She was born in 1935–perhaps in Romania, perhaps in Paris; there is some uncertainty. Her parents are said to have been in the circus–perhaps as performers, perhaps in some other capacity; there is some uncertainty. She spent her childhood years in Constanta, Romania or perhaps … Keep readingIrina Ionesco
There is a long history of social documentary photography in the United States. Before there was Milt Rogovin, before John Vachon, even before Lewis Hine, there was Jacob Riis. Riis was born in Ribe, Denmark in 1849, the third of fifteen children. Although his father … Keep readingJacob Riis
You’ve probably, at some point in your life seen one of the photographs on this page. They’ve become an facet of Americana, wistful representations of a bygone era in which steam locomotives transported goods and people across the huge expanse of the North American continent. … Keep readingO. Winston Link
Traditional architectural photography is documentary. It’s intended to be aesthetically pleasing, of course, but the primary concern is to accurately depict the appearance of a structure. Most architectural photographers come to their craft through their love of architecture. Robert Polidori is different; he’s different in … Keep readingRobert Polidori
There are artists–painters, dancers, musicians, photographers–for whom you have an immediate affinity. For me, that’s Saul Leiter. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1923; his father was a rabbi, a Talmudic scholar of some repute. It was only natural that Saul Leiter would follow … Keep readingSaul Leiter
Francesca Woodman was born in April of 1958 in Denver, Colorado. Both her parents were successful artists; her mother Betty was an accomplished ceramicist and art teacher, her father George, a painter and photographer. The family owned a summer near Florence, Italy and the Woodmans … Keep readingFrancesca Woodman
Phil Borges was your basic yuppie. A successful orthodontist, socially conscious, politically liberal, he traveled widely to remote areas of the world for pleasure and toted along an expensive camera to record his travels. Like a lot of enthusiastic hobbyists, Borges started taking some photography … Keep readingPhil Borges
I recall the first time I saw a photograph by Anders Petersen. It was an image of a bare-chested young man who appears to be blissfully drunk or stoned in the embrace of an older woman who is laughing uproariously. I had no idea the … Keep readingAnders Petersen
How well-known is Patrick Demarchelier in the fashion world? The 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada is about a newly-hired assistant to the editor of the most important fashion magazine in the galaxy. On her first day on the job she is asked “Did Demarchelier … Keep readingPatrick Demarchelier
He was born to an affluent family in Warsaw in 1911 and given the name Dawid Szymin. His father, Benjamin, was a publisher of books in Hebrew and Yiddish. The family fled Warsaw after the city was bombed at the beginning of the First World … Keep readingDavid Seymour (CHIM)