Whenever I think favorite photos, this one immediately comes to mind. It epitomizes so much of what this medium (limited as it may be) can achieve- its graphic sense of scale and composition, its primordial light descending upon the solitary everyman on his epic journey to survive just one more day. Sure, there are countless similar images taken of urban America (I've taken one or two myself), but never one so heartfelt in its understated eloquence, like a recurring dream which we strive to create, and are ultimately entrapped by. .
Charles Gatewood's appropriately named Sidetripping was the first photo book I ever bought- back in a time when you could count all the then current photo monographs on one hand, including: the Diane Arbus monograph, Robert D'Alessando's Glory, Bruce Davidson's E100 St, and the proverbial Ansel Adams book to be sure. You can see his vintage photography, along with his more current sexually oriented work, first hand at The Robert Tat Gallery this February.
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