 Salt's work at this time showed influences of both abstract expressionism and Pop Art – the two pre-eminent artistic movements of the time.Unhappy at the prospect of merely selecting which of a pre-existing set of styles he was to adopt, however, Salt sought a more distinct artistic identity and was encouraged to explore a wide variety of styles and techniques by Grace Hartigan, who was the head of the graduate programme at Baltimore and a major influence on Salt's early career.It was at this time that Salt discovered the book "Contemporary Photographers towards a Social Landscape", featuring the work of photographers Garry Winogrand and Lee Friedlander, in the Baltimore college library.