The word funny somehow doesn’t do Elliott Erwitt’s pictures justice, but the longer you look at his pictures they funnier they get. I’m not a big collector of other people’s photographs, but I do have two signed Elliott Erwitt prints hanging in my home and they have been bringing me pleasure for decades.

At the heart of Erwitt’s brilliance is the ability to see things other people don’t. He has been given the “ability to notice” like a gift from the photo gods. And although his technique is as good as a street-shooter’s technique can be, it’s only technique and he knows it. He is constantly in a state of hyper-noticing.

In the early 80′s, I worked on a book called A Day in the Life of China with 200 other photographers from around the world. We all met in Beijing and were then dispersed throughout the country. My jaw dropped when I found out that Elliott Erwitt was there—I completely froze when I shook his hand. There were photographer cocktail parties and a dinner before the work began. Elliott Erwitt was the only photographer there that did not stop taking pictures of the other photographers. He was like a little elf dancing around with his camera.

Based on his body of work, it was easy to assume that this is how he lives his life. He clearly understands that noticing is a full-time commitment, not to be taken for granted, and needs constant replenishment through practice.  —Nick Kelsh                                                                                             

Erwitt's love of dogs has resulted in thousands of photographs, many of them as good as this one. Even his words are funny. The title of his classic dog book: Son of Bitch.

It's the brilliant blending of funny, profound, ironic, and ultimately, human, that puts Elliott Erwitt over the top.

Sign up for our free newsletter!