I’ve recently started to re-study the work of Weegee, and I’m so inspired by his work.

Reasons why I love the work of Weegee:

1. The surrealism in his photos make you reconsider, why do we perceive reality the way we do? Is there more than one way of seeing the world? You see this much in his “distortions” works, where he intentionally distorts his photos, and overlaps them, to create a new type of image.
2. His epic use of flash (remember this was the old school days with large format rangefinder cameras, where he more or less only got a single shot per scene. He also had to use disposable flash bulbs).
3. The social historian role he did: documenting his times. For example at the time, it was illegal for men cross dress as women. He documented secret societies and showed his contempt for Hollywood celebrities in his photos, and the vacuous nature of consumerism and capitalism.
4. His photos are just fun and interesting to look at. They’re often comical, yet grotesque at the same time. His photos are non-dull (the best compliment to any photographer).
5. His fantastic compositions. Note how he does a lot of layered flash shots, and how he integrates the “Arabesque/curve” composition to his work.

I’m gonna keep studying him more, but for the meanwhile here’s some of my favorite photos of his: