Swearin'

I was looking through Tumblr and I stumbled upon a set of Joseph Szabo's photos. I was really intrigued and decided to look more into this work. The photos I saw reminded me of Robert Frank, and since I'm working on a project inspired by him, I just had to see what Szabo was about. He went to Pratt for photography and actually taught at Malverne High School on Long Island (what a small world)! He currently lives in Amityville. He is well known for his photographs on the American youth during the 1970s, which can be found in his books Almost Grown and Teenage. His book Almost Grown gained cult classic status in the world throughout the 80s and 90s. Grace Coddington, the editor of Vogue, noticed that “all the young fashion photographers were looking at Joe’s photographs as their bible" (although he wasn't aiming for this). 

Some of my favorites include the following: 

I think there are many obvious parallels with his work and Frank's, both of which are film and black and white. Another great aspect of their work includes the ability to capture moments which showed people some lesser known realities. Szabo's intention began with his frustration of the lack of interest amongst his students. To try to stop this, he began to photograph them. His pictures are able to "transform his form of expression into a means of connection." 

There's a documentary on Szabo, but there are no future screenings. I will definitely be on the look out, though. More information can be found here.