His “phototoons” are composed of two, three, or four stills. Sequenced chronologically, they allow the viewer to invent a story with a beginning, middle, and end. At once, the stills become alive. Like cartoon characters, the subject are brought to life in front of our eyes, making us smile, or better yet, laugh. 

Elliott Erwitt's method appears uncomplicated: wait for the right moment, look through the viewfinder, and press the shutter button. And do it again, a few seconds later. The photographer would say that it is a question of patience, of unorthodox encounters, but it goes beyond that. It is the testimony of an intrinsic ability to tell stories. Elliott Erwitt is able to capture the ephemeral nature of everyday scenes and engrave it in our collective memory.