Personal Investigation Outcome 2

Clare Flynn A0113914

Fig 1

Fig 2

Dougie Wallace and Bruce Gilden are from two different sides of the world however, both share
many similarities in their concepts for their work. Wallace draws from his hard edge of growing
up in Glasgow and Gilden was born, raised and still stays in Brooklyn which can equally be as
rough. Gilden is older than Wallace and is very well known in the world of street photography so
it is not a stretch to say that Wallace has been inspired by Gilden’s candid and intrusive style of
shooting. Both photographers shooting techniques are identical as they employ the same guerilla
style ambush of unsuspecting people walking in the street. The use of flash is also a common
bond that they share. For someone who is not aware of the world of street photography these two
could be mistaken for paparazzi as they surprise their subjects and use bright and hard flash in
their face.

Fig 3

Fig 4

Gilden began his career back in 1967 which gave him the edge of camera’s being an interesting
sight as they were not commonly seen on the street. This enabled Gilden to shoot freely as many
people did not mind as much for their picture to be taken as it was a novelty. Gilden was also a
pioneer for black and white street photography and it has only been in recent years that he
brought colour into his work. Wallace has always used colours for his imagery and boosts the
contrast and texture to make the colours pop harder. Now, street photography and the use of
cameras is an overly saturated market, and people do not want to be posted online. Wallace has
the harder task of shooting people on street who are social media savvy and put up a greater wall
to being shot by him especially due to his brazen attitude. Wallace found a way around this
problem and began shooting people who were in buses and cars to get his shot which stopped
confrontation.
Both photographers are big loud men who run up on people and get in their faces to shoot. I
suspect that this can be incredibly intimidating as Gilden has to bend down in front of your face
to snap a shoot as he is so tall. To then have really unflattering images posted online and
published in books must be embarrassing and traumatic as they have had no control and say in
the matter. I believe that they have little ethics and do not care who they hurt in the process as
they have published countless unflattering images.

Fig 5 & 6

Unlike Wallace, Gilden stated that he genuinely believes that the people or the ‘characters’ he
shoots are beautiful and elegant and he is not poking fun at them. However, Gilden’s use of the
word ‘characters’ establishes the idea that he doesn’t actually see them as real people who have
dignity and feelings. For his portraits he liked to put people at ease and make people laugh by
making faces or even dancing for them. On the other hand, his imagery tells a different story as
he blows up his portraits so the viewer can see every little imperfection on their faces. This also
contradicts his previous bullish approach to street photography and lack of empathy for his
unwilling subjects. He purposely targeted prostitutes, drug users and people with learning
disabilities for his portraits as they would have less objections to their picture being taken and for
it to be displayed.
Dougie Wallace does seem to have a better rapport with his subjects and many seem to be in on
the joke with his work. For his project ‘Stags Hens & Bunnies, A Blackpool Story’ his images
show that his subjects are looking directly at the camera and are smiling and laughing along with
him. Some images even include people who are posing for the pictures as they are having an
enjoyable time and are dressed up for the party. However, this has a lot to do with being drunk so
have lost a lot of their inhibitions which blurs the line of consent for the pictures to be taken. It
does seem though that Wallace is just having a laugh with his subjects and is not laughing at
their expense.

Fig 7
 Fig 8

Both photographers have long term projects that have spanned over many years to complete,
some of which are still ongoing. On completion of my research, I have a challenging time having
much admiration for either photographer as their work heavily relies on unsuspecting people
who did not sign up or agree to be shot unflatteringly. However, this tactic is exactly what has
given them remarkably successfully careers with Gilden even earning an icon status in street
photography, so it has obviously worked well.

Sources
Fig 1, 3, 5 & 6 are taken from; Bruce Gilden. (n.d.). Bruce Gilden. [online] Available at:
https://www.brucegilden.com/.
Fig 2, 4, 7 & 8 are taken from; WALLACE (2014). DOUGIE WALLACE. [online] DOUGIE
WALLACE. Available at: http://www.dougiewallace.com/hhhjjjjj.