I watched the trailer to this documentary, and it was immediately evident to me that Robert Frank was an outsider capturing photos of his new environment. He was, like any other photographer, documenting that of which was surrounding him, and in this case, it was Americans. Those of whom fit the “American ideals” and looked truest to the definition of what it meant to be American. As a street photographer, none of his photos were planned or organized, rather they were true living shots of the moment. This gave his photos a sense of truth and respect in the community, as they were not staged. Not only did he not create his photos because he didn’t need to, but by not doing so, demonstrates the truth of what it means to be an American, not just representation of what people say it means.
I enjoyed looking at his different shots, and overall, I think he represented Americans in the truest of ways, without disregarding the protection of the American stereotypes that mat be more true to themselves than not.
Debbie's Blog 