Guggenheim 636--San Francisco c. 1956

This is a photographic contact sheet titled Guggenheim 636--San Francisco by Robert Frank. Look at the way Frank has arranged these images, one after the other. He’s building up a narrative, a rhythm. What was he thinking as he shot these frames, and then later when he arranged them? I mean, each frame is a micro-decision, right? What to include, what to leave out, what to focus on, how to compose. It is a bit like painting, where the process of layering and mark-making leads to unexpected discoveries and meanings. I love the way Frank challenges us to see the world in new ways through his eyes and through the lens of the camera. It is like an extended poem built up out of daily life. Much like painting, photography is also deeply rooted in personal experience and the process of seeing, framing, and capturing moments in time.