Sex, death, and exquisite shoes. That’s the legacy of fashion photographer Guy Bourdin. And the shoes–they’re a distant third, almost an afterthought. He was born in Paris in 1928. His mother was Belgian, his father Spanish; both were very young. While he was still an … Keep readingGuy Bourdin
Jan Saudek and his twin brother Karel were born in 1935 in the city of Prague in what was then called the Republic of Czechoslovakia. Four years later, Adolf Hitler’s army entered the city. Along with nearly 150,000 other Jews, most of Saudek’s family were … Keep readingJan Saudek
It’s a strange thing to do, when you think about it–using a large format camera to shoot relatively formal portraits of casual strangers in nondescript settings. Yet that’s what Rineke Dijkstra has done for the last decade and a half. And she does it so … Keep readingRineke Dijkstra
Is he a street photographer? Yes. Is he a documentary photographer? Yes. A photojournalist? A travel photographer? A portraitist? A fine arts photographer? Yes, yes, yes, and most certainly yes. French photographer Marc Riboud isn’t easily categorized, because he’s never specialized in any particular area … Keep readingMarc Riboud
One of the problems inherent in looking at the work of a photographer–or any artist or artisan or craftsperson–is trying to decide what information is important and what isn’t. How much does it matter that Elliot Erwitt was born Elio Romano Erwitz in Paris eighty … Keep readingElliot Erwitt
I love Sylvia Plachy and her photography. I first became aware of her in the mid-1980s through the Village Voice, the free weekly ‘alternative’ newspaper distributed in New York City. The contents page of the Voice included a single black and white photograph, usually presented … Keep readingSylvia Plachy
By most objective standards, Eugène Atget would be judged a failure during his lifetime. He tried a number of professions and earnestly worked away at them, but at best he only managed to find a way to sustain himself and his longtime companion, Valentine Delafosse-Compagnon. … Keep readingEugène Atget
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
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