About a year ago I watched a documentary on renown New York street-photographer Jeff Mermelstein. He’s totally insane; a basic requirement to be a great photographer. The doc describes him/his style as “an abusurdist with a sense of humor.”
The first part of the documentary discusses his street photography and the latter his photos from nine-eleven. He talks about how he never had any desire to photograph war, but on nine-eleven he walked downtown (because there were no trains or taxis) and shot 17 rolls of film. I remember seeing these works and thinking, “wow. these are amazing.” And not in the typical big-bang, explosion-y, nine-eleven-y way. These photos are serene, quiet, and haunting. I meant to post them on nine-eleven, but alas, I did what you are never-ever supposed to do. I forgot.
Statue, Jeff Mermelstein. 2001.
Firemen through Windows, Jeff Mermelstein. 2001
Nuke Them All, Jeff Mermelstein. 2001.
Below is some of his lighter street photography from New York. I love the way he perfectly captures the insanity, not to mention the texture, of the city. As he describes it, “Here you are; you’re in Mars.”
Burning Shoe, Jeff Mermelstein. 1995
Book in Mouth, Jeff Mermelstein. 1993