The photographer’s gift for capturing the unexpected is reflected across his black-and-white oeuvre
Madeleine Pollard NOVEMBER 1 2019
From 1982 to 2001, Mark Steinmetz travelled from his home in Georgia to fairs and circuses across the US, where he photographed a melting pot of carnival-goers: individuals from all walks of life “seeking something to transport them from the every day”. With a humility that is present in the pictures themselves, Steinmetz would lose himself in the crowd, stumbling upon whimsical scenes and moments of intimacy. His images, now collected in a new book titled Carnival, draw in the eye with their warm tones. Their delicate blend of artistry and serendipity echoes the freedom bestowed by a day at the fair. The photographer’s gift for capturing the unexpected is reflected across his black-and-white oeuvre, containing soft, silvery impressions of the Deep South, Los Angeles, Paris and Italy.
‘Carnival’ is published by Stanley/Barker