Skier--Sports 1941 - 1945

This photograph, Skier--Sports, was made by Robert Frank using a camera and photographic paper. The way Frank frames his subject, there’s a real sense of being right there with this person, emerging from the dark mouth of a tunnel onto the snow. The grainy texture of the print almost feels like you could reach out and touch the rough surface of the brick or the crispness of the snow. It’s not a slick, perfect image; it's got this raw, immediate quality. Look how the light catches the skier's face, and the way the shadows play around the tunnel's entrance – it’s not just about documenting a scene, but about capturing a feeling, a mood. Frank, like many street photographers, has something in common with painters like Edward Hopper. Both are interested in capturing everyday life with a sense of detachment and introspection. It's in these off-kilter, imperfect moments that Frank and Hopper find something profound.