Photographers in Focus: Bruce Gilden

Street photography can mean many things in a city where life is fast and cameras are affordable. However, New York's undisputed kingpin of the streets has to be iconic Brooklyn-born shooter Bruce Gilden-the man who has spent a career getting up close and personal-often uncomfortably so-with the people, and places, of America's most mythologized city. In this, the latest episode of our landmark series Photographers in Focus, filmmaker Joppe Rog turned the lens on a figure who makes the everyday extraordinary, entering a world of sinister glances and often unexpectedly candid revelations.
From Coney Island to Manhattan (though he's often trod beyond the five boroughs) Gilden's approach has always been upfront; first using flash and momentum to snap people caught between hurried flight and glacial contemplation. Later he would turn to color: working on a long-term project, and book, collected together as Face. In these we can see, in all their glorious physicality, the storied countenances of modern America. Often, these are people who have been trodden down by life, though Gilden demands that we cannot ignore them. As a result, these images not always 'easy' to look at, but, as Gilden's work suggests, a great photo doesn't have to be easy-only raw, and uncompromisingly honest.
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[@ayrtonkaleo]

Bruce gilden helped me gain the courage to start photographing strangers. He is an example of how if you wish to create anything worthwhile, you must risk enduring the disapproval of others.

[@SupernaturalBeingsofEarth]

Meanwhile he is unsettled within himself.

[@vmno6300]

WE LOVE YOU BRUCE. Please take good care of yourself because you have so much more to give!

[@oldrixe4768]

This man is just awesome! So much wisdom as an artist! ❤

[@alexapostolo9019]

One of the best street styles i have seen, it´s so realistic, raw truth! Excellent work! I am trying to mimic his style in order to learn and be a better street photographer, but it is difficult to find the courage to shoot like that, especially in smaller cities from NY.

[@danielmalter3373]

You can question his method. You can dislike his photographs on a taste basis. But his attitude is unimpeachable.

[@RoGameReview]

yeah, the guy is quite honnest

[@AetherCS2]

This is really inspiring. I've only ever seen the wild side of him, and this video shows a completely different person.

[@MrPhotographerDude]

He’s great and I think people who have a problem with his process just don’t understand that he’s an artist. A fraction of a second of annoyance in NY is nothing to a New Yorker. I’m a big admirer of Gilden’s work. It’s not my way of doing things and that’s what makes it good. I have my way and others have theirs and that’s what keep photography interesting and fresh in this iPhone generation.

[@pa9030]

So if you're an artist you're allowed to do everything you want, because it's 'in the name of art'?

[@herbertandrewdutton]

Like your work, and your view of street photography!

[@Crushenator500]

I love this guy's work. His method is crazy, sneak attacking people on the street, but the results are awesome.

[@willemdirks1543]

sneaky?

[@oldrixe4768]

People like him, the true artists, can “attack” whoever they want. “From the heart.” Gilden

[@Emmet_Moore]

Some of these remind me of the "Black Hole Sun" video

[@nocommentnoname1111]

Right on, man!

[@morongosteve]

The man!

[@pratikgoud1]

He's underrated

[@esbee1177]

Even though I respect Bruce Gilden as an artist, I dislike almost everything about him. His method, cause when he talks about the anxiety of the people in the city it is mostly just their anxiety of him pointing a flash in their faces. They are shocked, so these pictures seem almost sort of force-staged to me. There ist nothing natural about these photographs. I do not like his approach to humanity, you can recognize an almost detest of people. Even though, these pictures are intriguing and haunting at the same time. I wish he had more love for people than just this... curiosity. BUT, he would not be Bruce Gilden, if he was that way. He scares me off like he scares off his subjects. Genious in a way and relevant, yes. But his lack of love is killing me.

[@Panthers1521]

Very interesting point of view.

[@shihaochen5652]

@@Panthers1521 I agree

[@loganlee5875]

Real art is 50 people ecstatic and 50 people horrified. Don't be upset that this artist made you one of the 50 horrified people. Say what you want, but he man suffers for his art. Which makes him above the fray of average photographers. Maybe makes him great.

[@shhshdjsbsihdjdjejs1288]

Cry then

[@tiagomarkoow840]

@@shhshdjsbsihdjdjejs1288 die then?

[@batzeth]

beautiful man

[@seth2244]

Soooo is that a GoPro I see mounted on his Leica? Where's that footage? That's what I want. B)

[@sjope]

That's implemented in the online course which you can purchase on learn.magnum.com

[@clasijuls1]

True words

[@adrianasantiago8808]

WOWWWWW

[@theheartofcraft]

Would definitely be curious to hear his definition of exploitation and how shining a light on a person in their worst moment does not cross that line. Obvioulsy we have a very different approach, and end goal, so would love to better understand his.

[@CapitanHankQuinlan]

His particular method is interesting. But here in Chile, if you do that, you'll probably get a hit back.

[@adamm4926]

❤️

[@MikeKleinsteuber]

I like Bruce's style but some of his recent colour portraits really suck. He should stick to what he's good at.

[@namrepusprime6793]

Targeting people that clearly have issues is both genius and sadistic. I like the photos and I am uncomfortable with the fact that I like them. Claiming you have a shit childhood does not mean you should photograph the long term results of other peoples shit childhoods. Also if you are actually helping the people you photograph then full credit to you, if you are using them for $ or shock value you should reimberse them for it.

[@SupernaturalBeingsofEarth]

He doesn't get what I got.

[@TIME-4689]

똥싼다

[@loganlee5875]

10/10