1. The image or photograph must be candid

2. The context of the situation must be clearly established

3. The background behind every subject in a series must be the same

4. The photographer must always be visible to the subject(s) in the photograph

5. The moments the images are to be taken must be defined before the pictures are taken

6. Secondary image(s) can be attached to the primary image if needed to clarify an established context

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was tired of the conventions in which most photographs of people are taken. And I was tired of the results that  often seem to pass for poetry. I needed something to be objective : I wanted the context to be clearly established . I  wanted play a role in the situation, but I wanted the situation to take a photograph of itself for me . I would design the scenarios in which this could happen, and then the situation could be responsible for creating the picture. The poetry would be as much in the design of that scenario as from any photograph that might come from it. These situations would include me but I would disappear as any kind of typical photographer. I would simply play a role in the  scenario. I would become someone waiting for an elevator, a man reading the New Yorker waiting for a friend to pass through the turnstile, or simply another tourist watching someone having his or her portrait done. The situations were mapped out, tests were made, and special clothing was worn. I became a spy for the obvious.

 

Situation 1: The Times Square Portraits (Time Port). I  developed or redesigned a scenario that made use of an existing portrait-making setup. The scenario consisted of people sitting at night in Times Square while street artists  drew their portraits for a small fee. Unknown to the subjects, from a distance of about five fee,  I was able to make the camera disappear.  As I stood there intently watching their portrait being made,  I took their picture as I leaned in as close as physically possible to the eye of the artist drawing their portrait.

 

Situation 2: The Subway Turnstile Pictures (More Turns). I developed a situation so that various subjects could be defined by the constraints of exactly the same mechanical apparatus. The scenario consisted of someone passing through a subway turnstile. At the moment that the subjects passed through the turnstile, unknown to them, I took their picture stationed at a distance of eleven feet. I stood there turning pages of a magazine observing subjects out of the corner of my eye, waiting for only the moment when they pushed the turnstile bar to release the shutter.

 

Situation 3 : The Elevator Portraits (Stop Down).  I developed a situation in order to manufacture group portraits. The scenario consisted of elevator doors opening and closing. At the moment the doors opened, unknown to the riders, I took their picture stationed at a distance of ten feet. I stood looking lost either next to a shopping cart or with my back facing the elevator doors, quietly taking frame after frame as the doors opened and closed.