“In Times Square, amid chaos and traffic, the old lady in the light blue shirt was about to cross the street with bewitching serenity, head held high, hands clasped behind her back. I intercepted her fresh smile, I photographed her, and I couldn’t help but ask her what she was doing in the middle of that jungle and where she was going with her gorgeous blouse. She replied that she was simply taking a walk outside the house while waiting for the apple pie she had put in the oven to finish cookingâ€. The photograph is titled Apple-Pie Woman, the Italian photographer and photojournalist who told us the story is called Stefano Fristachi and the portfolio that includes the portrait is American. The New Yorkers.
It is a compendium of faces and souls with which the author interacted, even just for a few moments of a photographic shot, walking among the skyscrapers, on the streets, and through the parks of the Big Apple.
In the Robert Frank way
Fristachi enthusiastically embraces the significant photographic trend of anthropological research based on Street Photography, the field of action of many explorers of humanity who have made – and continue to make – the history of photography in the revolutionary footsteps of Robert Frank.
Just like these image hunters driven by the desire for genuine and instinctive representation of reality, Fristachi moves between urban environments, waiting for some element to capture his attention without pretending that there is a rational motivation to trigger his interest. Having identified the subject that intrigues him, the photographer begins the “study” of it through photography, simply following the stimuli received. This practice, and even more so in the title of the project chosen by Fristachi, echoes Frank’s masterwork, The Americans which naturally portrayed the inhabitants of forty-eight American states between 1955 and 1956, in a frank and direct way, subverting the patterns of conventional photography.
‘human-centric’ photography
Always attentive and receptive, Fristachi talks about his New York experiences: “No matter where you sit in New York, you feel the vibrations of great moments, special people, events, and great deeds. New York combines the gift of privacy with the excitement of participation; it manages to isolate the individual from all the events, violent and wonderful, that take place every minute. New York can destroy an individual or it can make it happen, it depends on luck. The city is like a poem, it compresses all life into a small island joined by music and the constant accompaniment of running engines.”
The photographer defines his work as ‘human-centric ‘because the main subject and ultimate goal of his research is the human being, with his needs, aspirations, emotions, nuances, and contradictions. Â
“I have to be curious, passionate, and professional†he adds, recalling the need to find a balance between respecting the photographed subject and enhancing one’s style. “I have to know how to use the techniques, the lights, the colors, the shots to create an image that is both faithful to reality and capable of transmitting a message, an emotion, a sensationâ€.
The photographer’s kit consists of a Fujifilm camera and three Fujinon fixed lenses, a 35mm, a 50mm, and an 85mm, which Fristachi considers to be of excellent quality because they are very bright and capable, as a whole, of offering the framing versatility that he needs.
Street Photography: a matter of contract
“Street photography is a genre that I love and with which I identify,†explained the photographer, “because it allows me to document reality and humanity authentically and sincerely. I don’t try to manipulate or alter the scene, but to capture it as it is, in its spontaneous unfolding. For me, eye contact with the subject is a crucial moment of meeting and exchange; a moment in which a connection is established between my vision and that of the person I am photographing, while creating a tension that merges with curiosity. There is no preparation, there is no intention, there is only instinct, the desire to look at oneself and compare oneself.”
Fristachi talks about two photographs of Americans. The New Yorkers
“I remember very well the couple of young lovers in Central Park. They were sitting on the grass, as green as their eyes. I was struck by their sweetness and lightheartedness. I took the photo without disturbing their moment, and then I went closer to show them the photo and they were thrilled. They had recently gotten engaged and thanked me for immortalizing them in a special moment. Since then we have remained in contact and over time a relationship of epistolary friendship has been created: one of those friendships that arise by chance, which I owe to photography.
The photo of the Mormon with his son, however, was taken in Williamsburg, the Jewish neighborhood of Brooklyn. It happened very quickly, I was busy doing something else, I turned, saw them, and took off, taking them by surprise. The child, in a very stern tone, asked me why I was taking a photo of them and I replied that there was no specific reason, but that something about them simply caught my attention. Only later, noticing the detail of the number 323 on the door seen in the photo, did I have the instinct to look for its meaning according to the Jewish Kabbalah. Indulging my curiosity I discovered that 323 is considered an angelic number; when we encounter this number, it is not a simple coincidence, but a strong message from the divine realm indicating that we are on the right path. I like to think so! This is New York, and I wanted to look it in the eye, look inside it.”
