The Art of photography

RespondingtotheSubject

Assignment:TheCity

Yourassignmentis

to

make

a

photo-

graphthatholdsforyoutheessenceof

thecity.

Thischallenge,posedtofiveprofession-

alphotographers,wasaltogetherdiffer-

entfromthatinvolvingthemannequin.

Farfrombeing

a

simple,inanimate

ob-

ject,thecityisvastandcomplex,with

aninfinitedimensionoffascinationinits

teemingpopulaceceaselesslyworking,

playing,living.Yettheresultsoftheman-

nequinandcity

assignmentsdisplayed

onegreatsimilarity.Eachofthephoto-

graphsdependsforitseffectiveness

—

anditsartistry—uponthepersonalvision

andimaginativeskillofthephotographer.

ToDavid

Plowden,whochosetopor-

trayChicago,wherehenowlives,thecity

evokesavibrantimageof"ahuge,won-

derfullyexcitingplace,jammedwithac-

tivity.It'snotbeautiful,but,rather,vital,

notashowplace,butaworkplace."

Stiflingwhathesayswasnear-panicat

the

seemingimpossiblityofgetting

all

Chicago'shurly-burlyintojustoneframe,

Plowden

beganworkbydrivingaround

thepartsofthecityhelikesbest.Hedis-

missedthefashionablechicofMichigan

Avenueasbeing"toomuchthecityas

greatandbeautiful,justapostcard."Nor,

Plowden

decided,didhewanttoshow

onlythehandsomebuildingsthatChica-

gopossessesinabundance.Sincehe

sawitasaworkadayplace,heasked

himself,"Whatis

anaspectthatreflects

thecityasacenterofcommerce?"

Insearchingforhispicture,Plowden

foundthat,almostinstinctively,hehad

headedfortheFultonMarket,westofthe

Loop—anareathatisChicago'sequiv-

alentoftheNewYorkwaterfrontthathe

hadlovedtoexploreas aboy.Ashear-

rived,hesawthelightwasjust right fora

portraitoftheWindyCity,grayandover-

cast,soheparked,sensingthathewas

nearinghispicture—butstillnotknowing

preciselywhatthatpicturewould

be.

Whilehewasstalkingthebackstreets,

Plowdensuddenlycameuponascene

aswarmwithallof"theactivity,thejam,

thecrowdedness"thathewaslooking

for.Asadeliveryman

—

seeninanony-

moussilhouette—unloadedatruckamid

aclogof

traffic,

withthehigh-risesofthe

cityloominginthemistybackground,

Plowdencomposed,

focusedand

shot.