Four women before gate, Paris 1951

Robert Frank made this photograph, Four women before gate, Paris, with photography, sometime during his life. It’s a tight composition. You can see Frank's interest in process, in the sense of seeing something and immediately getting it down in camera; almost without thinking. The darks are really dark, and the whites are quite bright, there's not much in between. The textural elements, like the rough stone of the building behind, the ironwork of the gates, and the crinkled fabric of the women's coats are emphasized by this approach. The light reflects differently off each surface, giving them a life of their own. Look at the woman on the right. She looks like she is leaning on a walking stick. The top of the handle is perfectly circular, but it's like a void. Frank reminds me of Garry Winogrand. They both capture life as it is, in all its messy glory.