Genius of photography episode 4

Episode 4 of "Genius of photography" is about paper movies. The episode begins with Martin Paar and John Gassage on the road. They are traveling around America to take photographs of thinks which they are passing during their car trip. This shows that photographer should be in move. As in episode is said "photography always wanted to be in move".

This episode presented photographers like Timothy O'Sullivan who was a master of profanity, Robert Frank who is an author of one of the most known paper movies "The Americans", William Klein who "isn't interested in the image in itself but he is interested in the way this image can be arranged, cropped put in different contexts". In his opinion "everything turns into some kind of show". In the programme we see also photographers like Arthur Weeges whose work is identify with crowd, John Meyerewitz. The episode shows the importance and meaning of the street photography and the role of black and white photographs.
It presents also the differences between American and British photographers who had sea instead of street like Tom ray Jons. He was "a wry observer guiding the camera making it see what he sees of the human condition and the human comedy".
The establishment of colour photography could be dated for the years 1970s. Photographers had an opinion that black and white photo is more professional however after some time they saw that with colour they are able to make their picture more detail.

"Colour photography had been around since the 1860s, but had flourished in the parts of photography's empire where commerce trumped art. Colour was found in advertising fashion and glossy magazines, the places where photography sinned. Worst of all colour was the natural language of the amateur snapshot."  

It was very interesting for me to watch this because I had never before thinking about photography as a paper movie. I had found also a lot of inspiration for my project. Martin Paar work as well as a street photography is showing people in their everyday situations. It was also really interesting to hear the opinion of photographers about black and white photographs.

In my opinion this episode presents how photography was changing in the time.

The quote from the Genius of photography:
"[Photographers] They see the things we miss or don't think about and then report back so that we have a chance to think again."