Helen Levitt has a reputation among art historians and critics. She’s been called “a photographer’s photographer,” “one of the great living poets of urban life,” and “New York’s visual poet laureate.” She’s also been called, sadly but accurately, “the most celebrated and least known photographer … Keep readingHelen Levitt
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
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
Milton Rogovin never intended to be a photographer, let alone one of the most renowned social documentary photographers in the U.S. He was an immigrant’s son who felt privileged to go to college and lucky to obtain a degree that would allow him to enter … Keep readingMilton Rogovin
Esther Bubley isn’t a familiar name to most photographers. Nonetheless, she was a quietly revolutionary figure. She wasn’t a revolutionary so much by choice; rather Bubley was a product of her time, and her time was one of radical change for women. She was born … Keep readingEsther Bubley
Fazal Ilahi Sheikh came by his interest in displaced people naturally. You could say it was the family business. He was born in New York City in 1965. His father, though, was born in Nairobi, Kenya and his grandfather was born in a part of … Keep readingFazal Sheikh
I know almost nothing about Zhou Hai, this week’s Sunday Salon photographer. I know he was born in 1970 in the city of Guilin, which is located in the Guangxi region of China — a region known for its natural beauty. I know he attended … Keep readingZhou Hai
Jeff Wall is best known for his large scale directorial photographs. Large scale directorial photographs? What the hell does that mean? In essence, it means Wall uses an 8×10 view camera to take staged photographs of events in such a way that they resemble a … Keep readingJeff Wall
Some photographers have an agenda. They see photography less as a form of expression and more as a tool for bringing public awareness to their cause. Their photography is not intended to please, but to inform; not meant to form an aesthetic, but to form … Keep readingLewis Hine
There are a few fortunate people who know early on what they want to do for the rest of their lives–and actually find a way to do it. One of those felicitous folks is Bruce Davidson. Born in Chicago in 1933, Davidson first picked up … Keep readingBruce Davidson