Robert Frank was a true pioneer in photography and paved the way for so many incredible photographers. Robert is most famously known for his groundbreaking photography book called “The Americans“.
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One of the people who was influenced by Robert more than anyone was Joel Meyerowitz. Joel, as a junior art director didn’t even have an interest in photography until he saw Robert Frank with his camera, moving and clicking the shutter.
The Americans by Robert Frank
His most famous work is undoubtedly the groundbreaking photo book called “The Americans”, which I of course had to add to my list of all-time best photo books, because of the immense impact it has on American culture and photography books.
Get Robert Franks Books The Americans on Amazon.
The foreword of The Americans is written by writer and good friend of Robert, Jack Kerouac. “Robert sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film”, said Jack Kerouac.
Who was Robert Frank?
As a Swiss living in America, Robert Frank had a truly unique perspective on America. His peers, being other professional photographers, saved their expensive exposures on people “who deserved to be photograph”; Hollywood, actors, and the rich and famous.
That kind of photography didn’t interest Robert Frank. Or at least, that’s not what he was drawn to in photography. He was the first photographer to use his valuable exposure photographing “normal people” and document the everyday mundane America, which later became the legendary photography book The Americans.
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