Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson is a true master of photography. This humanist photographer became a classic in the genre of street photography and photorealism and one of the founders of the cult Magnum Photos photography co-operative. He used a 35mm film camera, while others used bulky and heavy medium format cameras. Henri was almost always accompanied by the Leica, a lightweight and fast camera, which was a perfect tool for capturing fleeting moments. Even today, Henri’s reports are still considered an example to follow. The master was able to become completely invisible during his work so that the objects in his shots always looked as natural as possible.
Henri Cartier-Bresson studied to be an artist, which left an imprint on his signature style – a kind of surrealism. His first exhibition took place in 1933 at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York.His golden rule says: “Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.” Also, he noted what a perfect photo is: “a unique photo whose form has enough vigor and richness, and whose content has enough resonance to be self-sufficient.” An interesting fact: Cartier-Bresson adhered to the doctrine of using available light only. He thought that using flash was “impolite… like coming to a concert with a pistol in your hand.”
Arthur Fellig (Weegee)
Arthur Fellig received the byname “Wee Gee,” which means a popular fortune-telling game and sounds like a police siren signal. He was famous in the 1930s and 1940s for his black-and-white street photography. The great master of crime photography was always the first on any New York accident scene, whether it was a petty scuffle or murder. The photographer loved to work in poor districts of the city and explore all facets of their lives. Weegee also worked in Manhattan as a photographer, where he developed his signature style. Most of his works depicted uncensored and realistic city life scenes, crime, injuries, and death. Even the famous director and photographer Stanley Kubrick learned much from Weege. In general, Felling influenced many talented people. He said: “To me, pictures are like blintzes – ya gotta get ’em while they’re hot.”
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus was an American photographer who is now widely known for her photographs of New Yorkers in the 1950s and 1960s. The female photographer was famous for her love of shooting deviant personalities and marginalized people. Among them were nudists, dwarves, people with dementia, circus performers, drag queens – all those from whom people usually take eyes away. With her outstanding work, she emphasized the importance of equality, as then only few people were ready to accept marginalized groups and recognize them as an active part of society.
Interesting fact: one of the most famous Diane photos, called “Identical Twins,” was sold at an auction for almost half a million dollars.
There is a biography film about Diane Arbus, which was released in 2006. It’s called “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.”A famous Diana’s quote: “Most people go through life dreading they’ll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They’ve already passed their test in life. They’re aristocrats.”
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon is a photographer whose stunning black-and-white portraits show an incredible number of stars, from John Lennon to Audrey Hepburn. Richard was fond of photography when he was only 12 years old and joined the Jewish Young Men’s Association camera club. He photographed models on the street, on the beach, or in a circus, giving up the artificial studio atmosphere. His manner can be described as laconic and cutting off everything superfluous in the picture. You will see only a man and his gaze as if it were you. Also, Richard Avedon was a fashion photographer in the United States; he worked at Harper’s Bazaar, shooting for Vogue and Life magazines. He has always been interested in how a portrait can capture the personality and soul.Richard Avedon’s famous quote: “I’ve worked out of a series of no’s. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no’s force me to the “yes.” I have a white background. I have the person I’m interested in and the thing that happens between us.”
Guy Bourdin
It’s been over 25 years since the master died, but his works are still relevant and continue to be copied. Many people take the example of Guy Bourdin’s photos as he showed how interesting fashion photography could be. Guy Bourdin was a French artist and self-taught photographer, extraordinarily innovative and racing against time. He was inspired by cinematography, books, and the history of arts. He produced shots filled with both the surrealism of images and eroticism, for which Vogue adored his photographs. In Guy Bourdin’s works, the human body looks unusual, as if it was taken apart, very mysterious, with a hint of minimalism.An interesting fact: Burden, to put it mild
ly, was not a fan of advertising. He did not even want his works to be shown and thought they should be destroyed after his death.
Annie Leibovitz
One of the most influential photographers in the second half of the twentieth century was Annie Leibovitz. She not only photographed but plunged into the life of the model, ridding her viewers of hyper glamour. Her shots are simple, ironic, witty, and intimate.
Do you remember the photo where John Lennon curled up around Yoko Ono or Whoopi Goldberg bathing in milk? These famous works describe her style more than clearly.
She was a concert photographer of the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones during their 1975 tour and was the first woman who exhibited at the Washington National Portrait Gallery in 1991.Her famous quote: “When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I’d like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph.”
