Friday, August 27, 2010




Candid photography is easiest when the photographer themselves goes unnoticed, unobserved, or generally ignored or disregarded...and yet, Milton Rogovin defies that. While many of the subjects seem somewhat stiff or awkward, standing stock still or forcing a smile, there's still a definitive sense of personality and gumption, if you will, that he's managed to capture. It's that angle, it's that moment, it's the surroundings, and perhaps it's his relationship with his subjects...or maybe it's simply because of the subjects he's chosen--proud, hard-working, won't-take-shit-for-nothing middle and lower class Americans. Reserved, but defiant. Condescension suspected, and yet, open and genuine all the same. Their eyes scream "This is me. Take it or leave it."