Saul Leiter was one of the pioneers of colour photography, but he never sought fame or recognition for his work. He preferred to stay in the shadows, capturing the beauty and mystery of everyday life in New York City. His photographs are poetic, painterly, and profound, revealing the hidden stories and emotions behind the urban scenes. In this article, we will explore the life and work of Saul Leiter, and why he deserves more attention and appreciation.
A Modest Genius
Saul Leiter was born in 1923 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a Jewish family of rabbis. He showed an early interest in art and painting, but his father disapproved of his career choice. He moved to New York in 1946, where he met the abstract expressionist painter Richard Pousette-Dart, who introduced him to photography. Leiter soon developed his own style, using a 35mm Leica camera and Kodachrome film. He experimented with colour, light, shadow, reflection, and composition, creating images that were abstract, expressive, and atmospheric. He also shot in black and white, often using a telephoto lens to create a compressed and intimate perspective.
Leiter was not interested in fame or fortune. He worked as a fashion photographer for magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, but he considered his personal work as his true passion. He rarely exhibited or published his photographs, and he kept most of his negatives and slides in boxes in his apartment. He was content with his modest and simple lifestyle, surrounded by books, paintings, and cats. He once said, “I spent a great deal of my life being ignored. I was always very happy that way. Being ignored is a great privilege. That is how I think I learned to see what others do not see and to react to situations differently. I simply looked at the world, not really prepared for anything.”
A Rediscovered Master
Leiter’s work remained largely unknown until the 1990s, when he was rediscovered by the art historian Martin Harrison, who was working on a book about early colour photography. Harrison was amazed by Leiter’s photographs, and convinced him to print and exhibit them. In 2006, Leiter’s first monograph, Early Color, was published by Steidl, and received critical acclaim. Leiter’s work was also featured in exhibitions around the world, and in a documentary film, In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter, released in 2012. Leiter died in 2013, at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy of thousands of
