Saul Leiter was an American artist and one of the early pioneers of color photography. He moved to New York City at the age of 23, where he became friends with Abstract Expressionist painter Richard Pousette-Dart, who was also experimenting with photography at the time.

As someone who loves Impressionism, I find Leiter’s work incredibly painterly. His use of color feels soft, emotional, and almost brush-like. I’m especially drawn to his winter photographs. As someone who often struggles with shooting in the low-light conditions of winter, his images offer a kind of quiet inspiration. Somehow, even in the grey and muted months, his images remain vibrant and full of feeling.

One thing that stands out to me is the way he composes his shots. There’s often a large amount of negative space, but instead of making the frame feel empty, it only makes the color details more striking. The sense of quiet and stillness gives each image a strong emotional presence.

Looking at his work makes me want to reconsider how I approach composition. I tend to fall back on more traditional framing methods, like the golden ratio, but Leiter’s work reminds me that breaking away from the usual rules — and embracing space, light, and mood — can lead to something even more powerful.

中文版本：

Saul Leiter 是一位美国艺术家，也是彩色摄影的早期先锋之一。他 23 岁时搬到纽约，并在那里结识了抽象表现主义画家 Richard Pousette-Dart。当时 Dart 也正在尝试摄影创作。

我个人也是一个印象派的爱好者，我总觉得他的照片像画一样，有一种柔和、情绪化的笔触感。他的冬日摄影作品尤其让我印象深刻。冬天的街头总是昏暗、冷清，我也常常因为光线不足或者由于没有阳光造成的阴影而不知道该如何拿起相机，但 Leiter 的作品却在灰蒙蒙的季节里拍出了温度和故事，给了我很多启发。

他在构图上的选择也很特别。很多照片都保留了大量留白（negative space），但这种留白反而让色彩的细节更加突出。画面安静、克制，却总能感受到一些情绪在慢慢渗出来。

看完他的作品，我也开始重新思考自己在构图上的习惯。过去我总是依赖一些“黄金分割”这类经典规则，但 Saul Leiter 的作品提醒我，有时候打破常规、去关注空间、光影和氛围，反而能带来更打动人的表达。