mexico 1955

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, Guggenheim 385--Gallup, New Mexico, using gelatin silver print. What strikes me is the way the film is arranged, like a storyboard of fleeting moments, all punctuated by the sprocket holes that give it rhythm and measure. The grainy, high-contrast black and white adds to the feeling that we are looking at something raw, unedited. The red grease pencil marks are so key; they are like a painter’s sketch marks, revealing Frank’s process of selection and framing, transforming the mundane into something poetic. Take the strip near the bottom, for instance, a series of diners in a booth, cropped so closely; it’s a study in gesture and intimacy, reminiscent of Nan Goldin’s images. It reminds me that photography, like painting, is about making choices, deciding what to show and what to leave out, and about creating a language that speaks in its own unique way.