Shriner's parade--Times Square, New York City no number 1953

This is Robert Frank's photographic contact sheet, "Shriner's parade--Times Square, New York City", though we don't know exactly when he made it. What strikes me about this image is the idea of the artist being there, present. You see the different shots, some are blurred, some are in focus, and others are marked with red or yellow wax pencil - a way of noting his selections. I imagine Frank walking around New York and then later sitting at his desk, editing the shots. The work feels immediate and gives the sense of him really grappling with the possibilities of photography. Like a painter using a brush, here Frank uses a camera. By drawing on the surface of the sheet, he’s making marks as a way of thinking and seeing. I love the immediacy and simplicity of Frank's pictures, he was a real innovator for his time. It’s like he’s trying to figure out what photography can do and how it can reflect the world. And when I see this, it makes me want to go back to my studio and start painting!