“One of the dangers of street photography is the one-liner”

[dyao]

as quoted in this New York Times Lens blog post:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/timeless-stories-in-1970s-new-york/

in reference to this photo:

full quote:

Ms. Wolf sees even more in the picture. “One of the dangers of street photography is the one-liner,” she said, as we stood in front of “The Roman Room at the Met” and looked at that bushy-bearded art student. “I do laugh, but I’m so moved by his dedication.”

discuss!

 

[gns]

Thanks for the link.

I guess Elliott Erwitt would be the master of the visual one-liner.

Cheers,
Gar

 

[dyao]

I don't think you can reduce Erwitt pictures to just being 'one-liners' though - I feel that oftentimes there's a lot more going on under the surface than what is immediately obvious.

I think more of visual punsters like Matt Stuart when I think of this quote.

 

[ebino]

Yup, the one-liner is the danger. As to the picture posted, a bushy bearded artist measuring the chin on a sculpture, "so what?"

 

[dyao]

I don't think the image quoted quite falls into the trap - as she mentions, the overall odd appearance of the person pushes the picture onto another level.

 

[ebino]

He looks quite ordinary to those who are familiar with people with bushy beards... I know a few artists who look like that.

 

[ederek]

He looks quite ordinary to those who are familiar with people with bushy beards... I know a few artists who look like that.

The OP quoted the article just after this bit:

Even Mr. McDonough allows that enlargements helped him discover elements in his own compositions. Here, from a new monograph by Umbrage Editions, “New York Photographs, 1968-1978,” is his description of Slide 3:

There was this fellow — he looked like an anarchist, or more accurately, a cartoon version of one. In fact, he was an art student studying the sculptures. But he was taking liberties. He was touching the art, which is, of course, taboo in any museum. … I took a few pictures. Later, in viewing the enlarged print I saw that the three sculptures of heads, each with a beard slightly fuller than the other, connected. My subject had the bushiest beard and it was as if he were looking at his predecessors. But … I could only see this later, in the enlargement.​

I actually found that section more interesting - that viewing a print at larger size revealed new dimensions to the image not available at a smaller scale.

I found the same in a number of street photos I've taken. Reminds me of just how much detail and elements of the scene I miss when taking a shot. Pushes me to look harder when previsualizing..
​

 

[Taynt3d]

Reminds me of just how much detail and elements of the scene I miss when taking a shot. Pushes me to look harder when previsualizing..

This! .