1

Lauren S.
Ms. Burakowski
CPA Photography
1 April 2015
Joel Meyerowitz
Joel Meyerowitz was innovative when it came to colored photography. He
took many pictures of nature views, as well as urban scenes. The photos of nature are
mostly colored. The street photography is mainly black and white, since these are the
photos he started to take at the beginning of his career (Meyerowitz). Meyerowitz has
sold more 150,000 copies of Cape Light, his first book of photos, during its thirtyyear life (Meyerowitz). Many of his pieces are not staged and taken in action. His
methods inspire and are followed by many photographers today. Meyerowitzs
colorful photos were innovative for his time, as well as his captivating street
photography.
Meyerowitz was born in 1938 in New York (Meyerowitz). He is living now,
and still actively photographs and sells new pieces. However, all of his recent pictures
are strictly color (Meyerowitz). As stated previously, he began his career in
photography from taking pictures of active city scenes. He observed Robert Frank and
Henri Cartier-Bresson, who inspired him to start taking these photographs
(Meyerowitz). Meyerowitz was innovative in colored photography. Colored
photography was not widely accepted in the early 1960s, but he took colored photos
anyway. This started a new trend in photography. His colored prints were popular, and
his first book sold more than 150,000 copies (Meyerowitz). His piece, entitled Fallen

2
Man, was taken in Paris, France in the year of 1967 (O'Hagan 2012). The image
illustrates a man that has collapsed. All the people around the accident appear to be
shocked, worried, and confused. The photograph captures a moment of bewilderment
and shock (O'Hagan 2012). The clothing and cars in the photo reflect the 60s time
period. The scene is on a street in the city of Paris. Cars and trolleys drive parallel to
the fallen man on the sidewalk, while the people around circle around him to make
sure he is alive and ok. There is a biker going by him, looking over his shoulder at the
scene. The accident happened to occur near a train entrance and exit, so the people
coming up the stairs gasp at the horrific scene. The image is effective. It conveys a
theme of shock and confusion. The scene inspires and helps photographers take
pictures of situations without them being planned and framed.
The image titled, Ballston Beach, Truro, was taken in 1976 ("Masters of
Photography: Joel Meyerowitz"). It was taken on a beach on Cape Cod in the town of
Truro ("Masters of Photography: Joel Meyerowitz"). It is a colored photograph. The
picture was photographed on a bright, windy, and sunny day. The blowing flag
indicates the wind speed. People are on the beach in bathing suits with friends and
family. A surfer is walking across the beach, carrying his surfboard. The photo
displays a relaxed lifeguard on a lifeguard stand. There dont appear to be any beach
chairs in the picture, but this could be due to it being a picture of a lifeguard zone.
The water is dark, just like the ocean is in New England. The bathing suits worn in
the pictures reflect the 70s apparel. The theme of this photo is relaxation and leisure
by the shore. Likewise to Fallen Man, the portrait assists photographers capture
people without others being posed.

3
Another picture called Porch, Provincetown was taken in 1977 ("Porch
Lightning, Provincetown"). It is a colored photograph taken on Cape Cod in
Provincetown. It portrays a porch overlooking the ocean. The lightning hitting the
ocean is the main focus of the scene. The colored photography allows the lightning to
be the focus point. The message of this picture is that there is beauty in the simplicity
of nature. The lightning, in its natural setting, is naturally alluring. This is done
effectively, with the picture being dark, and the lightning brightens up the picture. It
influences other photographers by having them make the focus of the picture be
brighter than the rest of it, even if the bright focus is off centered.
The Blue Hour was photographed in 1984 ("Masters of Photography: Joel
Meyerowitz"). Like the other three previous photographs, it is a colored image. The
image is a beautiful display of the sky and ocean. It contains shades of dark blue, light
blue, grey, and very pale green. All of the colors blend in the photograph nicely. The
photograph is simple, and would not have the same effect on the viewer if it was not
in color. The color in the photo its a key point, so the same message wouldnt be
conveyed in black and white. The message of the image is peace, theres beauty in
simplicity, and tranquility in nature. The photo effectively conveys this theme through
its calming colors and peaceful view. This picture would help a photographer take a
plain and smooth photo of a scene, without it being too busy.
Joel Meyerowitzs color and street photography is still influencing todays
photographers. His work is mainly focused on peaceful nature views, beach scenes,
and also hectic city depictions. Robert Franks works of street photography inspired
Meyerowitz to start taking pictures. Meyerowitz effectively captured moments

4
perfectly in street photography, and no one in the pictures seem to be posed. After his
developing street photography career, he started using colored photography. Because
of his initiative, colored photography began to become more and more accepted in
society. His drive to take colored pictures made his works more innovative and
popular. To this day, he is a well-known photographer, with over 15 books of beautiful
photographs.

5
Works Cited
"JOEL MEYEROWITZ." Ballston Beach, Truro, 1976. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
"Masters of Photography: Joel Meyerowitz." Masters of Photography: Joel
Meyerowitz. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Meyerowitz, Joel. "JOELMEYEROWITZ." Joel Meyerowitz. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar.
2015.
O'Hagan, Sean. "Joel Meyerowitz: 'brilliant Mistakes ... Amazing Accidents'" The
Guardian. N.p., 10 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
"Porch Lightning, Provincetown." Museum of Contemporary Photography. N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 Mar. 2015.