From the bus 63 1958

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, From the bus 63, with photography. I love that it shows the whole process, not just the perfect shot. It's like getting a peek behind the scenes of seeing. What strikes me is the texture of the film. It's grainy and raw, not trying to be slick or smooth. It’s honest. Look at the sequence of images - each frame a slightly different angle, a different moment. The light and shadow play across the surface, giving depth to something usually so flat. And the way he's marked certain frames, that red box, it's like he’s saying, "Pay attention here, this is the one.” Frank isn't trying to give us answers; he's showing us how to look. Like those other masters of the everyday, maybe someone like Garry Winogrand, or Helen Levitt, he knew how to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.