At a time when using wide angle lenses were suitable for street photography– he went against the grain and used telephoto lenses to compress his images. A touch of confusion is a desirable ingredient.Īs you see in the transcript above, Leiter was a huge fan of experimentation and used different focal lengths to discover his visual language and imagery. I think Picasso once said that he wanted to use green in a painting but since he didn’t have it he used red. Sometimes I worked with a lens that I had when I might have preferred another lens. I had at one point a 150 mm lens and I was very fond it. I am fond of the telephoto lens, as I am of the normal 50 mm lens. Leiter: I liked different lenses for different times. Q: Many of your images have a compressed spatial perspective. In an interview with Time Leiter shares his experiences using a telephoto lens to compress his scenes: I feel the compression of the scenes with the long lens creates a distinctive geometric look, which I very much enjoy. Much of his street photography is shot with a relatively long lens– which compresses his scenes. They focus on shapes, lights, shadows, abstractions, and the colors of everyday life.

However my opinions have changed once I started seeing the work of Leiter. Generally I find them to be impersonal, and a bit sneaky when taking photos of strangers. I have never been a fan of using telephoto lenses in street photography. In anticipation for the DVD release of his film “ In No Great Hurry” I wanted to write this article about lessons in street photography (and life) I have learned from Saul Leiter. He lived a simple life and even now with his sudden rise in fame, his ego hasn’t inflated one bit. At his late eighties, he is very down-to-earth, and has no interest in legacy or fame. I then started to research more on Saul Leiter and have not only appreciated his images, but his philosophy of life. It was much more romantic, poetic, and full of expression. It was unlike any street photography I had seen before. When I flipped through the pages, I was overwhelmed by the beautiful colors, reflections, and abstractions of Leiter. When I left Marseille back to America, he gave me a beautiful Saul Leiter book. But upon hearing this, I didn’t dig into it too deeply.Ībout a year ago when I was in Marseille, I re-discovered Saul’s work through a good friend of mine, Yves Vernin. I think I remember seeing some link on the internet about the discovery of one of the earliest “pioneers” in color street photography.

I can’t remember the exact moment that I discovered the work of Saul Leiter.

Saul Leiter by Saul Leiter