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Bruce Gilden (born 1946) is a noted street photographer, known for his work in New York City. While studying sociology at Penn State, he saw Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blowup in 1968. Due to the film's influence, he purchased his first camera as a result, and began taking night classes in photography at the School of Visual Arts of New York. He routinely uses his camera's flash, alerting his subjects to his presence, unlike most street photographers. Fascinated with normal people on the street and the idea of visual spontaneity, Gilden turned to a career in photography.[1] A member of Magnum Photos, he shot images of Japan's Yakuza mobsters, the homeless, prostitutes, and members of bike gangs between 1995 and 2000. According to Gilden, he was fascinated by the duality and double lives of the individuals he photographed.[2] Gilden is also the subject of Misery Loves Company: The Life and Death of Bruce Gilden, a documentary produced in 2007.[3]

Bruce Gilden walks up and down streets, lingers at corners, and waits for his unsuspecting subjects. Then, with camera in one hand and flash in the other, he swoops in for the shot and passersby are caught in his frame. EGG catches up with Bruce Gilden at work and in action in New York City, his home turf.

Hunting for characters on the Streets of New York City with Magnum Photographer Bruce Gilden. Visit WNYC's Street Shots for more videos and a chance to share your own Street photographs.

bruce gilden faces of joy on obama

My work on foreclosed homes in Detroit has actually been a continuation of a project that started in Fort Myers, Florida in September 2008. For me the major concentration of the work is on the houses or what's left of the houses. I chose to photograph them mostly straight on like my street work in a very blunt fashion. To let the houses speak for themselves. After going to Florida and continuing in Detroit I realized that foreclosure is one part of a circle. There is homelessness, job loss, economic difficulties, etc, etc, etc. In Detroit the problem is not only a subprime problem it's a problem of people who lost their jobs. And this has been going on for many years. So it's a much more serious situation. When I went to Detroit - even though I had known that the city was pretty desolate - I was amazed that a major city in America in 2009 can look like this.