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All photographs copyrighted by the estate of Harry Callahan.<\/em><\/p>\n You can download this article for free as a .docx<\/a>, PDF<\/a>, or Google Doc<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n I recently came upon the work of Harry Callahan from a friend and former workshop student named Chris Giuseppe.<\/p>\n This past weekend, I organized a small meet-up in San Francisco in the mission district (Haus Coffee is lovely) and about 10 of us street photographers met up, exchanged prints, photography books, current projects, and good laughs and catching-up.<\/p>\n This Harry Callahan book that Chris brought (the book is just called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Harry Callahan<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) was a big tome\u00e2\u20ac\u201c and diverse in its material. Harry Callahan had an incredible career in terms of his photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201c he photographed so much different subject matter with so much emotion, soul, and tenacity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One thing Chris told me that he loved about Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work was his close and intimate relationship with his wife Eleanor\u00e2\u20ac\u201c in which he photographed her lovingly and with care.<\/p>\n Considering that I have been trying to photograph my girlfriend and partner Cindy \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I was interested. I looked through the work of Harry Callahan, and was fascinated how he excelled in so many different types of photography: portraiture, nudes (of Eleanor), architecture, abstract, landscape, multiple-exposure \u00e2\u20ac\u0153trick\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photography, as well as his street photography.<\/p>\n Harry was a generalist\u00e2\u20ac\u201c he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t only photograph one thing specifically. He photographed everything\u00e2\u20ac\u201c with equal amounts of passion and gusto.<\/p>\n This interested me a lot because I am generally the type in which I advocate the importance of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153specialization\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201c of focusing on one thing and getting really good at it (before moving onto other things).<\/p>\n But in life (and photography), there are no rules\u00e2\u20ac\u201c only guidelines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So anyways, Chris generously let me borrow his book (thanks Chris) and after going through the introduction of the book (excellent) and of an interview I found of him from 1975<\/a> I put together this article. I hope the love, passion, and insights from Harry Callahan can be an inspiration to you (as it was for me):<\/p>\n I personally don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like writing biographies\u00e2\u20ac\u201c much of this section is heavily borrowed\/copied\/paraphrased from the Harry Callahan book introduction. But here we go:<\/p>\n To get to know the life of Harry Callahan, we need to realize that he had a prolific working life as a photographer (he lived from 1912\u00e2\u20ac\u201c1999) and was definitely one of the pioneers of the 20th century American school of photography. He had an outstanding 38 exhibitions at the New York Museum of Modern Art from 1956\u00e2\u20ac\u201c1997. The great curator John Szarkowski also curated Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s retrospective in 1976 called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Callahan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Also in 1978, Harry Callahan was the first photographer to represent the United States at the Venice Biennial, which he did with painter Richard Diebenkorn.<\/p>\n Harry also traveled a lot during his life as a photographer. In the states, he took a lot of photos in Detroit, Chicago, Providence, Atlanta, and New York. Internationally he went on trips to France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, and Ireland.<\/p>\n In terms of his own photography, he saw himself as an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153art photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and the main themes of his photography included nature, his wife Eleanor (and daughter Barbara), and the city streets.<\/p>\n How did Harry make a living? Well, he started off making a living teaching photography, starting in 1946 when he was hired to teach at the Department of Photography at the Institute of Design in Chicago. In 1961, he was asked to establish and head the Department of Photography at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. Although he enjoyed teaching, he enjoyed photographing more.<\/p>\n When his photos started to sell in the mid\u00e2\u20ac\u201c1970\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, he contemplated retiring so he could devote his entire life to traveling and making pictures. His dream was fulfilled in 1978, and he soon quit making black and white photos and explored color photography. During this period, he made lots of rips to Japan, China, Mexico, and Ireland and he made thousands of Kodachrome transparencies of all these trips.<\/p>\n So in the previous section we got a quick look into his life as a photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u201c but let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s get more into the nitty gritty of how he first picked up a camera and got started in it.<\/p>\n In 1938 a cousin of his wife Eleanor inspired Harry Callahan to buy his own camera. Harry shares the story below:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He showed me this thing and it looked just like a jewel. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what started me\u00e2\u20ac\u201d that nice piece of machinery.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry was fascinated by the camera, and he was 26 and an office clerk in the Chrysler Motors mail-order department brought himself a Rolleicord 120 that shot 6×6 film. He learned to develop his film.<\/p>\n Initially started at the Chrysler Motors Corporation Camera Club, an amateur club for practical tips. He shares his experience:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I saw that these people were serious about photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201c that photography was important.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Later on, he moved onto the Detroit Camera Club. This club was a different type of beast\u00e2\u20ac\u201c they had a very strict set of rules, manipulated their photos heavily\u00e2\u20ac\u201c which turned Harry off:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They had a fellow, I forget what \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I think his name was Fossbender. He came and gave a talk to the Detroit Camera Club. And he did all kinds of manipulation with paper and paper negative stuff. And he painted out pictures and painted in things, and stuff like that. And he says, well, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now you people, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to take years to ever get to be this good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And I thought \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, God, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to go through that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really nuts about what he was doing anyway<\/strong>, but I was impressed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In the Detroit Photo Guild, many of the members imposed their stringent rules on others (based on the creative traditions of Pictorialism). The rules included the following: they manipulated their photos strongly, and also had lots of stringent rules on craftsmanship, technique, and laws of composition.<\/p>\n Furthermore, a lot of members in the club spent a lot of time discussing aesthetic theories that dated in the late 19th and beginning 20th centuries (which bored Callahan to death).<\/p>\n Harry hated the stringent set of rules that the Detroit Photo Guild imposed. He wanted to be more spontaneous with his work:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I made photographs that looked kind of good to me. But I felt kind of frustrated, things seemed all wrong<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In August 1941, Ansel Adams held a lecture at the Detroit Photo Guild, followed by a workshop. Ansel Adams was opposed to Pictorialism, as he was one of the founding members of the group f\/64 that was established in 1932 that advocated \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Straight Photography.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The concept was that they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to manipulate their photos, and they wanted to show their photos as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153faithfully\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as possible.<\/p>\n This is what Adams said about great photos:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety<\/strong>. And the expression of what one feels should be set forth in terms of simple devotion to the medium.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry shares more in-depth of how Ansel Adams inspired his work:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153[Adams] showed his work and it was all straight photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsharp and beautiful prints. Seeing Ansel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work just completely set me free<\/strong>. I asked him what kind of lenses he used, what kind of film he used, what kind of paper he used, and what kind of developer he used. I wrote it down and that was my bible for over a year. The camera was a machine and it could take machine-like pictures which were very beautiful<\/strong>. It could get such texture\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you know, that was just magnificent to me. I got an 8×10 camera, and just contact-printed my pictures because that was the sharpest you could get.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Callahan was fascinated by the sharp and highly-detailed photos (and tonality) so he got a 9x12cm Linhof Technika bellows camera and traded his enlarger for an 8×10\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Deardorff large-format camera. Callahan also quit the Detroit Photo Guild, and decided to meet like-minded amateurs at Arthur Siegel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s place (where he also benefitted from their large photography library).<\/p>\n Callahan was inspired by Adams\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 work and decided that he wanted to become not just a photographer, but also an artist. Harry Callahan also shares how photography filled a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153spiritual need\u00e2\u20ac\u009d deep inside him:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was just ready for it. I figured it out on the basis that I had been religious and I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really believe in religion anymore and I needed to fulfill that spiritual need. Photography did<\/strong>.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry also started off by not caring about what others would think of him and his work. He was just interested in making great art (which would please him):<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was off by myself, I think, in those days. I thought, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWell, sure, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be like Van Gogh and nobody\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d ever know about me but Id make really great art<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As time went on, Harry started to define himself as an artist and found that photography wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just a hobby anymore\u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was something he deeply believed in:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I found photography as a hobby, and then finally realized that it was something I really believed in. I had believed in the hope of believing in something, and photography was it.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To completely dedicate him to photography, he gave up his job at General Motors in 1945 and along with his wife Eleanor and friend Todd Webb headed to New York for a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153personal fellowship\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of several months, which he financed from his own savings.<\/p>\n This is what he thought his photography could do for him\u00e2\u20ac\u201d he thought it could express his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feelings and visual relationship to life within me and about me<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n What kind of photographs excited Harry the most? Well\u00e2\u20ac\u201c it were the photographs in which the photographer would express him\/herself faithfully:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The photographs that excite me are photographs that say something in a new manner; not for the sake of being different, but ones that are different because the individual is different and the individual expresses himself.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry shares more of his thoughts on his passion for capturing life in this scholarship he applied at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1946):<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My project could only be to photographs as I felt and desired; to regulate a pleasant form of living: to get up in the morning\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfree, to feel the trees, the grass, the water, sky or buildings, people\u00e2\u20ac\u201deverything that affect us. This, I know, is not a definite project because life itself is not definite, but it could be the part of a lifetime project.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Through Harry Callahan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s entire life (1938\u00e2\u20ac\u201c1990\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s) you could argue that his photography \u00e2\u20ac\u0153project\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was documenting his entire life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In 1979 (at the age of 67) Harry wrote about his photographic life (looking back). He wrote the importance of constantly moving forward and photographing what he found interesting and important:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always liked the idea of the way Walt Whitman wrote his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Leaves of Grass.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He kept working on it all his life. Basically, he kept most of the same ideas, but he was always throwing out some parts and putting in some new things. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m kind of like that. I just keep shooting<\/strong>. Now, of course, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a different person and so I might bring something else to a picture if I attempted the same subject again, but that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t change the validity of the photographs made in the past.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And if you were curious about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Leaves of Grass\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Walt Whitman\u00e2\u20ac\u201c you can read it below:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The art of art, the glory of expression is simplicity<\/strong>. The greatest poet has less a marked style and is more the channel of thoughts and things without increase or diminution, and is the free channel of him. He swears to his art, I will not be meddlesome, I will not have in my writing any elegance or effect or originality to hang in the way between me and the rest like curtains. I will nothing hang in the way. What I tell I tell for precisely what it is. What I experience or portray shall go from my composition. You shall stand by my side and look in the mirror with me.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n One thing that sets Harry Callahan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work apart from many other photographers is just how diverse and multi-faceted his work is. Harry talks more about the variations of subject matter he photographed below:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the subject matter that counts. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m interested in revealing the subject in a new way to intensify it. A photo is able to capture a moment that people can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always see<\/strong>.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry continues by sharing the importance of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wanting to see\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and being curious:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wanting to see more makes you grow as a person and growing makes you want to show more of life around you<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Furthermore, he is interested in exploring his subject matter for longer periods of times (often several years):<\/p>\n “In each exploration or concern for the subject, I continue in the area for a great length of time, sometimes a couple of years.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n How was Harry Callahan able to stay so inspired, creative, and prolific through his entire life as a photographer?<\/p>\n Well, he first took the long-view in terms of creativity. He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see photography and creativity as just a short-sprint. He valued the importance of having a long creative life, as he said this in 1957:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Creativity can only be measured by the value of an individual\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s whole photographic life from beginning to end.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When it came to experimentation, Harry Callahan would print his photographs very differently. In this way, he differed from Ansel Adams who wanted to create \u00e2\u20ac\u0153faithful prints of reality.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Harry wanted to achieve his own inner-vision through his prints.<\/p>\n For example, he liked contrasty prints, as he talks about his photograph \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Weeds in Snow, Detroit, 1943\u00e2\u20ac\u009d:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I tried to print them like a so-called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153classic\u00e2\u20ac\u009d print\u00e2\u20ac\u201d tone, texture, all that\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look very good. So after maybe a month I printed them again, and finally I printed them with contrast, very black and white<\/strong>, which was sort of against what Ansel was talking about.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry Callahan goes more in-depth about printing with high contrast:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you print with contrast, you begin to see differently; you begin to look at different things to photograph.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So you can see that because Harry Callahan would experiment with his printing methods, he was able to see the world in a different way<\/strong>. This is how shooting with a different film or post-processing your photos in a certain way can give you a different vision of the world.<\/p>\n Harry also experimented with color in his lifetime (which in the beginning, was called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153vulgar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by famous and prominent photographers like Walker Evans).<\/p>\n When Harry started to work in color he bought his first 35mm camera, a Contax by Zeiss Ikon. This camera liberated him, due to the small size, flexibility, and the option of using Kodachrome slide film. This was a great liberation for him, as Harry did most of his work on large-format cameras (which were big, bulky, and slow):<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I had gotten sick and tired of looking at the ground glass and wanted to work with a handheld camera. It was a freeing process and I felt I needed the change.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In 1936 when Kodak made Kodachrome, it was a game changer\u00e2\u20ac\u201d as photographers could now produce color images as easily as black and white shots.<\/p>\n However the problem was that while slide transparencies looked good when projected on a projector (think of old home movies) they were very difficult to print (around 1941).<\/p>\n Initially the difficulty of printing color first turned Harry off:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It seemed absolutely against photography for me to go in the darkroom, take an hour to make one print, just to see what it looked like. You can make a black and white print in a minute and a half. Who wants to take an hour? If you are going to take that long, maybe you should\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve drawn it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n During that time, the printing process was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153dye-transfer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which was a very tricky, technically complex, and expensive process:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The only good prints I made at the beginning were dye transfer prints which cost $150 for one print. I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make a log in a month, so I had to leave it alone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Therefore when Harry started to first shoot color, he just looked at his transparencies (instead of printing them). It was a bit frustrating for him, as there wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t much he could do with his color work (in the beginning):<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I always did color, from the very beginning, but I could never do anything with it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Around the 1970\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the technology for printing color became a lot more advanced, accurate, and quicker. This spurred him to work more in color.<\/p>\n Soon to follow, he started to travel the world (and only shot in color) in the Caribbean, Egypt, Switzerland, Tahiti, Australia, Hawaii, Morocco, Japan, Peru, Ireland, and Europe. This is what Callahan wrote in 1977:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got about a year and a half\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work that hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been printed. The negatives are developed but they haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been printed. So I just feel that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to stop shooting black and white. So it would be color. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to develop it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So between 1977 and roughly until the end of the 1980s Callahan used only color film.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How does Harry Callahan figure out what to photograph, what to pursue, and how to pursue it? His method was this: he just constantly kept shooting, which would help him build his sense of seeing. This is what Harry Callahan said around 1951 when he was shooting color photos:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I photograph continuously, often without a good idea or a strong feeling. During this time the photos are nearly all poor but I believe they develop my seeing and help later in other photos<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry Callahan also faced a lot of creative difficulties in his life. For example in 1945 after the war ended and he quit his job, he moved to New York City. There he met famous photographers such as Helen Levitt, Lisette Model, Paul Strand, and Bernice Abbott. However he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel comfortable in his new environment and failed to get a fellowship from the New York Museum of Modern Art. He shares his self-consciousness below:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I felt very self-conscious around the really big shots there in New York. I felt out of place. we got discouraged and came home\u00e2\u20ac\u201d it was quite depressing.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In Chicago of January 1946, he got a job as a teaching assistant in the foundation course of photography. However he had a tough time:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It has been very hard for me to teach here at the School. I am completely non-verbal. Photography seems so simple to me that there doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem much to say.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n John Szarkowski mentioned him as sociable and friendly, but introverted:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One senses in Callahan a large capacity for privacy\u00e2\u20ac\u201d for an interior life unshared even by those closest to him.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n However he stayed and started to teach advanced courses, and took over the department from 1951\u00e2\u20ac\u201c1961 (when he moved on to the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence).<\/p>\n As I mentioned earlier in this article, I have been very drawn to Harry Callahan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s photographic life with his wife Eleanor. In this section we will delve more into his relationship with his wife, and he got started photographing her.<\/p>\n Harry and Eleanor Callahan were both married for an incredible 63 years. They first met at a blind date in 1933, when Harry was employed as a shipping clerk in the Parts Division at Chrysler Motors in Detroit, Michigan. Eleanor (at the time) was a secretary in t he auditing department of the Export Division. Neither Harry nor Eleanor had a college degree at the time.<\/p>\n In 1936 (presumably after some romantic interest) they got married and started their life together. Eleanor was well established as a secretary and earned a stable income that matched (and sometimes was more than) Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. Eleanor also helped Harry manage his business affairs (she was probably much better at it than Harry), which allowed Harry to pursue his artistic endeavors.<\/p>\n From the beginning, Eleanor understood Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s passion for photography and gave financial and emotional support that fueled his work.<\/p>\n In terms of photographing Eleanor as a subject, he photographed her extensively for longer than 20 years, mostly from 1941\u00e2\u20ac\u201c1963.<\/p>\n So why did Harry decide to choose Eleanor as a subject? Well, Harry was only able to photograph things, people, and concepts that were familiar and close to him. This is what he said:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t photograph someone I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry photographed Eleanor constantly: nude and clothed, indoors and outdoors, in public parks and city streets, at the beach and in the woods, at sand dunes and at the lake, at their family home and at the houses of relatives.<\/p>\n How did Eleanor feel about being photographed all the time? This is what she had to say:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was part of our daily lives for 25 years. He took pictures of me wherever we happened to be<\/strong>. I might be cooking dinner and Harry would say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcEleanor, the light is beautiful right now. Come on, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to take a picture of you.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 And we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d go make a photograph. Or we might be at our cottage and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d go into the fields where it was isolated, and take pictures of the nude in nature.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry was once asked why he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t photograph models or anybody else. This is what he had to say:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t photograph a model because that seemed artificial to me\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6so I felt very relaxed photographing Eleanor. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel self-conscious and she never made me feel that way.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In this section below, I will share some more insights that Harry Callahan has taught me about street photography (and life):<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In street photography, I love the feeling of going on a sense of adventure. This comes to me most vividly when I am traveling or exploring unknown or unfamiliar places.<\/p>\n This is what Harry Callahan said about the adventure of photography:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt that their individual feelings were worth expressing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d – 1946<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I love this excerpt that Harry shares for several reasons:<\/p>\n First, he treats photography just like life: he is interested in going on adventures for both.<\/p>\n Secondly, he emphasizes the importance for individuals to share their own feelings\u00e2\u20ac\u201c and ensures us that our emotions are worth sharing.<\/p>\n In another interview he expands on the importance of adventuring in photography:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think all the time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing it I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m adventuring in some way. Looking for something<\/strong>. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure. Sometimes things look like they ought to be good, you know, I mean something looks right. But that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always make it come out right either. And sometimes it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be and it comes out real good and that starts you on a whole new way of thinking and seeing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Treat your life (and photography) like an adventure. Nobody wants to go on a boring adventure. Go to places that interest you (and also scares you). Step outside of your comfort zone. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just live life in a monotonous way in which you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just doing the same thing over and over again.<\/p>\n Variety is the spice of life.<\/p>\n Add variety to your street photography by exploring different neighborhoods, by traveling, or by exploring different subject matter that interests you. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re walking on the streets, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just shoot the same streets over and over again.<\/p>\n Explore unfamiliar streets. Go down certain alleys or streets that pique your interest.<\/p>\n Also express your emotions through your photography. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be worried that your photographs might feel \u00e2\u20ac\u0153over-sentimental.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The only way that photographs are memorable is if they are emotional<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If a viewer looked at your photographs, how could your photographs reflect how you see the world? How are your photographs unique from the photographs of others? What emotions exude from your photographs? How do your photographs make your viewer feel?<\/p>\n When Harry Callahan was asked how he faced limitations and difficulties in his photography he said the following:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you worry, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll photograph my way out.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure you have hit \u00e2\u20ac\u0153photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s block\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or any other creative slump in your career. We have all experienced it. I know I have.<\/p>\n Whenever I personally his these slumps in my photography, I am often tempted to buy new cameras or daydream about traveling.<\/p>\n However I have found a much cheaper solution: just go out and make photos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Whenever I am dissatisfied with my cameras or lust after a new camera\u00e2\u20ac\u201c I just go out and shoot. And when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153flow\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of shooting in the streets, I totally forget about everything else. The act of shooting re-inspires me.<\/p>\n I think a common mistake many photographers make is this: we think that we should shoot only when we feel inspired.<\/p>\n I think the opposite is true: we should first shoot, which leads us to feeling inspired<\/strong>.<\/p>\n What do I mean by this?<\/p>\n Well, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say that you are sitting on your couch at home (maybe watching Netflix) and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re thinking to yourself: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Man, I should be out making photographs, not being a fatass on the couch.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d You might then make excuses about your camera not being good enough, not feeling inspired, blah blah blah. But rather than waiting for inspiration to strike like a lightning bolt, just go out of your apartment and go on a walk.<\/p>\n When you go on a walk, just start photographing anything that moderately piques your interest. When you start clicking, your creative engine will start warming up (just like warming up a car, you wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to go racing at full-throttle without warming up).<\/p>\n As you start to click more, your eye will suddenly feel more active. You will start seeing more interesting things.<\/p>\n Another tip: I often \u00e2\u20ac\u0153see\u00e2\u20ac\u009d more interesting things when I have a camera around my neck or in my hand (not when it is in my bag, or even worse, at home collecting dust on a shelf).<\/p>\n So try to make it a habit of always having your camera around your neck (or in your hand). I personally don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it is enough to just have your camera with you in your bag. It is useless in your bag, as it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cocked and ready to shoot.<\/p>\n If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re used to a monotonous commute or a certain routine, try to train your eyes to see. Try to make more photographs in a day (if you shoot film, try to shoot a roll of film a day for 30 days straight). Or even easier: try to shoot everyday on your smartphone and upload a photograph to Instagram at least once a day (but not of your food or lattes).<\/p>\n Photograph those close and intimate with you. Take a tip from Harry Callahan and photograph your partner, kids, or friends. Photograph what is familiar to you.<\/p>\n So whenever you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re feeling a creative slump in your photography, just keep making shots. You will be able to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153photograph your way out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of this problem.<\/p>\n I myself go through spiritual phases on and off. I am Catholic, go to mass (most) Sundays, have taught Sunday school, been an altar boy (never been fondled). But as a whole, I do believe in a greater power, believe in the importance of spirituality amongst human beings and communities, and believe that spirituality is an important part to thrive as a human being.<\/p>\n You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153religious\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or follow any sort of organized religion. Just do what feels right to you. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Spiritual\u00e2\u20ac\u009d means many different things to many different people. To some people it is meditation, to some people it is being mindful, and to some people it is organized religion (as a side note, I highly recommend \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Waking up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Sam Harris if you want to learn how to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153spiritual\u00e2\u20ac\u009d without religion).<\/p>\n Anyways, one thing I never thought about was how photography isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just about making photos. It is something deeper. It is about experiencing reality in a unique and deep, almost spiritual sense.<\/p>\n Harry Callahan shared his personal thoughts of how he turned away from religion (which caused him to feel spiritually empty). However once he discovered photography, he was able to fill that spiritual hole:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think one thing that I seemed to feel in terms of my photography was that when I was younger my mother was pretty strong on religion. And, well, I felt very spiritual about that, you know. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know anything. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just go to Sunday School every Sunday. But at a certain stage in my life I felt like I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t doing anything and felt, well, I should do something to benefit humanity<\/strong>. And I had friends, and we talked about religion and they finally talked me out of it. [laughs] And I agreed with them, in that it was just another form of witch doctor to me, you know.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Harry continues with how photography became his spiritual outlet:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I felt I had to have something to take that place. And with photography, when I happened to get started in photography, all of a sudden it did that for me. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way I always feel about my photography is that I want it to have something spiritual in it that makes somebody feel something<\/strong>. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not interested to any real extent in saying something in the sense of, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThis is a bad society\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or social, anything like that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And what was the ultimate goal that he wanted to do with his photography? Harry shares how photography can \u00e2\u20ac\u0153move the spirit in human beings\u00e2\u20ac\u009d:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I always figured that if it moved the spirit in human beings, then that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I wanted to do<\/strong>. And I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way I listen to music and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way I read and everything else, is to be moved that way.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying that we should suddenly turn to photography as our religion. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quit your local religious organization and suddenly start hailing the Leica (although some photographers I know treat their camera brands like a cult).<\/p>\n What I am trying to advocate is the fact that photography isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just making photographs. It is something deeper\u00e2\u20ac\u201c almost something spiritual. You are expressing your soul, experience of the world, and vision with the rest of the world. If you publish your photographs online (or in print), exhibit your photos, or make books\u00e2\u20ac\u201c you are a social photographer. You make photographs to inspire other people.<\/p>\n Whenever I look at a great photograph, it stirs something in my heart and in my soul.<\/p>\n A truly great photograph can change the world I see and perceive the world. A truly great photograph fills some sort of emotional need in my soul. A truly great photograph can change the world through changing the minds and actions of the viewers.<\/p>\n So remember: photography can and should be something deeper. You want photography to fulfill an inner-desire. Otherwise, why would you photograph?<\/p>\n To re-iterate: if you feel empty and lost in your life, perhaps you can turn to photography to fulfill that spiritual need.<\/p>\n We all gain inspiration from somebody else. Any photographer who says that they aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t inspired by anyone else is talking bullshit.<\/p>\n I also think this is why the philosophy of purposefully not looking at others\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 work (not to corrupt your own work) is silly.<\/p>\n As human beings, we cannot exist in a vacuum. We need the work of others to inspire us.<\/p>\n For Harry Callahan, he was first really moved by the work of Ansel Adams. When Harry Callahan first saw Adams\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 work this is what he said:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153[Ansel Adams] showed his work, and it was all straight photography \u00e2\u20ac\u201d sharp and beautiful prints and everything else, and that just completely set me free<\/strong>. And then both my friend Todd and I were just \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 we just went all nuts on photography. We really felt confident in ourselves and everything else.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ansel Adams had a huge impact and influence on Harry Callahan. Adams\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 inspired Harry to go out and shoot, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153go nuts on photography.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Furthermore, a lot of Harry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s aesthetic sensibilities (wanting sharp and highly detailed photographs) were inspired by Ansel Adams.<\/p>\n But although Harry was deeply inspired by Ansel Adams\u00e2\u20ac\u201c both of their work differed highly. Harry Callahan was mostly drawn to architecture, people, and street scenes (in the city) while Ansel Adams was drawn mostly to nature.<\/p>\n Therefore what Harry Callahan did was gain inspiration from Ansel Adams in terms of his working methods and technical details\u00e2\u20ac\u201c but made work that was genuine and authentic. Harry photographed whatever interested him, and although he was inspired by Ansel Adams, he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get caught up wanting to replicate exactly what Ansel Adams did (in terms of subject matter).<\/p>\n So don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel any sort of guilt or anxiety of being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153copy-cat\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of any other photographers out there. Gain as much inspiration as you can from other photographers\u00e2\u20ac\u201c and perhaps when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re starting off, directly try to imitate them.<\/p>\n But the funny thing is that no matter how hard you try to imitate another photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u201c you will never be a perfect clone of them. Why not? Because you are both different human beings, with different life experiences, and different ways of looking at the world.<\/p>\n So go borrow the technical approach and working methods of another photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u201c but try to photograph subject matter that interests you. Photograph what you are passionate about, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let this silly nonsense of being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153copycat\u00e2\u20ac\u009d get in your way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As humans, we are an emotional creature. We aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t robots\u00e2\u20ac\u201c nobody out there is purely \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rational\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n In an interview, Harry Callahan was asked the following question:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When something\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not working, when you look at a photograph, what does it seem to lack?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To that, Harry Callahan responded:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It just has no feeling, no spirit to it at all.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A street photograph without any emotion is dead<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A lot of psychologists have also recently shown that emotion is one of the strongest triggers to memory. Therefore if you make an emotional street photograph, you will also make a memorable street photograph<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m shooting on the streets, I often look for emotion in my subjects. I look for hand gestures, body language, and facial gestures that I can emotionally relate to and feel empathetic towards.<\/p>\n Furthermore, I use the emotion of fear to know what is worth photographing<\/strong>. Which means, when I see an interesting scene, I generally feel afraid to photograph it. My stomach starts to churn, and I feel nervous. That is the moment I know I have to make a photograph.<\/p>\n Also you can use emotions in the editing phase. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking through your photos in Lightroom (or prints), look for the emotions. If a photograph doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bring a strong sense of emotion or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153spirit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in them\u00e2\u20ac\u201c perhaps you should edit them out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When it comes to photography, there are a bazillion ways to process or print your work.<\/p>\n In this field, how your photos \u00e2\u20ac\u0153look\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is highly subjective. Ultimately you want to make your photos look the way you want them to look. There is no objectively \u00e2\u20ac\u0153right\u00e2\u20ac\u009d way to make a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153faithful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d print. We all see the world differently (some of us are colorblind) and ultimately we see the world in our own subjective way.<\/p>\n Harry Callahan shares how he prints depending on how he wants them to look\u00e2\u20ac\u201c and that there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153standard\u00e2\u20ac\u009d way to do this:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I may print it very contrasty or I may print it very soft. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like the idea that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed to be a standard way for a print<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I have my personal tastes in terms of what I think is aesthetically \u00e2\u20ac\u0153beautiful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pleasing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d For example, I hate low-contrast photos, selective-color photos, or HDR photographs.<\/p>\n But ultimately that is my own \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cup of tea.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d For example, I love mint ice cream but my girlfriend Cindy hates it. Does this mean that Cindy is somehow not an ice cream connoisseur and has bad taste? Not at all. Our tastes are just different. Some people like vanilla and some prefer chocolate. Some like both.<\/p>\n In photography some people prefer color, and some prefer black and white. Some photographers prefer highly saturated colors, while others prefer more muted colors. Some photographers prefer high-contrast black and whites, while others like having more tones.<\/p>\n However you want to print or process your work, just follow your gut and heart. Depict reality however you want it to look based on your post-processing or printing process. Show your own subjective reality with the rest of the world, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let anyone tell you otherwise.<\/p>\n I think in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s digital world, we are so obsessed with speed. We want to get things done quickly, and often we look in the short-term of things.<\/p>\n However what differs Harry Callahan from a lot of other photographers is that he took the long approach\u00e2\u20ac\u201c he wanted to dedicate his entire life to photography, and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t concern himself with the short-term fads of his times.<\/p>\n Harry wanted to continue to learn more about himself as a human being through photography \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and to continue to learn more about photography itself. He was constantly curious his entire life. He shares his motivation for photography below:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want to do a life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s photography. And I want to grow in it and I know that I learn more all the time, and I know that that has something to do with it.<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Take the long approach in your photography, and see how you can create a body of work that you will be happy about when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on your deathbed.<\/p>\n Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry too much about the fads in photography. Follow what interests you, and follow your own gut, intuition, and voice.<\/p>\n So when it comes to photography projects, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just think about days, weeks, or months. Think years, think decades.<\/p>\n Live a life without regrets<\/a>. Photograph what you are passionate about, what you want to be remembered for, and photograph what you want to remember.<\/p>\n Make your photography personal, and be happy, jolly, keep learning, and push your photography. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop learning, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop growing, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop evolving. Stay curious to the very end.<\/p>\n If you like the work of Harry Callahan, I recommend learning more from these masters below:<\/p>\n You can download this article for free as a .docx<\/a>, PDF<\/a>, or Google Doc<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All photographs copyrighted by the estate of Harry Callahan. You can download this article for free as a .docx, PDF, or Google Doc. I recently came upon the work of Harry Callahan from a friend and former workshop student named Chris Giuseppe. This past weekend, I organized a small meet-up in San Francisco in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1297,17],"tags":[1689,1432],"class_list":["post-22323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-masters","category-posts","tag-harry-callahan","tag-masters-2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/12__callahan_slide-bb478ec2b7ee9a035c9070ec0a5c0e174d95e960-s6-c30.jpg?fit=948%2C627&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Biography of Harry Callahan<\/h2>\n
![\"Harry-Callahan-portrait-with-quote\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Harry-Callahan-portrait-with-quote-800x429.jpg?resize=800%2C429\")
<\/p>\n![\"H-Callahan-Chicago-1953\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/H-Callahan-Chicago-1953-800x624.jpg?resize=800%2C624\")
<\/p>\nHow did Harry Callahan get started in photography?<\/h2>\n
On picking up his first camera<\/h3>\n
![\"2396\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/2396-800x641.jpg?resize=800%2C641\")
<\/p>\nOn joining the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chrysler Motors Corporation Camera Club\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Detroit Photo Guild\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h3>\n
![\"2410\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/2410-800x523.jpg?resize=800%2C523\")
<\/p>\nTurning point: meeting Ansel Adams<\/h3>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Adams_The_Tetons_and_the_Snake_River-800x641.jpg?resize=800%2C641\")
![\"Ansel](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Ansel-Adams-800x533.jpg?resize=800%2C533\")
![\"2009_6-Custom\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/2009_6-Custom-800x636.jpg?resize=800%2C636\")
<\/p>\nHarry Callahan on subject matter<\/h2>\n
Harry Callahan on creativity and experimentation<\/h2>\n
![\"c2a9-harry-callahan\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/c2a9-harry-callahan-800x601.jpg?resize=800%2C601\")
<\/p>\nOn creativity<\/h3>\n
On experimentation with printing<\/h3>\n
![\"harry-callahan\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/harry-callahan-674x800.png?resize=674%2C800\")
<\/p>\nOn experimentation with color<\/h3>\n
![\"callahan_chicago_1951-web\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/callahan_chicago_1951-web-800x523.jpg?resize=800%2C523\")
<\/p>\n![\"art](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/art-204-800x528.jpg?resize=800%2C528\")
<\/p>\n![\"art](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/art-191-800x528.jpg?resize=800%2C528\")
<\/p>\n![\"art](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/art-196-800x528.jpg?resize=800%2C528\")
<\/p>\nOn his working method<\/h3>\n
![\"art](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/art-203-800x528.jpg?resize=800%2C528\")
<\/p>\nOn difficulties<\/h3>\n
![\"callahan_ireland_1979-web\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/callahan_ireland_1979-web-800x540.jpg?resize=800%2C540\")
<\/p>\nOn his photographic life with Eleanor<\/h2>\n
![\"eleanor1947\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/eleanor1947-590x800.jpg?resize=590%2C800\")
<\/p>\n![\"eleanor\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/eleanor-800x633.jpg?resize=800%2C633\")
<\/p>\n7 Lessons Harry Callahan has taught me about street photography (and life)<\/h2>\n
1. Go on adventures<\/h2>\n
![\"Callahan_Chicago\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Callahan_Chicago-800x524.jpg?resize=800%2C524\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway point:<\/h3>\n
2. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Photograph your way out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h2>\n
![\"macgill-ny-courtesy-museum-of-fine-arts-boston\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/macgill-ny-courtesy-museum-of-fine-arts-boston-517x800.jpg?resize=517%2C800\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway point:<\/h3>\n
3. Have photography fulfill you spiritually<\/h2>\n
![\"callahan_eleanor_chicago_1948-web\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/callahan_eleanor_chicago_1948-web-800x630.jpg?resize=800%2C630\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway point:<\/h3>\n
4. Follow the work of those who inspire you<\/h2>\n
![\"detroit-1943\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/detroit-1943-800x581.jpg?resize=800%2C581\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway point:<\/h3>\n
5. Have feelings in your photographs<\/h2>\n
![\"Eleanor,](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/med_callahan-1990-419-000-jpg-736x800.jpg?resize=736%2C800\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway point:<\/h3>\n
6. Process (or print) the way you want<\/h2>\n
![\"harry-callahan1\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/harry-callahan1-779x800.jpg?resize=779%2C800\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway point:<\/h3>\n
7. Do a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h2>\n
![\"eb89a57d521b\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/eb89a57d521b-800x580.jpg?resize=800%2C580\")
<\/p>\nTakeaway point:<\/h3>\n
Sources<\/h2>\n
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Books by Harry Callahan<\/h2>\n
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Photographers similar to Harry Callahan<\/h2>\n
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