NZ Visual Diary - entry 408

restaurant window

The painter turned photographer Saul Leiter speaks to me in more ways than I could properly express in a modest Substack post. His photographic portrayals of New York City’s East Village, where he lived for 60 years until his death in 2013, are notable for many things, but first among them in my opinion: his use of soft focus, brilliant colour and asymmetrical compositional framing.

On one of my recent night walks, as I made my way down a charming side street, which could be more accurately describes as lane than street, I spied a “Leiter moment.’ A close study of Leiter’s photographic portfolio helped me see how the white umbrella — with its strong diagonal and play of light & shadow — set against the equally strong verticals of wall and window frame and dramatic elements of the interior — strong backlighting, warm colours and vibrant presentation of line & form — could together render an exciting composition.

Here’s to you, Saul Leiter.