rss feedRemembering Ben Chinn, a San Francisco photographer who sought authenticity
Ben Chinn studied art in Paris from 1950 to 1951. He also captured slices of daily life, including "Rainy Paris Street," with his cameras. Photo credit: Copyright 2009 Benjamen Chinn Estate
When my mom sent me links to photographer Ben Chinn’s work and a Wikipedia site recently, I stopped to give his black-and-white images of San Francisco and Paris some thought.
I’m neither an artist nor a professional photographer. But like many people, I enjoy seeing life around me.
Here we had a man, who was born on April 30, 1921 in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He studied photography, traveled the world and sought a visual slice of genuine life – often on the streets. I could relate in many ways.
Chinn, who passed away on April 25, 2009 at the age of 87, brought out his cameras largely on the streets of San Francisco and Paris to document what he witnessed.
