This writer’s description of Moriyama – a “photography obsessive” – seems apt. Growing up in a post-war Japan that was furiously modernizing – and westernizing, Moriyama gravitated to those on the margins of this profound social change. His signature dark, grainy aesthetic seems reflective of that gritty environment in which he moved: “When I am in the streets, I feel like a hunter”. Multiple images are here.
A gently interesting interview with a photography critic interspersed with piercing insights about the medium. First, the big claim – “photography is the key medium of the moment, the only one keeping up with, and indeed driving, the fast-forward digital-social media-insta culture.” Then, caveats: “the image [is] often dependent on [being accompanied by] just the right words—and just the right number of words.”
Parks was one of America’s most celebrated photographers of the last century. Starting out as a self-employed society photographer in Chicago he then joined the Farm Security Administration where his images of social injustice carried a distinguishing lyrical aesthetic. A decades-long career at Life magazine showcased a vastly broad talent that included writing and, after Life, film directing. Multiple images are here.