weegee

Police in New York have begun encrypting their radios -- denying photographers, sometimes known as nightcrawlers, the opportunity to arrive early at a crime scene.

The first time photographers come across the expression "f/8 and be there," many questions cross their minds -- what exactly does this phrase mean? What is its relevance to photography? Why was this phrase put together in the first place?

Weegee, the pseudonym of Arthur (Usher) Fellig, was a press photographer in New York City who's best known for his gritty photos of urban life, death, accidents, and crime in the 1930s and 1940s. His life and work is now being shared in the form of a graphic novel titled Weegee: Serial Photographer.

As New York City prepares to digitize and publish thousands of historical crime scene photos captured by photo unit police officers, here's a look at the subject from the photojournalist's point of view.

The 9-minute above is an interview with Weegee, a photographer known for his gritty black-and-white photos of crime scenes and urban life. It's from the 1958 vinyl record "Famous Photographers Tell How."

The photographer known as Weegee made his mark on photography by hunting for crime scenes and uncomfortable shots in New York City. We may soon be seeing some of the crime scenes he captured from an alternate perspective.

Thousands of historical crime scene photographs shot by the New York Police Department will soon be digitized and released for the public to see.