Photographer's Research - Bruce Davidson

Bruce Davidson has been taking photographs from the age of 10 years old, when his mother built him a darkroom in his basement and first had his work recognised at the age of 19 after winning the Kodak National High School Photographic Award for an image of an owl. Davidson attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and Yale University, before being drafted into the military. In 1957, Bruce returned from his military service and became a freelance photographer, creating work that was influenced by Robert Frank, Eugene Smith and Henri Cartier-Bresson. One of his most notable pieces of work was his Brooklyn Gangs series, during which he followed the lives of a gang of youth in 1959 Brooklyn. Below are four images from this project.

This image features a group of youths sat around in a cafe. Although we can see three people within this image, the one person who seems to be the focal point is the one in the centre. They seem to be very relaxed as they hang off of the seat and lean against the jukebox, which could suggest that this is a place they often visit and so feel comfortable in. The fact that there are young people sat at two different table could further this assumption and imply that this is a place that youth often meet. 

At first glance, seeing a young man smoking could be seen as a rebellious act. However, when taking in to context the time of this project, this would be quite normal as smoking was not seen as much of an issue during the 50s. The man in this photograph is covered in dirt and grease, and in the background we can see the hood of a car is popped up, which suggests that this young man is working and so defies the stereotype of youth as lazy. 

As mentioned above, smoking was seen as less taboo in the 50s as it is in todays society. This could therefore explain why someone in this photograph is smoking in a building with people around him. This scenario seems to be quite relaxed and casual, which could be surprising to see in a photo series that followed a gang as it would be expected to see more dangerous and perhaps illegal activities being carried out. This therefore helps to humanise the young people in this gang and perhaps diminish any negative stereotypes given to these people.

This image is more stereotypical of what would be expected of a gang. It can be assumed that this was taken at a party or gathering as there are people filling this frame which can suggest that this was a busy environment. In the background, there are two people kissing, whilst a girl sits next to them in the foreground of the image. There is a narrow depth of field in this image which makes the girl the most in focus and therefore the focal point of the image. The fact that she seems unbothered by the people next to her kissing could suggest that this is typical of the people she is around.