Saul Leiter: In Search of Beauty

Thanks for posting this FPJ,

I remember reading about Leiter right after he passed, and seeing his beautiful work from Manhattan. Really an inspiration.

Looks like his books are still in print, and that documentary about him is also on iTunes. Will be watching that tonight.

Best,
-Tim
 
A good friend gave me Early Color when it was first published. Simply divine. Leiter's color images of Manhattan are such gorgeous abstractions, not to the point of losing recognition of the scene, but where I just marveled at his ability to see and isolate surprising juxtapositions and resonances within the urban jumble. I later picked up a couple of volumes of his black and white work and found them far less compelling. Not bad, but falling far short of his brilliance and genius with color.
 
I finally managed to see the Saul Leiter exhibition yesterday, the photos are (as expected) amazing, really love this 'framing' technic of Saul Leiter. And the colors, simply outstanding. Wish Kodak would bring back Kodachrome. There's absolutely no substitute for it, what ever you try with film or digital.

I also like the new place of Foto Colectania near Parc de la Ciutadella, much nicer atmosphere than the old housing. And I always get envy when I see there photo book archive.

So, if you are in BCN for a visit in the next 2 weeks, don't miss out the opportunity to see Saul Leiter's photos in real. The exhibition is open until the 21st of October.

Juergen
 
Saul Leiter is my muse though I do not have the skill to emulate him. There is something about his work that is poetic, beautiful and lyrical. His use of reflections and slightly distorted shots through and framed by windows emphasises it. And his use of color. There is often (always?) in his color shots a bright color accent - a red umbrella, a yellow traffic light and so forth. I have written previously in some threads about a Japanese film Director Yasujiro Ozu who famously set his film scenes very much like well composed photographs. He did the same as Leiter and very often a scene you could almost count on a scene having a bright red item in frame. We could all learn something about composition from these guys (though it does not have to be a red point of interest of course).

BTW if you want to see a movie that is consciously shot in the style of a Saul Leiter photograph it is Carol, starring Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YX-fFxbVkM

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Shots from Yasujiru Ozu films

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good-morning-1959-001-domestic-objects-colour.jpg


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peterm1 said:
BTW if you want to see a movie that is consciously shot in the style of a Saul Leiter photograph it is Carol, starring Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YX-fFxbVkM
Click to expand...

Great, thanks for the tip, didn't watched it yet, kind of strange as Cate Blanchett is one of my all time favorite actors.

Yasujiru Azu is well known and appreciated, discovered him a few years ago in Lewis Criswell's Directors series at YT but didn't make a direct connection to Saul Leiter's work, now where you mentioned it, its more than obvious. Thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G7oeyOsfSg

Juergen
 
peterm1 said:
BTW if you want to see a movie that is consciously shot in the style of a Saul Leiter photograph it is Carol, starring Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara.
Click to expand...

This is more than obvious and what I immediatly thought when I watched this beautiful movie at my local theater when it was released out.
 
BTW Look at this Yosujiro Ozu image (posted also below). All I can say is Rule of Thirds on Steroids........(you seldom see it done so well though. And in fact now that I think about it, it has it all - leading lines etc).

tumblr_n5451lYH081sntrjbo1_1280.jpg
 
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