Weegee's Creative Camera

On the gritty streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side during the 1930s and 40s, you could expect photojournalist Weegee to be at the scene of a crime before emergency services arrived. Sometimes developing pictures in the trunk of his car, Weegee quickly provided newspapers with the scandalous images that they needed to pull readers in. However, later in his career, Weegee began to emphasize the artistic quality of his photos and the possibilities of photography. In his 1959 book Weegee’s Creative Camera, Weegee refers to photography as the “youngest of the arts” and proceeds to give examples of photographic techniques that he has discovered and used. Part guidebook and part autobiography, this first edition copy of Creative Camera serves as a stark contrast to the violent images that Weegee is known for and provides insight into his creative process.