Photographic Alphabet: H is for Robert Herman
"Bubble Girl, The Cayman Islands. March 14, 2011, 12:36:36pm
Latitude: 19°20'41"N, Longitude: 81°23'4"W
©Robert Herman
Robert Herman experiments with the limitations of capturing images through his iPhone’s Hipstamatic app in his series and second monograph, The Phone Book. Herman has been a street photographer since his days as a film student at NYU in the late 70s. Shooting on the Hipstamatic app originally drew in Herman, as it was reminiscent of his earlier experiences working with an analogue Kodachrome camera. The choice of using the app was compelling to Herman as he says, “the square format, the fixed lens and the slow ISO… Unlike a DSLR that has a five shot burst, it forced me to slow down.”
The Phone Book series was shot between 2010 and 2014 covering Herman’s extensive travels both nationally and internationally. Herman seeks to document what existed in time and space for a singular chance moment. Serendipity is the photographer’s strongest ally and met with Herman’s sense of subtle expression and ironic juxtaposition, it is the perfect marriage for the craft of street photography.
Herman is a believer that “it is the photographer’s eye that creates images that resonate.” Using an iPhone to capture images allows the photographer a sense of invisibility, while providing the opportunity for Herman to take photos more liberally and with a greater sense of authenticity. The Phone Book gives us a thought-provoking glimpse into quotidian life from around the world as it resonates from the uninhibited eye of Robert Herman.
Roberta, Naples, Italy. April 27, 2015, 9:34:15am
Latitude: 40°51'11''N, Longitude: 14°16'18''E
© Robert Herman
Face in Window, Battery Park City, New York, NY, USA. February 20, 2012, 3:24:41pm
Latitude: 40°42'54''N, Longitude: 74°0'50'4''W
© Robert Herman
Lower Broadway, New York, NY, USA. January 25, 2011, 10:13:54am
Latitude: 40°42'32''N, Longitude: 74°0'37''W
© Robert Herman
Fog, Santa Monica, CA, USA. October 29, 2012, 6:20:58pm
Latitude: 34°1'28''N, Longitude: 118°30'49''W
© Robert Herman
Day Dreaming, Cozumel, Mexico. March 16, 2011, 8:58:27pm
Latitude: 20°29'43''N, Longitude: 86°57'22''W
© Robert Herman
Before brunch at Evelyne and Thérèse's. Clichy, Paris, France. August 9, 2014, 10:54:25am
Latitude: 48°52'60''N, Longitude: 2°19'49''E
© Robert Herman
Kids, New York, NY USA. October 28, 2011, 3:10:34pm
Latitude: 40°42'55''N, Longitude: 74°0'54''W
© Robert Herman
Fashion Statement, New York, NY, USA. January 9, 2012, 3:02:45pm
Latitude: 40°44'54''N, Longitude: 73°59'38''W
© Robert Herman
Annie's Table. Lama, Corsica, France. July 27, 2014, 9:27:35pm
Latitude: 42°34'37''N, Longitude: 9°10'19''E
© Robert Herman
The American, New York, NY, USA. September 20, 2011, 10:26:45pm
Latitude: 40°44'54''N, Longitude: 73°59'38''W
© Robert Herman
Couple in the rain. New York, NY, USA June 13, 2014, 6:50:56pm
Latitude: 40°42'58''N, Longitude: 74°0'36''W
© Robert Herman
