In the 1950s, street photography followed a strict set of rules: the photographer had to be an invisible observer, maintaining the right distance to ensure clean compositions and flawless focus. With the publication of *Life is Good & Good for You* in New York in 1956, William Klein demonstrated that those rules could be completely disregarded when documenting the street.
No comforting aesthetics and no forced search for the “decisive moment.” Klein captured the chaos of the city as it was, through precise and radical technical choices that still form the foundation of modern urban reportage today.
Wide-angle and extreme close-up
From a practical standpoint, Klein revolutionized the use of lenses in photojournalism. Instead of relying on the classic 50mm lens, he used wide-angle lenses—often the 28mm—and eliminated the physical distance between himself and the scene. He literally slipped into the middle of the crowd. This extreme use of the wide-angle lens distorted faces in extreme close-up, conveying the exact feeling of oppression and density typical of New York sidewalks.
The technique of blurring and contrast
When looking at his contact sheets, the technical flaw becomes a narrative device. Klein’s photos are characterized by frequent blurring and obvious out-of-focus areas, logical consequences of photographing fast-moving subjects just a few centimeters from the lens. In the darkroom, he further exaggerated the image: he pushed the film to its limits, pushing the grain to the extreme, and closed down the blacks to achieve a harsh contrast, deliberately eliminating the soft midtones.
Interaction and Provocation
Klein did away with the concept of voyeurism. He didn’t steal photos surreptitiously; instead, he made himself visible. He interacted with people, entered their personal space, and provoked them to elicit a direct reaction in front of the lens. The subjects weren’t merely captured in the shot; they actively participated in it, looking directly into the camera or reacting physically to its presence.
Tutorial: How to Recreate Klein's Urban Style
You don’t need expensive equipment to use this visual language, but you do need a powerful, specialized technical setup. Here are the basic parameters we teach in our workshops:
- Focal length: Use a 28mm lens or, at most, a 35mm lens. This forces you to physically move closer and widens the field of view, capturing the surroundings around the subject.
- Hyperfocal (Zone Focusing): Turn off autofocus. Set a small aperture (f/8 or f/11), manually pre-focus the lens at 1.5 or 2 meters, and shoot instinctively. Working with preset distances eliminates the camera’s reaction time.
- Handling motion blur: Creative motion blur is essential for conveying a sense of dynamism. Shoot at fast shutter speeds (between 1/30 and 1/60 of a second) while walking, following the flow of traffic.
- Film and Development (Push Processing): For those who shoot film, we recommend using high-speed black-and-white film (such as Kodak Tri-X 400 or Ilford HP5). During development, process it at ISO 800 or 1600 to bring out the grain and enhance the contrast.