Robert Frank: On how he shot his masterwork, The Americans

“You have to be quick as a photographer, not to be noticed too much. You have to have your camera with you all the time ready to shoot.”

Robert Frank

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art shared this small video on YouTube. In this rare interview, photographer Robert Frank discusses his seminal book “The Americans” (1958). He reflects on specific images from the series and gives insight into his process at the time.

After receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1955, Frank traveled all across the United States and pointed his lens at all facets of society. After two years of roaming through cities and capturing roughly 28,000 photos, Frank selected 83 of them for his photo book.

The Americans is now widely considered one of the most influential in the history of photography.

Here’s a sneak peak at the book. You can purchase it at Amazon.com

 

( via SF MOMA )