Alvin Comiter

| The Early Years

“To crack a nut is truly no feat, so no one would ever dare to collect an audience in order to entertain it with nut-cracking. But if all the same one does do that and succeeds in entertaining the public, then it cannot be a matter of simple nut-cracking. Or it is a matter of nut-cracking, but it turns out that we have overlooked the art of cracking nuts because we were too skilled in it and that this newcomer to it first shows us its real nature, even finding it useful in making his effects to be rather less expert in nut-cracking than most of us.”
— Josephine the Singer, Franz Kafka

These photographs were taken a long time ago, while living in Colorado, then California and finally Nova Scotia.  Most of the pictures were shot while travelling across the U.S. and Canada, often on a Greyhound bus, stopping along the way to visit family and friends. Photography was an excuse to travel and travelling was an excuse to take pictures.  It was exciting to re-shape a childhood obsession – wandering the streets of New York – into an adult profession. Coincidentally, the books I was reading confirmed the importance of careful observation – Nabokov’s advice on how to be a good reader, “notice and fondle details”, also describes the photographic mission.

And then, to discover that other photographers had marked a trail!  The pictures I loved had many things in common:  they were taken outdoors in public spaces; they were full of prosaic details; the photographers didn’t ‘make’ things to photograph, they ‘found’ things to photograph; the pictures were in black and white; the subject was often ambiguous; and the photos were full of contradictions – they were funny yet melancholy; they were precise descriptions yet strangely mysterious; they were faithful to the material world but also about each photographer’s quirky imagination; every picture described something saved but also something lost; they were two dimensional but created the illusion of three dimensional space; they were critical yet affectionate; and while they were full of social content they seemed intent on solving uniquely photographic problems.  In short, the pictures were complicated and oxymoronic, and as a result, it felt like they were “true”.  At heart, the photos echoed what I think WH Auden meant when he wrote: “Poetry is the clear expression of mixed feelings”.

You can press the “Play” button to activate the slide show, or you can browse the images using the left/right arrows on the screen or keyboard.  Clicking on “Alvin Comiter” in the title bar will take you back to the home page where you can select other projects.  If you’re using a touch screen you can swipe to the next photo.  

All photographs: Copyright © 1970-2020 Alvin Comiter

Los Angeles, California, 1971

Los Angeles, California, 1971

San Francisco, California, 1973

San Francisco, California, 1973

Boulder, Colorado, 1971

Boulder, Colorado, 1971

Los Angeles, California, 1971

Los Angeles, California, 1971

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Valencia, California, 1975

Valencia, California, 1975

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1978

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1978

Cincinnati, Ohio, 1975

Cincinnati, Ohio, 1975

Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1976

Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1976

Salt Lake City, Utah, 1976

Salt Lake City, Utah, 1976

Huntsville, Alabama, 1975

Huntsville, Alabama, 1975

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1978

Los Angeles, California, 1978

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1976

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1976

Auburn, New York, 1975

Auburn, New York, 1975

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

San Leandro, California, 1980

San Leandro, California, 1980

Riviere du Loup, Quebec, 1975

Riviere du Loup, Quebec, 1975

Miami Beach, Florida, 1977

Miami Beach, Florida, 1977

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1976

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1976

Berkeley, California, 1978

Berkeley, California, 1978

Hallandale, Florida, 1974

Hallandale, Florida, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1974

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Colorado, 1974

Colorado, 1974

Miami Beach, Florida, 1973

Miami Beach, Florida, 1973

Hollywood, Florida, 1973

Hollywood, Florida, 1973

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1975

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1975

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, 1972

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, 1972

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Los Angeles, California, 1973

Montreal, Quebec, 1982

Montreal, Quebec, 1982

Montreal, Quebec, 1982

Montreal, Quebec, 1982

State Capitol Building, Jackson, Mississippi, 1975

State Capitol Building, Jackson, Mississippi, 1975

State Capitol Building, Bismarck, North Dakota, 1982

State Capitol Building, Bismarck, North Dakota, 1982

Orlando, Florida, 1978

Orlando, Florida, 1978

Newport, Rhode Island, 1977

Newport, Rhode Island, 1977

Miami Beach, Florida, 1978

Miami Beach, Florida, 1978

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1977

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1977

Somerville, Massachusetts, 1977

Somerville, Massachusetts, 1977

Bangor, Maine, 1977

Bangor, Maine, 1977

Oakland, California, 1976

Oakland, California, 1976

Laramie, Wyoming, 1976

Laramie, Wyoming, 1976

New York City, 1981

New York City, 1981

Lowell, Massachusetts, 1977

Lowell, Massachusetts, 1977

Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1976

Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1976

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1977

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1977

Valencia, California, 1975

Valencia, California, 1975

Kansas City, Missouri, 1982

Kansas City, Missouri, 1982