Independent Photographer Burk Uzzle

Recently, I ran into some images taken by Burk Uzzle which led me to his website. On the website, I found an amazing collection of images that he took over a span of more than six decades.

Some of black and white documentary photos Burk took in the 60s were deeply touching. Those iconic images captured the turmoil in a unique period of the American history.

The images Burk took in the later years documented contemporary American life. They were sometimes hilarious and sometimes poignant. They were just as unforgettable as the earlier black and white images.

In terms of style, I found it intriguing that Burk was able to create harmony out of chaos. Sometimes he included a large number of elements in an image and yet the end image made sense in spite of (or rather, because of) the chaos. Some of his images had strong geometric shapes or color contrasts and yet the end images had the perfect sense of balance of color and shape. The incongruities drew me in and made me want to look at his images again and again.

Overall, I am most impressed by his display of sensitivity to the human condition that we all share. A great photographer, just like any other great artists, must be able to feel the underlying emotions of a moment before he can capture and share them with the rest of the world. I think that's what made Burk's images so captivating and timeless.

Below are a few of my favorites taken from his website.

All photos are copyrighted by Burk Uzzle and I have permission from him to share the thumbnail versions here. You can find the original images on his website.