A Visual Life
Posted In: amsterdam, Amsterdamize, inspiration, netherlands, people on bicycles, photography, streets, urban life
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I’m not an extraordinarily gifted photographer, but in my own world I can completely relate to what drives & inspires Scott Schumann, aka ‘the Sartorialist‘.
I like his approach. Simple, honest, no unnecessary thrills, but a keen eye for his in-the-moment subject & the setting. His photos of people on bicycles are of equal quality. I should add ‘naturally’, as these aren’t even a different genre, only a charming additive.
The late Ed van der Elsken, a street photographer / filmmaker from Amsterdam, is my absolute hero. The following sequence of two pictures boils down what he was about:
He was known for being a ‘man of the people’, a bit quirky, a bit of a clown. Following people in the streets, teasing, interjecting, his lens dancing around them, not unlike a performance artist…with either a photo or film camera. His films where often mesmerizing, ‘Fietsen’ (‘Bicycles’ or ‘Cycling’), shot in 1965, is up there with the best & saves me from using more words to describe him & do him justice:
Through two and a half years of Amsterdamize I’ve lived to experience (recognize) a few moments that I’d like to describe as ‘Eddies‘, either being the ‘voyeur’ of private moments in the public domain or me in turn acknowledged by my subjects. I treasure them & they inspire me to keep looking out for the obvious, which often reveals a thing of beauty…& a thousand words.
People (on bicycles), they’re a gift that keeps on giving.
