Robert Frank published “The American’s” in 1959 and received a lot of negative feedback; one of the most notable photography magazines at the time ridiculed his work, a book that has become a staple in the history of photography.

Ivan Sigal published “The White Road” after travelling Central Asia where

he immersed himself in the culture and daily lives of his subjects. Ivan’s photos transport the viewer to the time and space where the photo was taken. His experiences are vividly portrayed in black and white shots.

Taryn Simon published “A Living Man Dead and Other Chapters” in order to document people, rabbits and their bloodlines. Simon works like a scientist collecting evidence of the past as she goes, which she will photograph and use later in her book.

Robert Frank, Taryn Simon and Ivan Sigal have all captured many essences of life in their photo books, what they have most in common with each other. Each one of them uses people as their main subject matter or the influence of people upon the natural world, while offering the reader a narrative through multiple stylistic choices.

It is apparent in “The American’s” that Frank’s subjects were quite

different than that of Sigal’s. Frank did not know his subjects, or had little involvement with them. Sigal spent time with his subjects, immersing himself in their culture and conventional activities. While Robert Frank did not approach his photography in this manner his photographs still exude intimacy. The precise placements of each picture in “The Americans” illuminates a variety of perspectives that enveloped stereotypes established at that time. While these stereotypes are seen as clichés in present day, Robert Frank was a fundamental figure in characterizing these stereotypes, as we know them now. The way in which Sigal formats his work sequences the photographs according to their stories and relation to one another. “The White Road,” for example, often reads right to left to right. During a conversation with Mr. Sigal he explained that this was because upon opening the book and flipping through the pages you see the picture on the right first. Frank’s book is much more conventional, every picture is placed on the right page and the left is blank. Both create powerful narratives that draw the viewer into a temporary but intimate relationship between themselves and the characters they choose to see.

Sigal took each picture intentionally, in order to tell a story, whereas Frank captured moments, Simon was used photography as a historian, document and record. It appears as if his placement and construction of the book was more methodical than Frank’s but less than that of Simon’s work. Sigal thought about each photograph that he took, his shots were intentional and relative. An excerpt from “The White Road” speaks strongly to his ordinal choices; The first shot seen is followed by two shots involving the child, followed by more drinking by the mother and the final shot is of an older woman doing laundry. Some of the pictures have a dark side, an eerie feel to them, and the notion that many things are left unsaid. In particular, we see the first shot is of a woman drinking, a lively photo that seems like an exciting and fun place to be. This photo is followed by the picture of a little boy in a room poking his head up just enough that we can see his eyes. These two pictures take us from one room to another, where we ponder the relationship between the two subjects. We see that the woman is partying with little regard for anything outside of her immediate surroundings, as emphasized by the blurriness of the picture. The boy looks like he is peering out; although his expression isn’t visible it is possible that he is looking out at his mother while he sits curiously awake in his room. The relationship between these photos is similar to the feeling of “The Americans” in regards to the perspective bestowed upon the viewer by Frank’s photo placements.

Sigal took each picture intentionally, in order to tell a story, whereas Frank captured moments, Simon was used photography as a historian, document and record. It appears as if his placement and construction of the book was more methodical than Frank’s but less than that of Simon’s work. Sigal thought about each photograph that he took, his shots were intentional and relative. An excerpt from “The White Road” speaks strongly to his ordinal choices; The first shot seen is followed by two shots involving the child, followed by more drinking by the mother and the final shot is of an older woman doing laundry. Some of the pictures have a dark side, an eerie feel to them, and the notion that many things are left unsaid. In particular, we see the first shot is of a woman drinking, a lively photo that seems like an exciting and fun place to be. This photo is followed by the picture of a little boy in a room poking his head up just enough that we can see his eyes. These two pictures take us from one room to another, where we ponder the relationship between the two subjects. We see that the woman is partying with little regard for anything outside of her immediate surroundings, as emphasized by the blurriness of the picture. The boy looks like he is peering out; although his expression isn’t visible it is possible that he is looking out at his mother while he sits curiously awake in his room. The relationship between these photos is similar to the feeling of “The Americans” in regards to the perspective bestowed upon the viewer by Frank’s photo placements.

Frank is more of a passerby, looking for the right images to capture what

he recognized to be the real America, not the America being portrayed by mass media. He began his project without the intention of making a book out of it, Sigal knew from the beginning that he was going to be making a book and each picture was taken with purpose and intent. Frank’s book enables the reader to take multiple perspectives on the photographs based upon their placement within the book. In this excerpt from “The American’s” we see the transgression of multiple perspectives, starting with our own when we look at several African Americans in the car. This image settles into the mind of the viewer to digest but is immediately followed by a picture of an older white couple that was, presumably, looking at the car in the previous picture. Given that the picture was taken in the 1950’s the racial commentary is quite obvious and provides a great example of Robert Frank’s goal, which was to show America as he saw it, to find classic truths among the masses. This truth led to much criticism upon the release of this photo book but it changed the way that photographers publish to this day. His work also had great influence on our cultural understandings of that time due to the popularity of “The American’s” and it’s visual influences on many generations.

Frank’s photographs are rarely taken in the same setting, a major difference between him and Simon. In this excerpt Sigal focuses on one setting, probably one family, one event and its relationships with other events in the series. His photographs imply multiple storylines and make you feel as though you are part of the experience; Sigal has the ability to immerse you in his photographs, to create a personal relationship between you and his subjects. Great significance is put upon human presence in “The White Road”, every single picture has a component of human life, or human interference.

Taryn Simon, author of “A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters” approaches and presents her photographs in a systematic, thorough and consistent fashion. She photographs her subjects sitting full front to the camera in each project in order of relations. Notice the empty spaces, she leaves these spots blank to show the reader that these members of the bloodline are missing. The empty boxes agitate the soul with quiet questions. In corresponding text Simon will offer some information as to why she was unable to photograph these persons; often, when a person cannot be photographed, or will not participate, she will photograph a piece of clothing that belongs to the subject.

Her book is very large; each page is filled with rows of symmetrical boxes and systemized placement of documentation. The outer cover of the book appears to be covered by a no wear industrial material, something that time will not wear, like the couches in office buildings. Inside there are years worth of historical documentation collected by Taryn herself, who was hired by a collector to embark on this four-year project. During those four years she travelled the world in search of untold stories and alluring documents. Simon is very tactical and writes in a precise manner, it seems as though the project is a formula to her in every aspect of its production.

Frank, Sigal and Simon all seek to tell stories, in each of these works their personalities shine through the photographs and bindings. They are diverse but have cohesion at the same time. Stylistically each photographer is bringing something unique to the table, something that will serve as an influence for years to come.

There are numerous comparisons to make between Robert Frank and Ivan Sigal, while their work is astoundingly different at the same time. Some differences are subtle and some are grave and drastic, yet both artists generate a strong, silent narrative.

Ivan Sigal worked with one of the top publishers in the world, having the

chance to hand design his book starting with paper, pictures and tape. When Robert Frank first began editing for “The American’s” he had over a

thousand pictures, 83 pictures were published in the original book.