Puerto Rican Day Parade, Manhattan, 1963 by Joel Meyerowitz
By Kim Bunermann published
“The image “Puerto Rican Day Parade, Manhattan, New York City 1963″ speaks to perception, timing, and confidence – qualities that have defined great street photography since its earliest days.
“I used the parades as a way to overcome my shyness. Because the people in the crowd were absorbed by the passing show in the street, I could slip in under their gaze like a plane flying too low to be picked up on radar,” Meyerowitz remembers. “They were about the heat of the moment.”
Meyerowitz’s photo captures the spirit of this exuberant parade.. Amid the parade’s bustle, he remained invisible – responding instinctively to what he describes as a flood of impressions.
Digital Camera World says, “The photograph shows four impeccably dressed women gathered in a Fifth Avenue doorway, touching up their makeup. It’s a scene overflowing with life, color, and the unspoken choreography of the street – the kind Meyerowitz has spent a lifetime mastering.”
I like street photography, and this image speaks to me….my photo years were formed in the sixities in New York, so I can relate to this winning image, and you can see that this award is about much more than just a street scene. My preference is for black and white, but I do enjoy this famous photograph, with an award being given over 60 years later.
I’m not a fan of photograph awards because there are so many varieties of photographic art, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Here is one of my color photos from around 1980. It won an international award and was published. It is of school kids in Guadalajara
The music is a mariachi selection from Jalisco:
Joel was a former customer when I sold gear like View Cameras . Nice guy. I like his Cape Cod colorscapes.