Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon was one of the most renown photographers of the twentieth century, known for his portrait photos, he is said to truly capture the American image of beauty for almost half a century.
Richard Avedon was born on May 15, 1923 in New York city. At an early age Avedon had a great interest in fashion, this was because of his family background of fashion, and apparel. When he was 12, he joined a camera club. Later in his life, Avedon described a moment in his childhood that inspired him to be a fashion photographer. "In front of the plaza hotel, I saw a bald man with a camera posing a very beautiful woman against a tree. He lifted his head, adjusted her dress a little and took some photographs. Later, I saw the picture in Harper's Bazaar. I didn't understand why he'd taken her photo against that tree until I got to Paris a few years later: the tree in front of the Plaza had that same peeling bark you see all over the Champs-Elysees." Avedon said
Avedon was educated in DeWitt Clinton High School, in New York city, where he and his friend, James Baldwin served as editors for the schools illustrious magazine, the Magpie. After high school, Avedon served two years in the marines as an identification photographer, he described his job as "My job was to identify photographs. I must have taken pictures of one hundred thousand faces before it occurred to me I was becoming a photographer."
After the two years of service, he dropped out of the marines and went to work as a professional photographer with Alexey Brodovitch, the art director of Haper's Bazaar. At age 22, he was a freelance photographer, but primarily worked for Harper's Bazaar. Not using studios and taking pictures in uncommon places, like the cirucus or nightclubs. Soon he was the lead photographer for Harper's Bazaar, and was recognized by well own, important celebrities and politicians all around the world, many of them requesting him for their most public pictures.
Avedon was facinated with how photography could capture life and personality in pictures. Experimenting with hair, clothing, poses, and lighting. Though he was famous for minimalism and white back drops in all of his portrait pictures. The minialism made his subjects move openly, and the humanity that his pictures posses really make his photos unique. As he had said before "My photos don't go below the surface. I have great faith in surfaces. A good one is full of clues."
Working for Harper's Bazaar for 20 years, he quit in 1965, after the firestorm of criticisim he recieved from using colored people as models. After, he joined Vogue and worked until 1992, but even at a different magazine company, Avedon was stilll able to push the boundaries of photography to its limits. Becoming the most influential photographer of the twentieth century, and chagning the art of photography forever, but all good things come to an end, and Richard Avedon finally passed away at age 81, in San Antonio Texas, 2004.
Avedon was educated in DeWitt Clinton High School, in New York city, where he and his friend, James Baldwin served as editors for the schools illustrious magazine, the Magpie. After high school, Avedon served two years in the marines as an identification photographer, he described his job as "My job was to identify photographs. I must have taken pictures of one hundred thousand faces before it occurred to me I was becoming a photographer."
After the two years of service, he dropped out of the marines and went to work as a professional photographer with Alexey Brodovitch, the art director of Haper's Bazaar. At age 22, he was a freelance photographer, but primarily worked for Harper's Bazaar. Not using studios and taking pictures in uncommon places, like the cirucus or nightclubs. Soon he was the lead photographer for Harper's Bazaar, and was recognized by well own, important celebrities and politicians all around the world, many of them requesting him for their most public pictures.
Avedon was facinated with how photography could capture life and personality in pictures. Experimenting with hair, clothing, poses, and lighting. Though he was famous for minimalism and white back drops in all of his portrait pictures. The minialism made his subjects move openly, and the humanity that his pictures posses really make his photos unique. As he had said before "My photos don't go below the surface. I have great faith in surfaces. A good one is full of clues."
Working for Harper's Bazaar for 20 years, he quit in 1965, after the firestorm of criticisim he recieved from using colored people as models. After, he joined Vogue and worked until 1992, but even at a different magazine company, Avedon was stilll able to push the boundaries of photography to its limits. Becoming the most influential photographer of the twentieth century, and chagning the art of photography forever, but all good things come to an end, and Richard Avedon finally passed away at age 81, in San Antonio Texas, 2004.
References: Richard Avedon PBS.org, Richard Avedon foundation about, and Bio.com Richard Avedon
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was one of the most renown photographers of the twentieth century, he helped photography become established as an art form with his humane and natural photos, capturing crucial events and important people in time. (e.g. red china and freedom of Paris in 1944)
Henri Cartier was born on August 22, 1908, in Chateloup, France. He was born into a wealthy family and went to a school in Paris called Lcyee Condorcet. After, in 1927, Henri started painting under an artist in the cubist movement, Andre Lhote. Who would have a major influence on his artistic career, but in 1928, Bresson quit and attended the university of Cambridge in England. Studying literature and painting. There, he was first introduced to film and photography.
In 1929, he started to become serious about photography and went to Africa to take pictures with his "Brownie" snap shot camera, but he had been infected with black water fever, and had to return to France later that year. When he returned, he bought one of his first cameras, a 35mm, Lecia. Its instant snap shot, complimented his photojournalism style, and its ambiguity helped make the photos look more natural. His work would have the same style for his life time. His simple yet beautiful pictures were never edited, as he rejected the idea of editing or even cropping photos.
After he bought the 35mm, Lecia camera, he started travelling the world and took pictures where ever he went, as he stayed at certain places for long periods of time, so he could be engaged in his surroundings.
In the mid 1930's, his photographs were spreading rapidly, having many exhibitions in Mexico, New York, and Madrid. In 1933, Cartier's photos were displayed in the famous Julien Levy gallery, in New York. In 1940, Cartier was captured by the Germans, and in 1945, he finally escaped to France. During his time in France, he created a film called Le Retour, about French P.O.W.s (prisoners of war), and refugees.
Two years later, Cartier's work was show cased in the Museum of Modern art, and in 1947, he, Robert Capa, George Rodger, and David Seymour, created Magnum Photos, a photography organization that covers people, news, culture, etc.
Following the founding of Magnum, Cartier focused more and more on photojournalism. In 1948, he spent three years in India, capturing Gandhi before and after his assassination, six months in China, before China's nationalist party (Kumonintang) dissolved, and another six months in the new people republic of China, with the communists. Cartier then explored Singapore for a little while, celebrating their newly found independence.
After he returned to France, in 1952, Cartier published his first book, images a la sauvette, displaying most of his work for two decades. The book later becomes one of his most exceptional works, revealing most of his photojournalism photographs around the world. In 1954, he goes to photograph Russia, and is the first photographer to freely photograph Russia, since the cold war. A year later, he publishes his book, Moscow/People, that shows his philosophy that photographs aren't just art, but also a way of communicating to the world.
In 1955, he was honored by his own country, France, when he displayed 400 of his photographs in The Museum of Decorative Arts, in Paris, and was later shown in Europe, the U.S, and Japan. After the large exhibit, Cartier went on a photographing spree, hopping country to country taking stunning photographs around the world. Starting from the Peoples republic of China, in 1958, then going to Mexico and Cuba for Life magazine, in 1963. After which, Cartier traveled to Japan(1968), and stayed there for months, before returning to India a year later.Cartier takes a break from going out of France, and stays there in hire for many magazine companies. Completing Man and Machine for IBM, and Viva la France, three years later.
In 1970, after his exhibition at The Grand Palais, Cartier became interested in film-making. Creating two documentaries for USA and CBS news. He then returns his focus on photography, and goes to the USSR in 1972-1973.
After his return to France, he quit magnum photos, and spent most of his time painting and sketching. He refused to speak to reporters and lived the rest of his life quietly. In 2003, Cartier created the Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson, to protect his work for the future.
Dying a peaceful death, in his home country, Henri Cartier Bresson died in Montjustin Province, on August third, 2004. Leaving a big legacy of photography and photojournalism to live on.
References: www.biography.com,www.henricartierbressonfondation.org, www.britannica.com, www.international photography hall of fame museum, www. famous-photographers.com, www.ensyclopedia.com, www.henricartierbresson.org,
In 1929, he started to become serious about photography and went to Africa to take pictures with his "Brownie" snap shot camera, but he had been infected with black water fever, and had to return to France later that year. When he returned, he bought one of his first cameras, a 35mm, Lecia. Its instant snap shot, complimented his photojournalism style, and its ambiguity helped make the photos look more natural. His work would have the same style for his life time. His simple yet beautiful pictures were never edited, as he rejected the idea of editing or even cropping photos.
After he bought the 35mm, Lecia camera, he started travelling the world and took pictures where ever he went, as he stayed at certain places for long periods of time, so he could be engaged in his surroundings.
In the mid 1930's, his photographs were spreading rapidly, having many exhibitions in Mexico, New York, and Madrid. In 1933, Cartier's photos were displayed in the famous Julien Levy gallery, in New York. In 1940, Cartier was captured by the Germans, and in 1945, he finally escaped to France. During his time in France, he created a film called Le Retour, about French P.O.W.s (prisoners of war), and refugees.
Two years later, Cartier's work was show cased in the Museum of Modern art, and in 1947, he, Robert Capa, George Rodger, and David Seymour, created Magnum Photos, a photography organization that covers people, news, culture, etc.
Following the founding of Magnum, Cartier focused more and more on photojournalism. In 1948, he spent three years in India, capturing Gandhi before and after his assassination, six months in China, before China's nationalist party (Kumonintang) dissolved, and another six months in the new people republic of China, with the communists. Cartier then explored Singapore for a little while, celebrating their newly found independence.
After he returned to France, in 1952, Cartier published his first book, images a la sauvette, displaying most of his work for two decades. The book later becomes one of his most exceptional works, revealing most of his photojournalism photographs around the world. In 1954, he goes to photograph Russia, and is the first photographer to freely photograph Russia, since the cold war. A year later, he publishes his book, Moscow/People, that shows his philosophy that photographs aren't just art, but also a way of communicating to the world.
In 1955, he was honored by his own country, France, when he displayed 400 of his photographs in The Museum of Decorative Arts, in Paris, and was later shown in Europe, the U.S, and Japan. After the large exhibit, Cartier went on a photographing spree, hopping country to country taking stunning photographs around the world. Starting from the Peoples republic of China, in 1958, then going to Mexico and Cuba for Life magazine, in 1963. After which, Cartier traveled to Japan(1968), and stayed there for months, before returning to India a year later.Cartier takes a break from going out of France, and stays there in hire for many magazine companies. Completing Man and Machine for IBM, and Viva la France, three years later.
In 1970, after his exhibition at The Grand Palais, Cartier became interested in film-making. Creating two documentaries for USA and CBS news. He then returns his focus on photography, and goes to the USSR in 1972-1973.
After his return to France, he quit magnum photos, and spent most of his time painting and sketching. He refused to speak to reporters and lived the rest of his life quietly. In 2003, Cartier created the Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson, to protect his work for the future.
Dying a peaceful death, in his home country, Henri Cartier Bresson died in Montjustin Province, on August third, 2004. Leaving a big legacy of photography and photojournalism to live on.
References: www.biography.com,www.henricartierbressonfondation.org, www.britannica.com, www.international photography hall of fame museum, www. famous-photographers.com, www.ensyclopedia.com, www.henricartierbresson.org,
WeeGee
WeeGee is a photographer known for his dark, noir type, crime and disaster photography. Which had helped create modern tabloid journalism with his photos.
Usher Felig, (WeeGee's real name) was born on June 12, 1899 in Złoczew, Austria-Hungary (modern Poland). In 1910, Usher moved to Ellis Island, with his mother and four siblings, four years after his father had moved to America. After he moved, he changed his name to Arthur, dropped out of school in 1923 to help his family, and in 1924, took a job in darkroom photography at Acme News pictures. Where he found his love for photography, and gained the nickname WeeGee(ouija), as he was always mysteriously there. After he discovered his passion for photography, he quit Acme News Pictures, and became a freelance photographer. This helped him, as he could sell his photos of the most recent crimes to big newspaper company's, and gain recognition in the art world at the same time. With museums also collecting his work. In the 1940's WeeGee made many books of his work, including Naked City, Naked New York, WeeGee's people, WeeGee by WeeGee, and more. WeeGee also explored distortion in his photos, but it was not very popular compared to his crime photography work. With many of his pictures were used in magazines, and exhibited in museums in New York. Which started the foundation for modern tabloid journalism. Which was especially impressive as a freelance photographer, as many people could not have lasted as long as WeeGee lasted. Sadly, even sickness can persevere, as WeeGee died of a brain tumor at age 69, on December 26, 1968.
These are my sources: Britannica.com, Gordon archives.com, Bio.com, International center of photography.com, famous photographers. net
These are my sources: Britannica.com, Gordon archives.com, Bio.com, International center of photography.com, famous photographers. net