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17-Year-Old Stanley Kubrick’s Photos Of 1940s New York Prove That He Was Born Genius
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Before Stanley Kubrick directed arguably some of the best movies ever made like "2001: Space Odyssey" or "The Shining," he was a simple teenager in New York looking for a job. But even then, when the 17-year-old got his hands on a photo camera, he couldn't hide the talent within.
Bored Panda has gathered a collection of his photos of New York from 1945 to 1950, when he was working in the Look magazine. During that time Stanley got many insights into what makes a photograph work: "I think aesthetically recording spontaneous action, rather than carefully posing a picture, is the most valid and expressive use of photography."
He quickly made a name for himself by telling stories through photos, which eventually led him to moving pictures and his place in the filmmakers' hall of fame.
Oh, and if you're into street photography as well, let Stanley himself give you a tip: "Think up ideas for stories, go out and shoot them, and then send them into the magazines. I was lucky; I figured that out when I was young."
(h/t: vintage everyday)
#2 Student At Columbia University, 1948
Wow! Amazing! The picture and girl is amazing! Also I would probably fall on the first step.
#3 Girl With A Lipstick, 1940
While learning to walk, how many times did you fall? Did you give up and hate walking? Tennyson-5...f351a0.jpg 
#4 Couple Sleeping In A Subway Car, 1940s
#5 Couple, 1940
#6 High Wire Act, 1948
Great shot! He really had an eye for angles! Wow! Done with only the equipment ready by then. Wow!
#8 Dogs In A Convertible, 1949
#11 Young Girl At Palisades Amusement Park, 1946
I'd love to know if these people are still around and are aware that they're now being looked at by complete strangers in a completely different world to the one they were depicted in.
#15 Betsy Von Furstenberg, 1949
He really captured her. I'm wondering what she's reading and imagining her personality.
#16 Girl With Dolls, 1947
#17 Students Drawing A Nude Model In An Art Class, 1948, Columbia University
Drawing a nude, one of the least sexy things you could ever do. It can be amazingly difficult
#19 Shoe Shine Boys (On Fence), 1947
He found the people that others overlooked. I love his shoeshine boys.
#23 Men Sleeping In A Subway Car, 1946
#25 Passengers In A Subway Car, 1940s
He had quite the eye for everyday hustle and bustle of life. Awesome. Used photography to new stuff early in, not just portraits and "pretty stuff", but reality! Coooool
#27 Rosemary Williams At A Restaurant With Two Men
#28 Doorman Walking Dog, 1949
#34 Man Carrying Flowers On A Crowded Subway, 1946
The little girl is the main subject on this pocture, nit the man carrying flowers
#35 Passengers Reading In A Subway Car, 1946
Why isn't there a gentleman giving up his seat for the ladies? Isn't this the era for that?
#36 Waiting At The Dentist’s Office
One of the most feared people in the professional world is without a doubt the dentist. It's one thing that never seems to change. :D
#37 Painter Tying Rope Around The Model's Waist, 1947
#39 Film Crew, 1947
#42 Woman Waiting On A Subway Platform, 1940s
#43 Shoe Shine Boys, 1947
#44 Man Studying In A Library, 1948, Columbia University
#45 Woman On The Train Platform, 1948
#46 Men With German Shepherd On A Dock, 1949
#47 Woman Waiting On A Subway Platform, 1946
Kubrick really was amazing with those long shots. I.e. Paths of Glory
#50 General Dwight D. Eisenhower At Columbia University, 1948
#58 Man By A Garbage Can
#60 Boxer Walter Cartier, 1948
#61 Man Exiting Train, 1948
Is that the classy woman from the chair on the platform in an earlier photo?
#64 People Browsing Through Magazine Racks At A Busy Sidewalk Newsstand, 1947
#67 Rocky Graziano With Two Men By A Sign For The Middleweight Championship Fight Between Tony Zale And Marcel Cerdan
#69 Passengers In A Subway Car, 1946
#70 Man Carrying Flowers On A Crowded Subway, 1946
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What I find so enlightening about Mr. Kubrick's early photography is that he was able to successfully balance the subjects with lessons in life that are always worth following. His ability to tell a story with even the most simple subject enabled him to bring this to the screen as a great director.
Do not see that depth of meaning in this selection. Most are still lifes and landscapes with adept management of available light.
Talent is nothing without work. And perfectionism. That's what made him such an incredible cineast. What always amazes me is the precision of his framing, and how it serves the storytelling. I miss him very much as a director and complete artist.
A Great Director and a really GREAT Photographer!!!! I miss him very much.....
What I find so enlightening about Mr. Kubrick's early photography is that he was able to successfully balance the subjects with lessons in life that are always worth following. His ability to tell a story with even the most simple subject enabled him to bring this to the screen as a great director.
Do not see that depth of meaning in this selection. Most are still lifes and landscapes with adept management of available light.
Talent is nothing without work. And perfectionism. That's what made him such an incredible cineast. What always amazes me is the precision of his framing, and how it serves the storytelling. I miss him very much as a director and complete artist.
A Great Director and a really GREAT Photographer!!!! I miss him very much.....