Bruce Gilden’s In-Your-Face Street Photography

Bruce Gilden is a street photographer that I incredibly admire. Although there is definitely a lot of controversy over his style of street photography (aggressive and in-your-face), there is no doubt that he is one of the best contemporary street photographers alive. He is a part of the street photography agency called Magnum Photos and has been shooting Japan’s Yakuza gangsters, the homeless, prostitutes, as well as ordinary people on the street for decades. His images show the true characters of people–unposed, raw, and gritty. The fact that he also uses a flash when he shoots gives his images a third dimension and is his patented technique.

Recently New York Photographer and Filmmaker Cheryl Dunn has announced her new documentary on New York street photography titled “Everyone Street.” I stumbled upon a short video clip of Bruce Gilden and knew that I had to share it with the rest of you guys. You can see the guy gets a lot of crap on the street for his style of street photography but still treats it like a walk in the park. I think we can all learn a lesson from the guy and have more balls on the streets.

via The New Yorker