The profession of photographer today is one of the most widespread. Perhaps it would be easier here to become the best of the best at the beginning or middle of the 20th century. Today, when every second or third photographer, well, at least considers himself one, the criteria for good photography, at first glance, are blurred. But this is only at first, superficial glance. Quality standards and focus on talent have not gone away. You always need to keep before your eyes a kind of standard, an example that you can follow. We have prepared for you a list of the 20 best photographers in the world, which will become an excellent tuning fork...
Alexander Rodchenko
Revolutionary photographer. Rodchenko means as much to photography as Eisenstein does to cinema. He worked at the intersection of avant-garde, propaganda, design and advertising.
All these hypostases formed an inextricable unity in his work.
By rethinking all the genres that existed before him, he made a kind of great turning point in the art of photography and set the course for everything new and progressive. The famous photographs of Lily Brik and Mayakovsky belong to his lens.
- He is also the author of the famous phrase “Work for life, not for palaces, temples, cemeteries and museums.”
Henri-Cartier Bresson
A classic of street photography. Native of Chanteloupe, Seine-et-Marne department in France. He started out as an artist painting in the “surrealism” genre, but his achievements did not end there. In the early 30s, when the famous Leica fell into his hands, he fell in love with photography forever.
Already in 1933, an exhibition of his works was held at Julien Levy, a gallery in New York. He worked with director Jean Renoir. Bresson's street reports are especially appreciated.
Contemporaries especially noted his talent for remaining invisible to the person being photographed.
Therefore, the unstaged, authentic nature of his photographs is striking. Like a true genius, he left a galaxy of talented followers.
Anton Corbijn
Perhaps, for fans of Western rock music, this name is not an empty phrase. In general, one of the most famous photographers peace.
The most original and extraordinary photographs of such groups as: Depeche Mode, U2, Nirvana, Joy Division and others were made by Anton. He is also the designer of U2 albums. Plus he shot videos for a number of teams and performers, including: Coldplay, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, country legend Johnny Cash, thrash metal mastodons Metallica, and singers Roxette.
Critics note the originality of Corbijn's style, which, however, has countless imitators.
Mick Rock
There are paparazzi photographers who intrude into the personal lives of stars without permission and are mercilessly thrown out of there. And then there are people like Mick Rock.
What does it mean? Well, how can I tell you? Remember David Bowie? Here is Mick - the only person with a lens at the ready who was able to enter the personal space of the discoverer of new musical horizons, a trickster and a Martian from rock music. Mick Rock's photographs are a kind of cardiogram of Bowie's creative period from 1972 to 1973, when Ziggy Stardust had not yet returned back to his planet.
During that period and earlier, David and his associates worked hard on the image of a real star, which as a result became a reality. In terms of budget, Mick's work is inexpensive, but impressive. “Everything was created on a very small scale with smoke and mirrors,” Mick recalled.
Georgy Pinkhasov
An original photographer of his generation, a member of the Magnum agency, a graduate of VGIKA. It was Georgy who was invited by Andrei Tarkovsky to the set of the film “Stalker” as a reporter.
During the years of Perestroika, when the nude genre was a priority among advanced photographers, Georgy was one of the first to draw attention to the importance of a reportage photograph. They say that he did this at the suggestion of Tarkovsky and Tonino Guerra.
As a result, today his photographs of that everyday life are not only masterpieces containing authenticity, but also the most important evidence of that era. One of the famous cycles of Georgy Pinkhasov is “Tbilisi Baths”. Georgy notes the important role of chance in art.
Annie Leibovitz
An essential name for our list of the best photographers. Annie made immersion into the life of a model her main creative principle.
One of the most famous portraits of John Lennon was made by her, and quite spontaneously.
“Back then I didn’t yet know how to control models, ask them to do what I needed. I was just metering the exposure and asked John to look into the lens for a second. And clicked...”
The result immediately made it onto the cover of Rolling Stone. Last photo shoot Lennon's life was also carried out by her. The same photo of a naked John curled up around Yoko Ono, dressed all in black. Who hasn't been captured by Annie Leibovitz's camera: pregnant Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg bathing in milk, Jack Nicholson playing golf in a dressing gown, Michelle Obama, Natalia Vodianova, Meryl Streep. It’s impossible to list them all.
Sarah Moon
Real name is Mariel Hadang. Born in Paris 1941, during the Vichy regime her family moved to England. Mariel started out as a model, posing for various publications, then she tried herself on the other side of the lens and got a taste for it.
One can note her sensitive work with models, since Sarah knew firsthand about their profession. Her works are distinguished by their particular sensuality; Sarah is noted for her talent for especially sensitively conveying the femininity of her models.
In the 70s, Sarah left the modeling field and turned to black and white artistic photography. In 1979 he made experimental films. Subsequently she worked as an operator at film set film “Lulu”, which will receive an award at the Venice Film Festival in 1987.
Sally Man
Another female photographer. Native of Lexington, Virginia. She almost never left her native place. Since the 70s, it has essentially worked only in the South of the United States.
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He shoots only in the summer; all other seasons he develops photographs. Favorite genres: portrait, landscape, still life, architectural photography. Favorite color scheme: black and white. Sally became famous for her photographs depicting members of her family - her husband and children.
The main thing that distinguishes her work is the simplicity of the subjects and interest in Everyday life. Sally and her husband belong to the hippie generation, which has become corporate style their lives: life away from the city, gardening, independence from social conventions.
Sebastian Salgado
Magic realist from photography. He draws all his wonderful images from reality. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
So, Sebastian is able to discern it in anomalies, misfortunes and environmental disasters.
Wim Wenders, outstanding director of “Deutsche new wave”, spent a quarter of a century exploring Salgado’s work, resulting in the film “The Salt of the Earth,” which received a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Weegee (Arthur Fellig)
Considered a classic of the crime genre in photography. During his active creativity not a single urban incident - from a fight to a murder - went unnoticed by Weegee.
He was ahead of his competitors, and sometimes got to the crime scene even earlier than the police. In addition to crime topics, he specialized in reporting on the everyday life of the slums of the metropolis.
His photographs formed the basis of Jules Dassin's noir Naked City, and Weegee is also mentioned in Zack Snyder's Watchmen. And the famous director Stanley Kubrick studied the art of photography from him in his youth. Check out the genius's early films, they're definitely influenced by Weegee's aesthetic.
Irving Penn
Maitre v portrait genre. One can note a number of his favorite techniques: from shooting models in the corner of a room to using a plain white or gray background.
Irwin also liked to photograph representatives of various working professions in their uniforms and with tools at the ready. Brother“New Hollywood” director Arthur Penn, famous for his “Bonnie and Clyde.”
Diane Arbus
Her name at birth was Diana Nemerova. Her family emigrated from Soviet Russia in 1923 and settled in a New York neighborhood.
Diana was distinguished by a desire to violate generally accepted norms and to commit extravagant acts. At the age of 13, against the wishes of her parents, she married Alan Arbus, an aspiring actor, and took his last name. After some time, Alan left the stage and took up photography, involving his wife in the business. They opened a photography studio and shared responsibilities. Creative differences led to a break in the 60s. Having defended her creative principles, Diana became a cult photographer.
As an artist, she was distinguished by her interest in freaks, dwarfs, transvestites, and the weak-minded. And also to nudity. You can learn more about Diana’s personality by watching the film “Fur,” where she was played perfectly by Nicole Kidman.
Evgeny Khaldey
A very important photographer for our list. Thanks to him, captured key events first half of the 20th century. While still a teenager, he chose the path of a photojournalist.
Already at the age of 22, he was an employee of TASS Photo Chronicles. He made reports about Stakhanov, photographed the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station. He worked as a war correspondent throughout the Great Patriotic War. Walking from Murmansk to Berlin with his trusty Leica camera, he took a series of photographs, thanks to which we can at least imagine everyday life in war.
His lens captured the Potsdam Conference, the hoisting of the red flag over the Reichstag, the act of surrender of Nazi Germany and other important events. In 1995, two years before his death, Evgeniy Khaldei received the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Mark Riboud
Master of the reporting genre. His first famous photograph, published in Life, is “Painter on the Eiffel Tower.” Recognized as a photographic genius, Riboud had a modest personality.
He tried to remain invisible both to those photographed and to his admirers.
The most famous photograph is of a hippie girl offering a flower to soldiers standing with machine guns at the ready. He also has a series of photographs from the everyday life of the USSR in the 60s and a lot of other interesting things.
Richard Kern
And a little more rock and roll, especially since this is the main theme of this photographer, along with violence and sex. Considered one of the most important photographers for the New York underground.
Captured many famous, one might say - extreme famous musicians. Among them is the absolute monster and transgressor punk musician GG Allin. Kern also collaborates with men's magazines, where he submits his erotic works.
But his approach is far from the generally glossy one. In his spare time from photography, he shoots music videos. Among the groups with which Kern collaborated are Sonic Youth and Marilyn Manson.
Thomas Morkes
Do you want peace, silence, or maybe even solitude? Then this is one of the most suitable candidates. Thomas Morkes from the Czech Republic is a landscape photographer who chose the charm of autumn nature as his theme. These photographs have it all: romance, sadness, the triumph of fading.
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One of the effects of Thomas’s photographs is the desire to get away from the city noise into some such jungle and reflect on the Eternal.
Yuri Artyukhin
Considered the best wildlife photographer. He is a researcher at the laboratory of ornithology at the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Yuri passionately loves birds.
It was for his photographs of birds that he received (more than once) a variety of awards not only in Russia, but throughout the world.
Helmut Newton
What about the nude genre? An excellent, very subtle and delicate genre that has its own masters.
Helmut became famous throughout the world for his works. His unspoken motto was the expression “Sex sells,” which means “sex helps sell.”
Winner of the most prestigious competitions, including the French “Order of Arts and Letters”.
Ron Galella
Covering various directions photography, one cannot help but say about the pioneer of such a dubious and at the same time important genre for understanding the modern world as paparazzi.
You probably know that this phrase comes from Federico Fellini’s film “La Dolce Vita.” Ron Garella is one of those photographers who will not ask permission to shoot, but on the contrary, will catch stars when they are not ready for this in general.
Julia Roberts, Woody Allen, Al Pacino, Sophia Loren - that's far from full list those whom Ron had willfully caught. One day, Marlon Brando got so angry with Ron that he knocked out several of his teeth on the spot.
Guy Bourdin
One of the most important photographers needed for correct understanding the world of fashion, its origins and aesthetics. He combines eroticism and surrealism in his works. One of the most copied and imitated photographers in the world. Erotic, surreal. Now - a quarter of a century after his death - it is increasingly relevant and modern.
He published his first photographs in the mid-50s. The photo was, to put it mildly, provocative. A girl in an elegant hat against the backdrop of calf heads looking out of the window of a butcher shop. Over the next 32 years, Bourdain regularly contributed entertaining photographs to Vogue magazine. What set him apart from many of his colleagues was that Bourdain was given complete creative freedom.
David Barnett has been a photojournalist for 40 years. His camera doesn't hunt beautiful landscapes and cats - it is aimed at important events, which become symbols of the era. David's photographs allow you to look at the world from the outside. His works are a living history textbook that, instead of dry facts, demonstrates bright events our time.
I like David. While other pros are shopping, he's carrying around an ancient Speed Graphic video camera that's 60 years old. Of course, he has expensive professional equipment. But, apparently, he understands perfectly well: an expensive camera is a pleasant bonus, and not a prerequisite for nice photo. A real master can take a good shot even with a point-and-shoot camera for 30 bucks.
- A simple example: in 2000, David won the “Eyes of History” competition by taking a photo with a cheap plastic Holga camera for $30.
When Helmut was a teenager, the Gestapo arrested his father. Newton fled Germany and moved to Australia, where he served in the Australian Army until the end of World War II... This seems to be the way to write a description if you've been bitten by a Wikipedia moderator.
Biographies talented people often look too immaculate, like a VIP room in a private clinic - just as sterilely clean and far from real life. German-Australian photographer, worked for Vogue magazine, sometimes shot in the nude genre... This short retelling does not give any idea of who Newton Hellmuth was.
And he was a sincere snob without delusions of grandeur, who loved the glitz of high society. He preferred to photograph rich people and stay in luxury hotels. And he spoke honestly about this, considering himself a rather superficial, but truthful person.
Until he suffered a heart attack in 1971, Helmut smoked 50 cigarettes a day and could party for a week. But a heart attack revealed an incredible truth to the 50-year-old photographer: it turns out that a wild “youth” lifestyle can end very sadly with age.
Having been on the verge of death, Helmut quit smoking, began to lead a more measured life and promised himself to film only what was interesting to him.
Helmut Newton on the things he hates:
- I hate good taste. This is a boring phrase that suffocates all living things.
- I hate it when everything is inside out - it's cheap.
- I hate dishonesty in photography: pictures taken in the name of some artistic principles, fuzzy and grainy.
Yuri Arcurs is one of the most successful stock photographers in the world. Instead of photographing sunrises and fog in a city park, he photographs what sells: happy families and pills, money and students. And on special sites called photo stocks, all this is sold and bought. And in this area, Arcurs became a real guru, who showed by personal example how you can make money, achieve heights and even have fun doing commercial stock photography.
Yuri was born and raised in Denmark. He started making money from photo stocks in student years to pay for studies. At the time, the only model he could shoot was his girlfriend. But soon additional income became the main one for Yuri: within a few years, in 2008, he was earning up to $90,000 a month from photo stocks.
Today this guy is selling his work large companies: MTV, Sony, Microsoft, Canon, Samsung and Hewlett Packard. His shooting day costs $6,000. And this whole story became a real Cinderella fairy tale for freelancers with a camera.
How realistic is it to repeat this path to success? Who knows. We can only state that today Yuri Arcurs is one of the most successful stock photographers.
Irving Penn loved photography, but did not attach much importance to this hobby. His main job was art design: Irwin designed magazine covers and even got a job as an assistant art editor at the popular Vogue magazine.
But cooperation with famous photographers of this publication did not work out. Penn was constantly dissatisfied with their work and could not explain to them what he needed. As a result, he waved his hand and took up the camera himself. And how he got it: the pictures were so successful that his superiors persuaded him to retrain as a photographer.
Irwin was the first to photograph models on white or gray background— there was nothing superfluous in the frame. His incredible attention to every detail earned him a reputation as one of the best portrait photographers of his time. This allowed Penn to photograph various celebrities, including Al Pacino and Hitchcock, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.
Gursky inherited his love for photography from his father: he was an advertising photographer and taught his son all the intricacies of his craft. Therefore, Andreas did not hesitate in choosing a profession: he graduated from the school of professional photographers and the State Academy of Arts.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about this because my Wiki-moderator syndrome has flared up again. It’s just that Andreas is one of the few photographers from our rating who approached this activity thoroughly, and did not start shooting by chance.
After completing his studies, Gursky began traveling around the world. By experimenting and gaining new experience, he found his own style, which is now his business card: Andreas takes huge photographs, the dimensions of which are measured in meters. Looking at their smaller copies on a computer screen, it is difficult to appreciate the effect they produce in full size.
Regardless of whether Gursky was photographing a city panorama or a river landscape, people or factories, his photographs amaze with their scale and the peculiar monotony of the details in the photo.
Ansel Adams spent most of his life photographing nature in the western United States. He traveled a lot, photographing the wildest and most inaccessible corners national parks. His love of nature was expressed not only in photography: Ansel was an active advocate for the conservation and protection of the environment.
But what Adams didn’t like was pictorialism, popular in the first half of the 20th century - a shooting method that made it possible to take photographs similar to painting. In contrast, Ansel and a friend founded the f/64 group, which professed the principles of so-called “direct photography”: shooting everything honestly and realistically, without any filters, post-processing and other bells and whistles.
Group f/64 was founded in 1932, at the very beginning of Ansel's career. But he was true to his convictions, so he retained his love for nature and documentary photography until the end of his life.
- You've probably seen this desktop screensaver depicting the Teton Range and the Snake River against the backdrop of the setting sun:
So, it was Adams who was the first to capture this landscape from this angle. His black-and-white photograph was included in 116 images that were recorded on the Voyager gold plate - this is a message from earthlings to unknown civilizations, sent into space 40 years ago. Now the aliens will think that we don’t have color cameras, but we do have good photographers.
I like Sebastian's biography. This is a natural evolution that happens to any idealist throughout life.
This story was told by Salgado himself in an interview when he visited Moscow in February 2016. At the age of 25, he and his wife moved from Brazil to Europe. From there they planned to go to the Soviet Union and enter the Peoples' Friendship University in order to build a society without social inequality. But in 1970, their dreams were destroyed by a friend from Prague - the Czechs tasted plenty of communism in 1968.
So, this guy dissuaded the spouses, explaining that no one was building communism in the USSR anymore. Power does not belong to the people and if they want to fight for the happiness of ordinary people, they can stay and help immigrants. Salgado listened to his comrade and stayed in France.
He studied to be an economist, but quickly realized that it was not for him. His wife, Lelia Salgado, had more creative profession- she was a pianist... but also became disillusioned with her occupation and decided to become an architect. It was she who bought their first camera to photograph architecture. As soon as Sebastian looked at the world through the viewfinder, he immediately realized that he had found his true passion. And after 2 years he became a professional photographer.
According to Salgado himself, his economic education gave him knowledge of history and geography, sociology and anthropology. A huge store of knowledge opened up opportunities for him that were unavailable to other photographers: understanding human society in various parts of our planet. He visited more than 100 countries, taking an incredible amount of documentary photographs.
But don’t think that Sebastian photographed exotic beaches and funny animals while vacationing on tropical islands. His travels don't go that way at all. Initially, an idea is born: “Workers”, “Terra”, “Renaissance” - these are just some of the names of his albums. Afterwards, preparations for the trip begin and the trip itself, which can take several years.
Many of his works are devoted human suffering: he photographed refugees in African countries, victims of famine and genocide. Some critics even began to reproach Salgada for presenting poverty and suffering as something aesthetic. Sebastian himself is sure that the matter is different: according to him, he has never photographed those who look pathetic. Those he photographed were in distress, but they had dignity.
And it would be completely wrong to think that Salgado was “promoting himself” on someone else’s grief. On the contrary, he drew the attention of mankind to those troubles that many did not notice. The situation is indicative when Sebastian completed the work “Exodus” in the 1990s: he photographed people who escaped genocide. After the trip, he admitted that he was disappointed in people and no longer believed that humanity could survive. He returned to Brazil and took some time off to recover.
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending: the old idealist regained his faith in beauty, and is now busy with another project, photographing the untouched corners of our planet.
If you start typing in a search engine , then Google will display a drop-down window with the option "Steve McCurry Afghan Girl". This is quite strange, because McCurry is too mustachioed for a girl, even an Afghan one.
In fact, the “Afghan Girl” is Steve’s most famous photograph, appearing on the cover of National Geographic magazine. Even the Wikipedia article about this guy starts with this:
- “Steve is the mustachioed American photojournalist who photographed the Afghan girl.”. (Wikipedia)
Most articles about this photographer begin with a similar phrase, including our story about him. One gets the impression that he is an actor of one role, like Daniel Radcliffe or Macaulay Culkin. But it is not so.
Steve's career as a professional photographer began during the war in Afghanistan. He did not drive around the country in a Hummer, hiding behind the backs of the military, but stayed among ordinary people: he got local clothes, sewed rolls of film into them and traveled around the country like an ordinary Afghan. Or like an ordinary American spy disguised as an Afghan - someone could consider this option. So Steve took a risk, but thanks to him, the world saw the first photographs of that conflict.
Since then, McCurry has not changed his approach to work: he wandered around the world, filming different people. Steve has captured many military conflicts and has become a true master of street photography. Although in fact McCurry is a photojournalist, he managed to blur the line between documentary and artistic photography. His photographs are bright and attractive, like a postcard, but at the same time truthful. They do not require any explanations or comments - everything is clear without words. To create such photos, you need a rare flair.
Annie Leibovitz is a real expert when it comes to photographing stars. Her photographs graced the covers of the most popular magazines, causing strong emotions and discussions. Who else would have thought of photographing a grimacing Whoopi Goldberg in a milk bath? Or a naked John Lennon cuddling up to Yoko Ono in a fetal position? By the way, this was the last photograph in his life, taken a few hours before Chapman’s fatal shot.
Annie's biography looks quite smooth: after studying at the Art Institute in San Francisco, Leibovitz got a job at Rolling Stone magazine. She collaborated with him for more than 10 years. During this time, Annie has earned a reputation as a person who is able to photograph any celebrity in an interesting and creative way. And this is quite enough to achieve success in modern show business.
Having gained some fame, Annie moves to New York, where she opens her own photography studio. In 1983, she began working with Vanity Fair magazine, which sponsored her subsequent shocking photographs of stars. Shooting Demi Moore naked in the last stages of pregnancy or covering her with clay and putting Sting in the middle of the desert - this is quite in the spirit of Leibovitz. Like forcing Cate Blanchett to ride a bike or forcing a goose to take pictures with DiCaprio. No wonder her work is popular!
Who else can boast that they photographed the Queen of England, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama and many, many other celebrities? And, mind you, he was not filming as a papparazi, hiding behind a bush, but was organizing a full-fledged photo shoot? This is why Annie Leibovitz is considered, if not the best, then the most successful contemporary photographer. Although somewhat pop.
1. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri got his passion for art from his uncle: he was an artist and got his nephew interested in painting. This slippery slope eventually led him to a passion for photography. What did Henri do that distinguished him from hundreds and thousands of other photographers?
He realized a simple truth: everything must be done honestly and truly. That's why he refused staged photos and never asked anyone to act out a certain situation. Instead, he closely observed what was happening around him.
In order to remain invisible during the shooting, Henri covered the shiny metal parts on the camera with black electrical tape. He became a real “invisible man,” which allowed him to capture the most sincere feelings of people. And to do this, it’s not enough not to attract attention - you need to be able to determine the decisive moment for the photo. It was Henri who introduced this term, “the decisive moment,” and even wrote a book with that title.
To summarize: Cartier-Bresson's photographs are distinguished by living realism. For such work, some professional skills are not enough. It is necessary to sensitively understand human nature, to capture his emotions and mood. All this was inherent in Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was honest in his work.
Don't be a snob... Repost!
Today we will analyze photographs that were taken by recognized masters of photography. 10 great photographers. 10 famous photographs.
Philippe Halsman and his "Dali Atomicus", 1948
A brilliant artist must have a brilliant portrait. Perhaps Halsman was motivated by this. Perhaps he was inspired by that time by Dali’s unfinished work Leda Atomica, which can be seen in the photo, perhaps he wanted to transfer surrealism into photography... In any case, he needed a studio, additional sources of artificial light, several assistants who splashed water from buckets, calmed down cats between takes and held chairs in the air, 6 hours of work, 28 takes and, of course, Salvador Dali himself.
"Dali Atomicus", Philippe Halsman, 1948
Advice: Don't be afraid to do a large number of takes - one of them will definitely turn out to be successful.
Irving Penn and his "Girl in Bed", 1949
Despite the apparent simplicity of this photograph at first glance, it is mesmerizing. Is not it? Yes, perhaps all the creativity of this brilliant photographer You can describe it in the same words: “If I look at any object for some time, the spectacle fascinates me. This is the photographer’s curse.” And he knew how to convey this fascination with the subject of photography like no one else. Natural light from the window, a model, the contemplative position of the author - and, in this case, the masterpiece is ready.
"Girl in Bed", Irving Penn, 1949
Advice:: To photograph someone or something beautifully, you need to fall in love with the subject.
Richard Avedon and his "Judy", 1948
Almost all of Richard Avedon's photographs show bright but fleeting moments that we usually don't pay much attention to. But sometimes it’s moments like these that can open a person’s soul.
"Judy", Richard Avedon, 1963
Advice: If you want to become good photographer, try yourself in different genres– this will help you find your niche in photography.
Ansel Adams and his Tetons and Snake River, 1942
While talking about great photographers and their works, we cannot ignore the creator of the zone exposure system and famous author books about photography, Ansel Adams. Let's take a look at one of his works: The Tetons and the Snake River.
Besides interesting composition, you can see how skillfully Adams uses his system for choosing the ideal exposure for a photo. If you look closely, you can see each of the 10 zones ranging from pitch black to white.
The Tetons and the Snake River, Ansel Easton Adams, 1942
Advice: Even when working with a digital camera, do not ignore traditional recommendations. You can't always rely on automatic exposure.
Henry Cartier-Bresson
Naturally, this post simply could not be complete without Henry Cartier-Bresson. The legendary photo reporter, creator of the Magnum Photos agency, said: “I don’t like organizing and managing events. It's horrible. We can't fake real life. I adore the truth and shoot only the truth.” We can think about Bresson's photography endlessly, but it is even more useful to read his books "The Decisive moment" and "Imaginary reality" in English edition.
Advice: If you wait for the right moment, don’t miss it!
Alfred Eisenstadt and his "Victory Day in Times Square"
Alfred Eisenstadt became famous thanks to the photo of a sailor kissing his girlfriend. One photo taken at a turning point made him a real star. And it doesn’t matter that the photo is blurry. The photographer did a wonderful job of capturing the atmosphere.
"V-J Day in Times Square", Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1945
Advice: Always carry your camera with you.
Ernst Haas
Ernst Haas is a pioneer of digital photography. His famous quotes:
- Photography is an expression of your ideas and feelings. If the high has no place in your soul, you will never notice them in the outside world.
- Beauty speaks for itself. When the process reaches its peak, I take a photo.
- I don't take pictures of new interesting objects. I try to find something new in familiar things.
- When photography appeared, a new language was born. Now we can talk about reality in the language of reality.
- The type of camera you have doesn't matter. Any camera can capture what you see. But you must see.
- It's just you and your camera. All rules and restrictions are in your head.
- Tell me what you see and I will tell you who you are.
Ernst Haas. Kyushu Island, Japan, 1981
Advice: beauty is everywhere. Find and feel it.
Yusuf Karsh and his portrait of Winston Churchill
Yusuf Karsh - famous Canadian photographer, famous for portraits prominent political figures. The history of this photo is unusual. After a speech in the lower house of parliament, the British prime minister entered the meeting room and saw the photo equipment. He allowed just one photo to be taken and lit a cigar. It is not known exactly why the photographer approached Churchill and took the cigar out of his mouth, but that is exactly what Karsh did. He returned to his camera and took a photo.
The photo shows all the skills of Yusuf Karsh. He was able to create the impression of depth and space with the help of light, perfect pose and gesture. The result is a dramatic, captivating portrait that powerfully shows inner strength British Prime Minister.
Portrait of Winston Churchill, Yusuf Karsh, 1941
Advice: don't be afraid to provoke your models to show themselves. You can see what is hidden from everyone.
Guyon Mili
Guyon became a popular photographer thanks to his unique mixture of “algebra and harmony” in his photographs and the effect of a frozen moment. Perhaps light paintings gained popularity precisely because of Mili. Guyon practiced in different areas, constantly experimenting. However, one thing remained the same. His ability to capture the grace and drama of the moment.
"Pablo Picasso masters light painting." Guyon Mili, 1949
Advice: Don't forget that photography is more than just an attractive drawing. Experiment with focus, exposure and shutter speed.
William Smith
We decided to mention this press photographer at the end of the article for a reason. His words should become the slogan of anyone who wants to become a good photographer: “Photography has no end. Just as I reach the highest point of mastery, an even higher peak appears in the distance. And I'm on the road again."
William Smith "Doctor Ceriani with a wounded child", 1948
Advice: never stop achieving your goals. Shoot not with your camera, but with your soul.
Always analyze the works of famous world photographers in as much detail as possible. Absorb their experiences and notice what expressions they use. One day you will notice how this knowledge is absorbed into your own photographs and becomes the quality of your work.
The image can speak all languages. And their language is understood not only by photographers, but also by photography lovers, simply grateful viewers. Photography has witnessed the evolution of cameras, from the traditional pinhole camera to the modern digital camera. All of them were used to produce excellent images. When you think about some of the most famous photographers from the past and present, you realize that photography is an art, not just freezing a moment.
When William Henry Fox Talbot invented the negative/positive photographic process, he probably had no idea how popular his invention would become. Today, photography, and therefore the specialty of photographers, is divided into different categories that range from fashion, wildlife, interiors, portraits, travel, food to... The list goes on and on. Let's take a look at some of the most famous photographers in the most popular photography categories. We will also look at examples of their work.
Fashion
Irving Penn
This American photographer is known for his chic and elegant images, especially those from the post-World War II period. Since 1938, he has collaborated with Vogue magazine and actively uses the technique of white and gray backgrounds. It is the use of this technique that makes it the greatest photographer that time. Penn's photography was always one step ahead of its time. A series of nude photos caused a lot of noise.
Terence Donovan
This British photographer was famous for his photographs depicting the fashion world in the 60s. His indefatigable thirst for adventure was reflected in his creativity, and models performed some pretty daring stunts to get beautiful images. With around 3,000 advertising images, the man was a fixture in the homes of London's richest and was a popular photographer for celebrities.
Richard Avedon
It was he who moved away from the traditional understanding of models. Born in New York and created his studio in 1946. Richard Avedon showed models in natural light, and many of his works were published in the pages of Vogue and Life magazines. As a photographer, he received many awards in his time and the images he created were recognized all over the world.
Nature and wildlife
Ansel Adams
Born in San Francisco. Contributed huge contribution in development black and white photography. He was interested in issues related to nature. Ansel Adams is the author of several epic photographic murals. Received three Guggenheim Fellowships.
Frans Lanting
France was born in Rotterdam. His work could be seen on the pages of such magazines as National Geographic, Life, and Outdoor Photographer. France has traveled extensively and his photographs clearly express his love for the flora and fauna of tropical forests.
Galen Rowell
For many years, Galen conveyed the relationship between man and the desert. His photographs, like nothing else, conveyed the fascinating and magnetic beauty of these sultry places. Prize winner 1984. He collaborated with many famous publications of that time. Rowell's work was distinguished by its depth and coverage of everything new in the subject matter displayed.
Photojournalism
Henri Cartier-Bresson ( Henri Cartier—Bresson)
French photographer who influenced the development of photojournalism for many years. Received international recognition for his coverage of Gandhi's funeral in India in 1948. Traveled extensively around the world and firmly believed that the art of photojournalism lies in capturing the “right” moment. Some call him the father of photo reporting.
Eddie Adams
Laureate Pulitzer Prize and winner of more than 500 prizes. His photographs depicting the Vietnam War from the inside shocked the whole world. Adams also took portraits of celebrities, politicians and military leaders of the time. He believed that a photographer should be able to manipulate a scene to reflect the truth.
Felice Beato
Famous "war photographer". His penchant for travel has allowed him to capture many moods of people and moments in different parts of the world. Visited India, Japan, China. It was Felice who captured the Indian uprising of 1857 and the events of the second Opium War. His powerful and timeless works continue to inspire photojournalists today.
Portrait photography
Ueno Hikoma
Born in Nagasaki. Portrait works and landscape photographs brought fame. He started with his own commercial studio, where he gained enormous experience in portrait photography. Author of portraits of many famous and famous people that time. In 1891 he made a portrait of the Russian heir to the throne.
Philippe Halsman
Despite the fact that Halsman suffered several failures in personal life on early stage, this did not stop him from becoming a magnificent portrait painter of its time. His photographs were somewhat harsh and dark and differed significantly from portraits of the time. Portraits were published in many magazines of the time, including Vogue. After meeting the surrealist artist Salvador Dali, he decides to make a surreal portrait of Dali, a skull and seven nude figures. It took three hours to complete the planned work. It was he who developed the philosophy of displaying a person in motion, in a jump. I believed that this was the only way to show a “real” person from the inside. At the peak of his career, he took portraits of celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, Judy Garland and Pablo Picasso.
Hiro Kikai ( Hiroh Kikai)
Monochrome portraits of residents of the Asakusa district (Tokyo) brought fame to this Japanese photographer. In his early years he witnessed many conflicts and carried out all free time, photographing visitors to Asakusa. A perfectionist by nature, he could spend several days searching for the right person—the subject of the photo.
Aerial photography
Talbert Abrams
The first photographs in this category were taken while serving in the US Marine Corps during World War II. Photographic images squadrons during the period of insurgency in Haiti helped decide to continue this art.
William Garnett ( William Garnett)
Born in Chicago in 1916, he began his career as a photographer and graphic designer in 1938. Assisted the US Army in producing training films for US troops. By 1949, he had already acquired his own plane and switched to aerial photography.
Photography underwater
Dustin Humphrey
Surfer and big lover of photography, who has his own photo studio in Bali. His passion for surfing helped him take simply masterpiece photographs, for which he received the Sony World Photography Award in 2009. It’s amazing how he managed to gather so many people and film it all without a single edit!
