William Gedney was an immersion photographer with work dating from the 1950s through the 1980s. It wasn’t until after his death in 1989 did Gedney become widely recognized, which stemmed from the works of his Kentucky series. His work is known for the respected relationship that he cultivated with his subjects. From street scenes outside of his Brooklyn apartment, to unemployed coal minders, to the lifestyle of the Haight- Ashbury hippies to the religious rituals of Hindu worshippers. Gedney recorded his life and the life around him in a meticulous way, which resulted in his collections growing to over 5000 photos. His photographs along with his notebooks and writings have created a vision and given viewers an deeper understanding to the life and inspiration behind this private artist.

Movie theatres are places filled with joy, fear, love, and boredom. Photographer Weegee has captured all these emotions and more by snapping photos of unsuspecting patrons in a 1940’s Manhattan movie house. By using a infrared film and a filtered flashbulb, Weegee was able to capture faces of concentration, slumber, happiness and romance by the glow of the sliver screen.

Weegee is known for his work of gangland murder scenes and the crowds they attract. To some, this series of theatre shots don’t fall in line with his most famous work. In fact Weegee is using this scene to further explain that the world is not exactly as we perceive it. He has made it his task to look closely at the ways we view the world, and creating a deeper understanding for what we maybe missing around us.

Kabukichō is the red light district in Shinjuku, central Tokyo. The original 1940’s plans for this district was dedicated to the kabuki theatre, but instead the area became the hub for the red light scene; homing bustling night clubs, hostess clubs and love hotels. At night, the busy neon-lit streets are filled with the curious, the workers and with around a thousand yakuza, which are said to operate the area.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s photographer Wantanbe Katsumi (1941-2006) roamed the Kabukichō area offering to take photos the sharply dress yakuza, the pimps, the prostitutes and the drag queens that resided and worked in the area. Katsumi would approach each of this subjects and offer to take their picture. He often got shots of his subjects unabashedly spontaneous and unguarded. The following evening Katsumi would return and deliver the prints for 200 yen.

In 1973, the first volume of Wantanbe Katsumi’s photos...

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