Rest in Peace, Helen Levitt

Read Helen Levitt’s  obituary in the New York Times.

As a shameless lover of street photography, I’ve been a huge fan of Levitt’s work. I also admire a number of qualities about her, one of which goes too often unnoticed: Helen Levitt played like the boys, and she was good at it. When the street was just an extension of the home, and the folks with both the ego and humility to photograph it were mostly men, Levitt captured life in ways that commanded respect and awe from the other masters of the time. She also contributed immensely to documenting an era that no longer exists today.

Her images are just one story, which I could go on about for days.  But the story that her exiting this world prompts me to think about, is the one of her life and her approach to photography. It turns me right back into the 10-year old tomboy trying to prove I could play just as hard as the boys — the ones who were expected and encouraged to get dirty and win all along.

Thanks Helen Levitt. You were a badass, and I owe you one.

© Helen Levitt