JOHN FRIEN (JOHN FREE) AND THE “RULE OF THREE” STREET PHOTO
John Free is an eminent American photographer who has gained worldwide fame for his extraordinary work in the street photo genre. The peculiar technique of John Free helped him to reach the heights in street photography, made him one of the brightest representatives of this trend. John Free still remains faithful to the good old film – he believes that each frame is valuable, and the skill of the photographer is the ability to correctly catch it.
John’s childhood and youth were spent in Connecticut. At first, he did not plan to link his life with photography. For a long time, John Free was engaged in repairing cars, and also carried out custom-made restoration of classic car models. Among the hobbies of the photographer – sailing, as well as the restoration of old wooden sailboats.
Only in a more mature age, John Free became interested in social photography, and devoted more than forty years of his life to her. The photographer notes that due to the presence of well-paid work in the field of restoration, he can take pictures solely for his own pleasure, not limited to the need to earn money and search for lucrative contracts.
Basic principles of work
John Free is not only a talented photographer. He shoots interesting videos and puts them on YouTube, where everyone can read free street photos or just a casual viewer. In his videos, John talks about the art of photography, about the attitude towards life in general. It is really interesting to listen to his thoughts, one can draw a lot of useful information from them, which is a kind of “key” to understanding the photo works of Mr. Free.
One of the first tenets of a street photographer that John Free confesses is the desire to show everyday life in all its glory. He is confident that even in everyday situations, everyday trifles, you can see a deep meaning, some.
Another rule of John Free (quite atypical for street shooting): a street photographer does not have to hide during work. He doesn’t do anything illegal or immoral, he just wants to capture a bright moment from the life of the world on the film.
John Free notes that he does not like to talk about his own style of work, because as such he is not. He likes to make diverse shots, not worrying that some frame will not fit into the overall stylistic concept. Much more important – the technique of work. For many years he has not changed his favorite model of the camera, takes a black-and-white film, shows and prints his photos himself.
The main goal of the photographer, according to John Free, is to create such a picture that will surely find an emotional response in the viewer’s soul. The first works were related to service in the Marine Corps in the early sixties. Since then, the basic tenets, which he adheres to in his activities, remain unchanged. At the same time, John Free notes that the main thing for every photographer is to practice as much as possible.
“Rule of Three”
John Free repeatedly noted that he always tries to capture at least three objects in the frame. This is an important principle for him, since the observance of such a rule allows you to display life in its diversity and versatility, to show how closely different, at first glance, things can be connected.
In his numerous interviews, he repeatedly encountered the question of which of his works he considers beloved, the closest to him emotionally. The photographer answers that the strongest photo, in his opinion, is a snapshot of Scott’s friend, along with his little son. John Free is not shy about his emotions. On the contrary, proud of them.
