Parties--Hoboken, New Jersey no number 1954

Robert Frank snapped this contact sheet, Parties—Hoboken, New Jersey, using black and white film, sometime in the mid-20th century. It's like he's handing us his process, showing us all the takes, the missteps, and the near misses. Look at how he frames these moments; they're slices of life, raw and unfiltered. The graininess of the film adds a layer of grit, a tactile quality that makes you feel like you're right there in the room. Each frame is a little world, a gesture, a glance. Notice in the frames highlighted in red, the way the bodies are arranged, almost collapsing in on each other. Are they drunk? Exhausted? Something about the awkwardness feels so real. Frank isn’t afraid to show us the messiness of human interaction. I think of Garry Winogrand, who also loved to dive into the chaos of city life with his camera. Both remind us that art doesn't always have to be pretty; it just has to be true.