Facing New York

Rating:
Summary: The Debut Of One of Our Most Important Photographers
Review: It's hard to describe Bruce Gilden. He's the Randy Johnson of street photography; one hand on his Leica rangefinder, the other on a flash, waiting to pounce on his next subject like a peregrine falcon. "Facing New York" was the book which made his reputation as a hard-edge street photographer of New York City life. He's as tenacious as any paparazzi, yet his photographs are more profound, more mesmerizing, than those of any celebrity-stalking photographer. If you think of combining William Klein's early raw, stark 1950's New York City images with Garry Winogrand's classic 1960's photos, then you're quite close to describing Bruce Gilden's unique style. None of Gilden's images may look comforting enough to hang in your living room, but they are worth owning via this elegant book.