His street photography has depth. It is like watching a ghost-like parade of people flitting through life. It is as if we are caught in the glare of existential headlights, staring like traumatised bunnies at the realities of our relatively short lives. A worker carrying a wooden pallet, a stone-faced man protectively holding his daughter in his arms, boxers training in a Mexico City gym, an anxious-looking, elderly couple sealed in their car.
Image credit Rob Krauss © 2017
“I happened upon them while crossing the street in February 2016.” Rob Krauss, the Los Angeles based photographer says of ‘Kings of the Road’, his award winning shot. “Two old people pulled up at a crossing in Hollywood. (I was) drawn in by the woman’s hair…walking up to their car so close my knees were touching their licence plate (an Iowa one). I only had time to take one exposure and it was a lucky one.”
In their ordinariness the couple share the same life producing materials as every other human on the planet. It is, in its simplicity, a representation of every one of us on our, often gently surreal, journey through life. The couple held in the frame together, the cross hanging from the interior mirror of their car symbolic of the journey we all have to take to our maker (whoever we believe them to be)
“They have a loving connection,” Krauss speculates, “…have been together 30-40 years and are now venturing out on one of their last adventures. Even though they might be madly in love, the road of life still ends up being a solo trip.”
The words pose philosophically in that street scene. This is the crossing we all take on that legendary ‘road trip’ – start to finish. Krauss, like all street photographers, is caught in the fall-out at the other side of the car, as much part of that frame as his subjects. Simultaneously, travelling his own road until the tarmac inevitably runs out and we merge with the shadows at the edge of the highway. His theme is, as people, we have more similarities than differences
“I think the very act of street photography is what makes me feel that,” He explains. “I know some documentary photographers espouse not being involved or trying to stay separate from the world you are photographing, but when I shoot I don’t try to be separate. I’m just as much a part of the world I am shooting as the people I shoot. Though I may try to not find their attention, I am still fully present in the moment, even if they do not know. When I see a truly compelling moment happening in front of me I stop, not because of what I see but because of what I feel. And, by virtue of empathizing with my subjects, I feel more connected to them, realizing that though I am photographing them, part of what I am also photographing is me.”
It is a search shared with many in street photography but Rob’s motivation is apparent in his backstory.
Image credit Rob Krauss © 2017
As a young man growing up in Syracuse, New York State, Krauss was devastated by news that his father was suffering from Huntington’s disease, a degenerative neural disorder. Rob also knew he had a 50 per cent chance of having inherited the faulty gene, and, in a strange way, this pushed him to get things done.
“I was driven by it,” He confided. “Knowing I needed to achieve, what I thought was success, before it was too late. It also inspired me to document as much as I could about my life and learn as much about other cultures and countries as I could. This is where photography was a bright spot, I could keep all the memories… on prints or on drives and relive them in my later days as my mind was on its way out.”
After high school he moved to Boston where he studied Film and Television production at Emerson College.
“Throughout college I experimented with documentary photography and photojournalism and found that I enjoyed them greatly,” He told me. “Getting close to a story was fascinating to me. I collected all the memories that I could during college, trying to not take a day for granted.”
Rob tested for Huntington’s disease in 2016, and, thankfully, was given the all clear. But, even now, he still feels the same urgency in his work to document life. A psychological need to cram as much in through visual stories as is possible.
Image credit Rob Krauss © 2017
“That’s why I’m looking for what I want to say,” He confesses. “We live in a time when it’s easier to make a statement but so much of it is noise and pointless, I want to make sure if I am going to say something it is fully formed. David Allen Harvey speaks about authorship as a major factor in what makes a good photographer. The technical part of it is so easy these days, we need to be making heartfelt photos. But that’s been a really hard point for me to come to.”
Strikingly, his subjects appear caught in the act, as if Krauss were eavesdropping on their existence with his camera.
“I don’t know what I want to say, how to say it or how to show it,” Rob Krauss says candidly. “I don’t know what I can add to the artistic conversation of the times, when there is so much controversy going on. How can I stand out from the noise? (But), it’s okay not to know what you want to say. I try not to let that hold me back from creating and shooting, maybe I can sort it out later.”
His frankness makes you want to place an arm around his shoulder, confide in him that while he might be still searching he already has a voice. A strong voice that resonates strongly and solidly within street photography.
But don’t just take my word for it, you will find Rob’s work on his website Rob Krauss.
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