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Tony Marciante, Street Photographer

I don’t know Tony Marciante or anything about who he is or where he’s from (I’ll guess NYC), but if his pictures are evidence, he’s been carrying a camera around with him for the last forty years or so.

Since November, Tony’s been posting pictures to his flickr stream. Recently, he’s scanned some from a St. Pat’s Parade in NYC in 1974. His pictures are a test for fans of street photography — or at least for me, to disassociate the natural affection for the look of black-and-white street photography in NY in the 70s via Winogrand and Arbus. Oddly, in Tony’s photos, it’s not necessarily the people or fashions that remind me of more familiar photos, it’s the dang vestibules and curbs and street furniture that looks so Winograndian. But on top of that, Tony has a sharp eye, quick reflexes, and cleary knows what he’s doing.

What I’m trying to say, is that Tony’s pictures don’t coast on the quaintness of their particular colorspace or vintage. Tony’s aren’t just any pictures from the 70s, they’re really good street pictures from the 70s.

Tony apparently lives in Northern California. I came across his more recent photos of San Francisco when I noticed our paths had been crossing there in recent years. Wherever he’s shooting, (or whatever roll of negatives he’s scanning at the moment), it’s worth your while to have a look. In putting together these links, I found plenty of pics worth highlighting. Fascinating. Keep scanning, Tony!

Tag: Tidbits