Freedman arrived in New York City in 1964 , and worked in advertising and as a copywriter . As a photographer , she was self-taught , influenced by André Kertész , idolizing W. Eugene Smith , but primarily helped by her poodle Fang : When I was out walking in the street with Fang I saw everything , felt everything . He had a great instinct . He taught me how to look , because he never missed a thing . Andy Grundberg would also note the influences on her style of Henri Cartier-Bresson , W. Eugene Smith , Don McCullin , Leonard Freed , and Weegee ; but would add that : " To appreciate her photographs one needs to consider their substance , not their style . . . . Human relationships – especially the bonds of brotherhood – fascinate her . " On hearing of the assassination of Martin Luther King , Freedman quit her job and went to Washington , DC . She lived in Resurrection City , a shantytown put up by the Poor People 's Campaign on Washington Mall in 1968 , and photographed there . Photographs from the series were published at the time in '' Life '' , and collected in Freedman 's first book , '' Old News : Resurrection City '' , in 1970 . A. D. Coleman wrote of the book : It is a very personal yet highly objective statement , filled with passion , warmth , sorrow and humor . Freedman 's pictures are deft and strong ; her text witty , sardonic and honest , with quirky insights and touching moments of self-revelation . A brave and moving book . Freedman then lived in a Volkswagen kombi , following the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus . For two months , she photographed " two shows a day and one show each Sunday . Seven weeks of one night stands " , and moving across New York , Massachusetts , New Jersey , Rhode Island , New Hampshire , Vermont , Pennsylvania and Ohio . She wanted to photograph the performers as people . ( " If I wanted to do freaks , I 'd do guys wearing ties in 100-degree weather – to me that 's freaks . " ) A. D. Coleman wrote : The photographs expose both the photographer 's own responses to people and the personalities of her subjects . The moments she selects are significant emotionally as well as graphically . Her images exclude the extraneous in an inconspicuous way , and her sense of timing and gesture . . . is uncanny . The work was published as a book , '' Circus Days '' , in 1975 . Freedman photographed the then sleazy area of 42nd Street and the arts scene in Studio 54 and SoHo
assassination of Martin Luther King
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Jill Freedman