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BOOK: Naked City by Weegee
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[imgr]http://dgrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-QsXzLvV/0/S/i-QsXzLvV-S.jpg[/imgr]Naked City
Book by Weegee, review by Rutt
Together with [thread="198759"]Weegee's World[/thread] these two books provide a fascinating view of the work of the great classic street photographer, Arthur Fellig, better known as Weegee. Weegee was a working freelance photojournalist in NYC in the 1930's and 40's. He hung out in police tations all night waiting for stuff to happen. His work shows the full gamut of city life of the period, especially gritty night life. Weegee is an inspiration to just grab that camera and go out and find the stuff that's happening.
I was inspired to buy Weegee's book Naked City. It's out of print, but Amazon has it cheap (under $10). The reproductions in this book stink, but probobably they don't look any worse than they did in the tabloids where they were first published! On the other hand, the writing is just priceless. Weegee edited his shots, cropped them, layed them out, and wrote every word himself. This is his book, and both the shots and the words are his unique voice. Imagine if Phillip Marlow was a NY photographer instead of a L.A. private eye. It will take you less than an hour to read this. I recommend a double Old Crow and a cigar to help get you in the mood. I sank into a deep and very satisfying fantasy, very like reading Raymond Chandler.
![http://dgrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-QsXzLvV/0/S/i-QsXzLvV-S.jpg[/imgr]](http://dgrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-QsXzLvV/0/S/i-QsXzLvV-S.jpg[/imgr]){kind=link}
Book by Weegee, review by Rutt
Together with [thread="198759"]Weegee's World[/thread] these two books provide a fascinating view of the work of the great classic street photographer, Arthur Fellig, better known as Weegee. Weegee was a working freelance photojournalist in NYC in the 1930's and 40's. He hung out in police tations all night waiting for stuff to happen. His work shows the full gamut of city life of the period, especially gritty night life. Weegee is an inspiration to just grab that camera and go out and find the stuff that's happening.
I was inspired to buy Weegee's book Naked City. It's out of print, but Amazon has it cheap (under $10). The reproductions in this book stink, but probobably they don't look any worse than they did in the tabloids where they were first published! On the other hand, the writing is just priceless. Weegee edited his shots, cropped them, layed them out, and wrote every word himself. This is his book, and both the shots and the words are his unique voice. Imagine if Phillip Marlow was a NY photographer instead of a L.A. private eye. It will take you less than an hour to read this. I recommend a double Old Crow and a cigar to help get you in the mood. I sank into a deep and very satisfying fantasy, very like reading Raymond Chandler.
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