UNIT 4 - AO1 (3/3) - Fred Stein
- Charles Power
- May 18, 2016
- 3 min read
For my last photographer I shall be looking at German Photographer, Fred Stein. Born July 3, 1909 – September 27, 1967. Stein was an early pioneer of hand-held Photography, who became a gifted street photographer in Paris and New York after he was forced to flee his native Germany by the Nazi threat in the early 1930s. He explored the new creative possibilities of photography, capturing spontaneous scenes from life on the street. He was also a master portraitist, creating intimate images of many of the great personalities of the 20th century such as Henri Cartier bresson, Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus & Vivian Maier.
With understanding Stein's skill, he was able to establish a remarkable rapport with people, due partly to easy conversational skills, but also to a natural feeling for the essence of another person. He created a sphere in which his subjects felt free to reveal themselves and their world. It can be seen in the photographs, physically, in the fact that he is not apart from his people - not judging them - he is with them, and not at a distance. He enables their animating spirit to manifest itself. Here are some of my favourite images from Fred Stein's work:
The thing that enabled him to such a fluidity was due to the the creation of the legendary Leica camera. It was such an important element for the artists of Stein's generation, the product of several crucial technological advances. A precision hand-held camera, it ushered in the era of the handheld photography, which freed photographers from the constraints of the older, heavier, Medium and large Format cameras brought with them. The Leica was small and lightweight, with the film on a roll; an artist could take quick shots in public places, and take several in succession. This gave photographers a broad new palette of possibilities. Spontaneity and mobility was quickly became a part of the grammar of photography. Street Photography and most mobile forms of photography alike would have come at a much later time if it were not thanks to the Leica system.
As I've mentioned in my previous AO1 article on Chris killip, in order to carry out my experimentations with Fred Steins style I would replicate his themes and techniques at random points throughout various trips to different towns. For this set of images I found it important to try and dig into more period photography, I looked at the city calendar to see if there were any historical events to find out that the steam train "The Tin bath" was to arrive in Sheffield Midland Station. With such a unique opportunity, I thought it would be insane not to be there. As ever, this selection of photographs was shot on HP5+ 35mm film along with my A7R. In terms of locations, this series of images were shot in Cambridge, York & Sheffield Midland Station.
One of the things I'm really proud of is my photographs from the railway station, almost all of these images were shot on film which I developed and scanned myself. Whilst I was there I really wanted to try and capture the events taking place, so instead of shooting on the 50mm f/1.4 as I would usually do, I shot using my 35mm f/3.5 to capture a wider view of the scene. The 35mm is henriently sharper as well, meaning that when shooting with an wide aperture, more of the details in the foreground remain in focus. You can see an example of this in the center bottom image. In terms of capturing the personality that Fred Stein gives to his subjects in his work I practised engaging with the subjects in my photographs with an inviting and sociable attitude when I shoot with the public. I've learnt that being friendly and having a smile on your face makes a huge difference for when it comes to documentary street photography as it makes people feel more relaxed and natural. In general though I am proud of the work and style I have managed to capture from the works of the great Fred Stein. He was truly an incredibly talented and characterful photographer and I envy his work.
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