Guggenheim 530--Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California 1 - 1956

Robert Frank made this photographic filmstrip, Guggenheim 530--Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, at an unknown date. The filmstrip format gives us the feeling of Frank's process, of shooting and trying and shooting again. It's interesting to see how the light changes in each frame, how the focus shifts, and how Frank crops and recomposes his shots. It’s almost like seeing a painter work through a series of sketches. In one frame, we see a man in a suit, standing among a crowd. The texture is grainy, the contrast high, and the mood is strangely detached. It’s a fleeting moment, captured and preserved. You can see how this way of working might have influenced later photographers and artists who were interested in capturing the grit and energy of everyday life. It’s all about the moment and the experience. You might look at the work of Garry Winogrand for other examples of this kind of fleeting street photography.