As an artist using photography, Klein set out to re-invent the photographic document. His photos, often blurred or out of focus, his high-contrast prints (his negatives were often severely over-exposed), his use of high-grain film and wide angles shocked the established order of the photography world, earning him a reputation as an anti-photographer’s photographer.

The Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama (b. 1938) saw William Klein’s book ‘New York’ early in his career. From Klein, he learned to appreciate and illustrate the harsh contrast, diversity of moods, angles, and startling configurations, that are present in both these photographers work.