Saul Leiter (December 3, 1923 – November 26, 2013) was an American photographer and painter whose early work in the 1940s and 1950s was an important contribution to what came to be recognised as the New York school of photography.
Introduction
Saul Leiter a working photographer , who mainly did fashion and commercial photography and painting as his livelihood . He was a commercially he shot Black and white mainly and very muted colours . As he was known for .
Although , he used to conduct his personal photography exploration with various film types and colour film which earned him alot of respect for him pushing the fine art and street photography to a different direction.
Perspective on street photography
Saul Leiter believed in not to medel with the environment and the frames he shoots . To be a observer and to capture it at its absolute authenticity, It gives the subject , a character of liveliness and authentic expression . His use and experiments of colour gives it a much more dramatic expression .
Mystery , Silence and Error
In all the photos by Saul Leiter the three elements correlate to each other to creat a new and living still image . The elements of motion can be in the form of reflection of a passing vehicle , raindrops dripping , the wind blowing , etc. The etiquette of a street photographer is to keep the subjects who are not interested in the art or the person taking the photo to be unrecognised or to be hidden , although Saul Leiter being a introvert , he used it to its fullest to create mystry and to make more related to all . He uses siloutes of people or taking them completely as possible to not to ruin the art he wishes to creat . He showcases his Mastery of using shadows , depth of field , blocking , film flaws and scratches to build his image rather than being a hinderence for his work. It evolved into his style and seamlessly integrated itself in the form of artistic expression .
Colour & Contrast
For the time when colour Photography was still a subject of debate , Saul Leiter used it to create understand light and to create drama using along the values and understanding of contrast in light , but also to use the colour contrast to its fullest experimenting with different colour values to create dramatic stories . His experience in use of expired or heated film gave him a better understanding of the working and use of the film and the tools he used . He pushed the art form to create a new and interesting ideas to creat his frames which he used mindful into his commercial photography.
The use of colours that tells the story in its own sense has always been at the back of his mind which truthfully is expressed in the images created by Saul Leiter .
Framing the Composition
Lines of references , frame with in a frame , subject isolation , leading lines and foreground patterns are the major styles of Saul Leiter . In his frames he uses his depth of field as a element of composition as well . Unlike many other photographers he used a much more organic or skewed lines and framing to give it a imperfect perfection than from geometric shapes and structure . He uses shadows to isolate the subject from the picture which is also his part of style that creates Mystery to the frame that makes us think about the unseen part of the picture . Saul Leiter lets us as the spectators use our imagination to question the unseen and keep the mystery alive . Being a abstract artist his use of authenticity even playes a big role in his abstract photography , where he makes photographs that look like painting and creates a texturised photograph.
Conclusion
When it comes to Saul Leiter and his Photographs . He honed the unexplored in silence , and made his work speak for itself . The photos express strong and dramatic feelings and emotions in the most beautiful and authentic way , embracing the evolution of colour and pushing it to its limits for his curiousity has helped a whole lot more of artist to be able to see and experience the world through his view .
An Critical analisys of popular Photographer : Saul Leiter
By Jovinjith Kennedy ,BSC Digital Filmmaking
Assignment by Mr G.S.Dhunanjay , Photography
World of Jo 