Pronunciation: [wˈiːd͡ʒiː] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "Weegee" is often questioned due to its unusual arrangement of letters. However, it is pronounced phonetically as /wiːdʒi/. The two "e" letters together create the long "ee" sound, while the "g" is followed by the "ee" sound, creating a unique and memorable name. "Weegee" is the nickname of Arthur Fellig, a famous photographer noted for his gritty and dramatic images of New York City in the 1930s and 1940s.
Weegee is a term primarily associated with Arthur Fellig, a prominent American photographer and photojournalist who rose to fame during the mid-20th century. Born in 1899 in what is now known as Ukraine, Fellig immigrated to the United States with his family at an early age. He later adopted the name Weegee, a phonetic pronunciation of the word "Ouija" (the popular board game believed to contact spirits) due to his seemingly prescient ability to arrive at crime scenes before the police.
Weegee became renowned for his gritty and haunting black-and-white photographs depicting crime scenes, accidents, and emergency situations in New York City. Often capturing life on the margins of society, Weegee's raw and unflinching images provided a stark portrayal of urban life during that era. His distinctive style and use of flash photography, commonly and sarcastically referred to as "Weegee lighting," became highly recognizable.
In addition to his work as a newspaper and freelance photographer, Weegee also published several books, including "Naked City" and "Weegee's People," which featured his iconic photographs. His contributions to the field of photojournalism continue to be studied and appreciated, influencing subsequent generations of photographers.
Today, the term "Weegee" is sometimes used more broadly to describe any photographer or journalist who possesses a keen sense of foresight, arriving at the scene of a news event before others. It is also employed colloquially to refer to someone who captures candid or unposed photographs in a gritty, often voyeuristic manner.
The term "Weegee" is derived from the nickname of Arthur Fellig, a famous American news photographer of the mid-20th century. Fellig, who was born Usher Fellig in 1899 in Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine), immigrated to the United States and later changed his first name to Arthur. He began his career as a photographer in New York City and gained recognition for his gritty and often sensationalistic crime scene photographs, capturing the raw reality of the city streets. Many believe that the term "Weegee" originated from the Ouija board, a popular spiritualist tool at the time, which supposedly allowed communication with the spirit world. This nickname was given to Fellig due to his seemingly uncanny ability to arrive at crime scenes very quickly, often even before the police, as if he had some supernatural insider knowledge.
