Today’s vintage photograph of the day by master photographer Ernst Haas, is titled Binoculars and it was taken in Battery Park, NY in 1952. Haas is well known for adopting colour early on in his career before many of his contemporaries. Famous Haas colour photographs include slow motion studies.
A Haas quote that I really dig is, “The best pictures differentiate themselves by nuances‚¦a tiny relationship ‚ either a harmony or a disharmony — that creates a picture.”
Binoculars by Ernst Haas — 1952
This photograph works on‚multiple‚levels which is likely why it works so well.
The‚binoculars‚themselves look like human faces so we are‚immediately‚attracted to that aspect. However, other elements also make this image interesting. These elements include the fence and the buildings in the background. For me, the fence, binoculars and background buildings represent the fact that ‘making it’ in New York is difficult. The fence separates you from the buildings but you can see them through the binoculars. Getting there, is a battle…but if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
