A book for street shooting fans...

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If you are in the book store, check out a book called "THE PARISIANS" by Peter Turnley. It is clearly derivative of Robert Franks' "THE AMERICANS" from the late 1950's, but it is obvious, cameras and lenses have greatly improved... the pictures in the new book are outstanding. Any fan of candid street shooting should take a look at this book, it will inspire you to load up the camera and hit the street. There are also many indoor, wide aperture shots, most candid, that will make you keep your lens on f/1.4.

Turnley is one of two twin brothers who are both photojournalist. Peter, the author, migrated to Paris and started working in the same lab that did all of HCB's printing. Every shot is black and white, and judging by the aspect ratio, (1.5 to 1), there seems to be no cropping. The level of the printing, and the reproduction in the book are simply great. If a Leica photographer can look through the book and not get charged up, then it is time to turn in the cameras. It might be interesting to note, that while there is no equipment information, one could surmise that Nikons were probably used most often. There are a couple of shots in which Turnley had shot a self portrait in a mirror, and you can see the big Nikon prism. But more important than the actual camera is the style... dynamic photojournalistic pictures of real people... true "Leica style". Check it out.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), January 08, 2001

Answers

Agree with the above opinions on P.Turnley's book "The Parisians". The book pictures and interview with Peter Turnley appear in the URL site, http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0009/frame_cover.html.

Enjoy !!

-- Claudio Nicolini (cnicolin@ix.netcom.com), January 09, 2001.


I enjoyed the book and pictures so I hate to say this, but Cartier- Bresson, Kertesz, or Robert Frank they ain't.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), January 09, 2001.

I agree with Bill above. Peter Turnley is a talented PJ, but the pictures confirm that a big element of European street photography in the minds of some is, well, European streets.

People clothes, faces, and the architecture of Paris, all lend a certain look (exploited lately by TV commercials) in B&W that is reminiscent of the grand photography from the exact same locations in the 30s and 50s by the likes of HCB and Andres Kertesz.

Of course, for those guys, both B&W and Paris streets were just the medium of the moment and home turf. So they had to inject their genius vision to make their pictures stand out in their time. And so it does, for all time, I suspect...

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), January 11, 2001.


Lot's of well composed photographs, some poignant moments.

The man really shows off his talent when, as a photojournalist with dramatic and extreme moments unfolding around him, he both captures a newsworthy event and has the quick and intuitive mind to create a strong composition simultaneously. When it comes to the everyday moments, the quite moments, the photography has to bring more of him or herself to the party. I now know little of the photographer's own humanity and soul. The best street photography in my opinion is, at a deeper level, an honest and telling self portrait. "Truth" is complex, and it is the only goal I have ever read of Robert

-- Warren Spicer (wspicer@metronews.com), January 12, 2001.


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